Despite my morning my thoughts were on Hurricane Irma

This morning I wondered what kind of day it would be. The night shift nurse and I verbally sparred when I got my suppositories after 6 AM. I told him I wanted up and I felt they might consider doing it sooner. Despite what I said, he said there was not enough aides on night shift to get me up.

In the midst of all this morning turmoil, my mind was overwhelmed with thoughts of my sister, her husband, my niece, and her boyfriend trying to ride out Hurricane Irma. Janice and her husband live in Naples. Meredith and her boyfriend live in the northern Fort Lauderdale area.

All of them were in my mind yesterday. It's hard for me because my family are so far away. All I could do for them was pray, which didn't seem like very much. Janice has emailed each day. They were going to a safe hurricane proof apartment owned by some wealthy friends.

Before the morning progressed very far, no one answered my voice call into the nursery monitor or came to get me up to go to the bathroom. I wondered why they got me up for several days, and then all of a sudden stopped. Things changed Friday morning and I was not allowed to get up. That meant I soiled the diaper two days in row. But at least yesterday they got me up not too long after it happened.

This morning they waited too long to get me up and never said a word. I ended up soiling the diaper again. I just could not believe that, despite what was going on, no one could tell me I kept asking for assistance. I spoke into the nursery monitor and nobody came near. The first person in this room was an aide at 8:30 a.m. When she brought my roommate's breakfast tray, I asked for a drink of water. The aide left without I couldn't believe she wouldn't give me a drink.

The nurse came in a little after 9 AM, and I asked her for a drink. She too walked out of my room. I don't think I've ever been treated this way. I thought maybe there was some sort of emergency.

I got the aide's attention when she brought in my roommates tray, by telling her not to expect me to eat breakfast in a soiled diaper. I wonder if that's why the aide did not come back..

When three aides finally came it was after 9:30 a.m., my bed and I were a mess. They said they felt I needed a shower and got me up and took me there. Perhaps that was the carrot for the stick of me lying in a soiled diaper for over two hours.

Earlier that morning three rehab residents were sent to the hospital. One went to ICU. Another, after falling here and breaking two bones in her leg. She returned around lunchtime. I've heard nothing about the third resident sent to the ER.

I guess it's impossible to plan for all bad situations when you run a nursing home. Every situation is unique. But I seem to see a lot of things here that fall outside the pattern. I think some of the new admissions were discharged from the hospital prematurely.