The Wrong Carriage

Photo Description:Codee’s Bitmoji sitting in the carriage of a train.

On a sunny morning at Community Care Station I enjoyed showering during the care moment. When I was done, had received help putting on underwear and brushed my teeth, I got back into the carriage to get further help getting dressed.

“The district nurse will be here in a minute.” The nurse said. “She wants to discuss something with you.”

I immediately became nervous. Why does the district nurse want to talk to me? I haven’t seen her since my intake interview and was under the impression that she would only come and take care of me in when the team is in dire need. Have I done something wrong or something?

I was just getting dressed when I heard the front door open. I sat on the bed and the district nurse came in.

“I wanted to talk about the carriage you’re in right now,” she said in a friendly tone.

“Oh. I thought I had done something wrong.”

“No” She said. “Actually, we kind of did. Because you’re in the wrong carriage.” She continued.

“Wrong carriage? Why”?

“Well,” she began. ‘It is like this. At Community Care Station we divide our clients into different carriages. Depending on their illness or condition and how much help they need, they end up in carriage 1, carriage 3 or carriage 4. You are now in carriage 1. But this is actually the wrong thing for you. You’re here because we didn’t want to leave you without care. So when you submitted the care request, we just placed you in the first carriage where there was room. Carriage 1 is intended for the clients with severe memory problems. You need care because of your physical limitations. It is better to go to carriage 4 for this and if it is okay with you, we would like to place you there so that space is freed up in carriage 1 for a new client.”

“Oh, um”…

I had only gotten into carriage 1 8 weeks ago. It also took me a while to get used to the employees in carriage 1. I recognized everyone’s voice and the morning routine was just starting to run smoothly. I didn’t really want to get to know new people and tell my story to them again. I had just finished this challenge and my autistic brain was about to explode thinking I had to do it all over again.

I felt tears come up and the district nurse saw it right away.

‘What is it’? she asked, again in a friendly tone.

I took a deep breath and tried to explain calmly what was going on in my head.

“Oh, but you don’t have to worry about that. We will help you to make the transition smooth. We will arrange a meeting with the district nurse from carriage 4 and you can explain everything to her. She will then write it down for the carers. If it still doesn’t work, please contact me. Then I’ll help you further.”

What a relief!

Within a few days the new district nurse would come and at the beginning of the next week, I would end up at carriage 4 for care.

Two days later on a rainy afternoon, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and was greeted by the new district nurse. She was calm, spoke softly and came across as friendly. We sat down and I briefly told my story. I also told how the employees of carriage 1 helped me. Exactly what they did and that I hoped to get the same care from the new employees. We then went upstairs so I could show where everything was. The district nurse wrote this in my care plan. When I wake up, I can’t talk and so can’t answer questions. That is why we ensure that all possible questions and answers can be read in the care plan.

The district nurse thanked me for the detailed explanation and would adjust the route planning so that I would receive the care at the times I was already used to.

Monday morning and I was already awake before the new nurse came in. This time I had slept well, but woke up on my own because it was a little later than the nurse would normally come in. This can happen. I have long understood that the care can for clients before me can sometimes take longer. You sometimes have that when you work with sick and limited people. An illness does not always keep to the schedule.

I lay with my eyes half open for only a few minutes when I heard the front door. Ok.. there we go then. Who would it be? And how is it all going to go?

Well, it turned out to be a nice surprise. An intern from carriage 1 had also moved to carriage 4 to gain more experience and came in right away with the new sister.

She was already quite good at explaining to the nurse the order in which we do things and where all the medication and clothing are. The nurse appeared to be feeling even more nervous than I was. In the end we were able to turn the nerves into fun and the morning routine was soon finished.

Just over a year later, I’m still in carriage 4. This indeed suits me and my illness better. I notice that the working method of the employees in carriage 1 is much different than that of the co-workers in carriage 4. In carriage 4 there is more room for thinking and it is much easier for me to indicate my needs.

If you were to ask me if carriage 4 is more fun, I’d secretly say yes. But that’s not to the detriment of carriage 1. They do their job perfectly and I’m grateful for all the help I received from them at the time. Carriage 4 simply arranges for other employees who deal with my limitations and morning care differently. They are great!

Now I’m going to prepare to go to the next station. Where shall we go? You have been on my train for a while now and are traveling with me. But so far, I’m deciding where we’re going. At the next station, we could get off and have a virtual cup of tea or coffee together. Then there is time to answer your questions.

Everything related to my illness and care is allowed. I am used to talking about me and my illness in public. I’ve been doing this since 2018. You can’t scare me with your questions. But you can try.

Leave your questions in the comments below. At the next station, I’ll answer them.

Wishing everyone a nice week. See you at the next station!