Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Thirsty...

"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink" (John 7:38 NIV).


We all come into the world thirsty. From the time my son made his first cry in the delivery room, he began rooting around for something to drink. God planned it that way. Our bodies are 50 to 60 percent water and must be replenished continuously. When we go without water, our skin grows clammy, our eyes become scratchy and our head starts to pound. We need water to keep our mouths moist enough to swallow, our vital organs plump enough to function, and our joints lubricated enough to flex. One week without water and we simply dry up and die.  -- SHARON JAYNES

Working now with the elderly, I see many thirsty faces.  They are sunken, they are sad, and they often request a simple drink.  I am so happy to be able to serve these people in little ways with a smile, a word, and sometimes helping them get a drink.  Their hands shake, or they don't function at all.  We take for granted those simple drinks...

#566. Holding our own cup.
#567. Drinking cold water.
#568. Drinking without coughing or choking on the liquid.
# 569. Swallowing safely...many of my patients are at high risk for aspiration (swallowing into their lungs)
# 570. Healthy weight...so many of the elderly are tiny...losing weight daily for lack of desire/ability to eat.
# 571.  Thickener...it can save lives, but it is strange stuff...you mix a powder into drinks to thicken it up to a honey/nectar consistency and it makes it easier/safer for patients to swallow liquids...it hardens over time though...becomes like thick concrete.  It's a miracle product...neat stuff really.
# 572.  Clean water to drink...in America we are lucky to have this luxury.
# 573.  Running water...many countries don't have that luxury either.
# 574.  Suction...I found the one and only suction device at the nursing home yesterday (kind of like the dentist uses).  It was a pleasure to be able to suction a man with muscular dystrophy who is so weak he cannot manage his own saliva.  I felt very helpful.
#  575.  Swallowing protocols...I was trained at Spalding Regional how to create these, and now I'm using that skill at my present job.  The pieces of my past are fitting with my present day living...love how God works in this way!

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