Week 12 and 13: New Belizean Family

The past couple of weeks involved me continuing to job shadow at the Octavia Waight Center. Interestingly enough, most residents at the center have neurological disorders which perfectly aligns with my field of study. I graduated as a neuroscience major at Belmont University and have since worked in neurology departments at Tristar Centennial Medical Center and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.

The most notable conditions of residents at the center are Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Since most of the residents are handicapped, caretakers and nurses  must provide round the clock attention and care. Other responsibilities include feeding residents individually and taking them to the restroom periodically. With 35 residents, the level of care provided is very intentional and requires patience.

Over the past few weeks I have created a sense of familiarity with the residents of the center as well as the employees. Being able to sit down and not only care for residents, but being able to listen to them tell me the stories of their lives has been eye opening. The 35 residents range from being local Belizeans to even hailing from our very own United States or as far as Taiwan. As I have became more familiar with everyone, I have learned that many of their family members rarely visit. Whether it be due to transportation issues, children moving out of the country, or different countries of origin- many residents only have each other to keep company.

Whether it be me listening to someone’s upbringing everytime I walk into the center, cheering them on play “la loteria” which is a Mexican version of bingo I know all too well,  bringing in fresh fruits for snack time, or sharing Mexican jell-o with residents and staff- it has become a second home for me. As soon as I walk into the facility I am greeted by staff and told to sit down by the residents to share about memories they have or even as simple as commentary on the weather.

(This is what my fridge looked like when I made Mexican Jell-o for everyone to try for the first time!)

During my time job shadowing at the facility I have even gained a new “Belizean” grandma. My grandma, Dominica, is originally from Punta Gorda, Belize also known as “PG” to locals. She has many kids which all now reside in the United States, but occasionally call her. Although she is 92, she is the most independent (and talkative) resident at the center. She is known as “the new girl” because of her being one of the most recent residents and often talks about her two wonderful marriages with her now deceased spouses. Although she has no health issues she constantly talks about the “what ifs” that tomorrow brings. As a response to her saying she is elderly, I reply “you are only 92 years old grandma, you still have a few more decades” to which she laughs to.

When I first met Dominica she told me it had been a struggle for her children to be able to convince her to move to the center. Although she had an in-home caretaker in PG, the caretaker would often times not be at home and the risk at her age is very high. After a lot of convincing, Dominica finally agreed to make the big move. Although she was initially not accepting of her new environment, she is now happy to be able to join in activities, make the most of the fresh air and fellowship among people her age.