My roommate I will call "C" had a bad night. Last evening she said her urinary tract infection symptoms were driving her nuts. I felt sorry for her because I could tell she was kind of jumpy. "C" is 81, paralyzed on one side from a stroke over 40 years ago, and has congestive heart failure.
She quieted down early. But it seems like every time there's a different night shift nurse, she has trouble sleeping.
She first woke around 2 AM and turned her call light on. That woke me up immediately. She said she was cold, needed help and put her call light on. I said something into the nursery monitor beside me that "C" needed help. Last night was the coldest night so far, this fall..
After the aide helped my roommate, I had him put new earplugs in for me to see if they would quiet the room. Initially I thought they were okay, but I could still hear way too much of my roommate's TV noise, in spite of them.
Within a few minutes "C" was quiet. For about an hour and half I thought she was resting. But, "C" has her TV on all the time. Because she could not sleep, she turned it up to watch it.
My earplugs usually dim the noise somewhat. But even the new ones made it difficult for me to sleep.. Most nights one of the aides turns down "C's" TV after she's asleep. But last night they couldn't.
Then, sometime after 4 AM I heard "C" calling for, in a high, thin voice. When the aides came in, they said she wasn't over there. They found her in the bathroom sitting in front of the sink with no lights on.. She got there quietly, using her wheelchair and I didn't hear her. She was in the dark because she couldn't find the light switch. She went there to put in her dentures..
After that, she stayed up. But, thankfully before she left the room she turned down the TV.
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