Super busy!

I had a rather manic day with a few of my cases.
I don't leave work at 7pm very often but I left work at 7pm today!
I couldn't be bothered to cook so got myself a kebab takeway...hhhh

The moment I walked into the office, I had number of phone calls to follow up.
I could hear another call waiting whilst I was on a call.

11am-A meeting at the Housing Department who needs to re-housed but his safety in his
own flat to live independently was in question as he has brain injury due to lack of
oxygen when he had a cardic arrest few years ago so distinguishing harm is quite
difficult for him. However, he is 62 years old with extremely vivid life stories which
I end up staying a hour when I go for a quick visit!

12.30pm- A home visit to a young lady, same aged as my sister, who has profound
disability is moving to a residential unit in two weeks time. She lives alone with care workers
24 hours and it is her family home which means there are quite a bit of stuff to sort out
before she leaves as she will be giving up her tenancy. Discussed about the logistics of moving, making a will or funeral arrangements (she is in good health now but with her disability things might change very quickly and she moves out of London so we wanted to make sure she has all the information in place for the unit to response accordingly.), sorting out unwanted furniture etc. This took longer than I thought. Returned to my office.

I had my lunch at 2.30pm...pretty late....

3pm- emails to respond to as people were going on weeks leave who have children as
it is half-term (school holiday week). More phone calls to make regarding above
young lady. I was calling about one person and replying to an email about another
service user, which is a common sence, actually.

4.30pm...- A discharge to arrange for a woman in her 60s who suffered a stroke
requiring a nursing home placement. Due to cost implications, I had request for few more
homes to assess her for a better place with a decent cost. A home was confirmed and
I had to liaise with the next of kin (NOK) and the hospital in which she is currently in.
To arrange all the paper work for the nursing home, provide information for the NOK,
complete case notes just in case things happen over the weekend and if I don't get in first 
thing on Tuesday someone else has to follow up on my behalf. 

6.30pm- Rang the man I talked about at the beginning to update him of the outcome
of the meeting. He was happy that people are helping him. And it was very nice of him
to say that he feels I have a caring heart and he can really feel that and he should not
be falling in love with his social worker but he is (I think I know him long enough to
get his jokes)!. I said to him that it was very nice of him to say so as most of my work
is often not appreciated and social workers tend to get all the bad names in the
caring profession. He really made my day when I have been quite worn out with
my work with the pressure to make savings within this limited resources.
I guess my work is all worthwhile becease of this kind of moments!


The office was half full meaning half the team was not there.
It is quite a typical sence in England just before the bank holiday weekend,
people will add one or to two days of annual leave to extend it.
I had too much to do and I have a long holiday booked in Summer so
I didn't have the luxury to take a day off. I thought the half who turned up for
work deserved a treat and made some chocolate cookies with hazelnuts.
Of course, home made food is always welcomed!

Kaffee

I just finished a pack of grounded Columbia coffee I brought from Feiburg, Germany.
Tee Peter Kaffee
It was a fabulous coffee and the Columbia beans were very sweet and dark.
If you get a chance to visit Feiburg and if you love coffee, you should really
visit this coffee store. Coffee is kept in really pretty porcerline containers
which deserves a visit anyway. The store is very close to the cathedral.

My friend said he only drinks Columbian coffee when I say I only drink Cuban rum!
His got Columbian blood running in him so no doubt.
I really miss it now! Might have to go back!

A visit to the cremoterium

I have a deceased service user who I worked with over a year
and attended the funeral at Honor Oak cremoterium.
The priest rang me to ask some special memories but I could not
say any as the chat I had with him was either
'Get out of my flat!.' 'Get me some cigarettes.' 'Make me coffee.'
'I'm cold.' 'TV is broken.' etc
He died in April but the funeral was arranged for today.
No family members, not many friends but the friendship fail
through few months before he died. So it was his GP and I
who was there to say good bye. There is no duty for any
professionals to attend ones funeral but it depends on the
relationship with the service user that will decide whether to attend.
I knew there will be no one at his funeral but GP and I so
I made an effort to attend and he died at home where he wanted
which his GP and I tried to support him with.
My ever first visit to a cremoterium in the UK or Korea.

Southwark Council had to arrange his funeral as there was no one
around him to arrange his funeral. It was very arranged as well.
I found the whole process after death very interesting which
demonstrates the extend of British welfare system....
it does what they claim for 'Cradle to the grave.'

May he rest in peace.....

Portobello Market in ages!

Challenging Conversations

I was on two days training at St.Christopher's Hospice

on 'Challenging Conversations in End of Life Care'

It was an excellent training. I am feeling quite overloaded now

and will have an early night as I have a light headache.

I was the only social worker among nurses and a doctor

but there was nice mixture of comments and views.

It is certainly is a very difficult area for professionals to discuss 

and it is whether we as professionals are able to contain the context. 

Furthermore, it is also about picking up the cues when 

people use symbolic terms and languages

when the 'D' word is so avoided in the Western world and

other parts of the world.

I will add more tomorrow!