Tag Archives: Job

Not So Hygienic

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I have a long history of working in retail. I’ve worked at JC Penney’s, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Sears and Roebuck, Burlington and a few other retail outlets.

I’ve held multiple positions within the stores and one thing I found appalling was when it came to people trying on shoes and clothing.

I’ve worked in fitting rooms, the shoe department, the storage rooms, on the sales floors, central wrap/packaging and shipping, and so on.

I use to see people come in trying on underwear and swimsuits that would be placed back on shelves and racks for others to try on or to purchase.

Other apparel such as pants, dresses, and shirts would be tried on while people were sweaty and smelly then placed back onto racks to be sold. They would even leave behind deodorant stains. Not to mention how many items of clothing ended up piled upon the store floors from day to day, and night to night, just to eventually be sold and taken home by some unsuspecting individual who had no idea what the clothing had been through.

Apparel and underwear are usually turned inside out, stepped on, dragged, thrown down, and mishandled only to be recovered and neatly replenished back onto the sales floor shelves and racks as if nothing ever happened.

Handbags and accessories would also be disheveled and scattered about.

People would try on shoes with dirty and smelly feet, the inside of the shoe department storage room often reeked of funky feet because the loud odor from numerous people’s feet lingered behind.

I personally don’t want to put on and purchase a bra or panty that someone else has tried on the idea is disgusting, and such a turn off. When I was coming up stores didn’t allow this to be done.

My bra and underwear always came inside sealed boxes and packages I never bought loose underwear that were on hangers or piled onto shelves.

Working at these stores, I had access to the brand new items of merchandise since I handled unopened boxes that were shipped in daily for me to stock and to place out upon the sales floors so I made sure to get my hands on items that had never been touched or worn by anyone If I planned on buying anything inside the store.

The experience also inspired me to be extra cautious at how I purchase at stores from then on, knowing how careless many establishments operate.

It’s a shame these stores fail to incorporate higher standards of conduct within reinforcing a proper rule and responsibility of maintenance among and toward customers, store associates, and the goings on behind the scenes.

 

 

 

Working With Alzheimer’s And Dementia

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I’ve had extensive training in cognitive function and disorders as I worked in facilities and homes with those living and coping with forms and stages of dementia.

I’ve also observed hours of expert Teepa Snow footage through one of my past company’s orientation and training sessions.

I was trained under the supervision of a nurse to administer out medication and to evaluate and monitor the behavior of clients that I and others were assigned to while we occupied overnight shifts on the floor of the Alzheimer’s and Dementia unit.

There would be two of us on duty in charge of thirteen patients that we had to check on every hour when they were in their beds.

In general, those with dementia who repeated the same things over again never annoyed me, and if they’d get frustrated, or non compliant, I’d just wait until everything was all fresh and new to them again.

In more severe cases one just had to have patience and use interpersonal skills of effective method and technique.

In dealing with individuals who have Alzheimer’s and Dementia, everything begins with the proper way in how to approach and communicate with them, and this comes with understanding the nature and progression of their disease, and the way in how they process and react.

 

Hazardous Workplace

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About a week or two ago I was asked by one of my employer’s, because I do both retail and healthcare work, if I’d cover a three day fill in shift.

So I agreed to work the temporary assignment and I was given a little prior information and detail into the case.

When I arrived to my client’s residence I inhaled the strong odor of urine as soon as I walked through the door.

The mother of my client greeted me, lead me toward her son’s bedroom, then introduced me to him.

On the way through the home, I also inhaled a nasty odor reeking from the woman who was up in age.

The man was in his fifties and paralyzed on one side of his body due to a stroke. He was also overweight and wore a diaper.

I told him the diaper was too small as the fasten wasn’t reachable to cross over to the other side.

The man had gotten slightly offended by my words and uttered out to me, “I hate when people come and tell me the diaper is too small. These diapers are not too small I’ve been wearing this size diaper for years”.

I hadn’t meant any harm but the diaper was a bit too small to give him adequate protection to urinate and to move his bowels within.

In all honesty, I don’t know if manufacturers actually designed disposable diapers large enough to accommodate someone of his measurements.

Anyhow, we got past the disagreement, and I helped him out of bed with his diaper that didn’t properly fit, and all.

I helped him dress, put his leg brace on, I helped him balance himself, then I motioned him into his wheelchair and wheeled him into the porch to take his medication.

His mother was unable to push his wheelchair around the house because of his heavy weight. He needed someone to attend to him day and night. I was only there for the day shift he already had someone scheduled to come later on within the evening.

I’m between one hundred and thirty-five pounds to one hundred and forty yet I was able to lift him by the back of his pants to give him a jolt and I was able to push his chair.

It was all about technique to me, though, the man was indeed quite a load to bear, especially carrying the dead weight on one side of the body.

A physician came later that morning as a routine visit. This is how I found out exactly how much my client weighed. The doctor acknowledged the man was five hundred and thirty-five pounds, also addressing that he was morbidly obese, and since he was unable to proficiently stand or walk there was no way for him to exercise sufficiently.

He would just have to sit and lay and accumulate more pounds and additional health problems.

My mother didn’t understand how in the hell I helped to lift and push my client’s five hundred pound ass around his residence and tolerate the foul smells in which I professionally did.

The mother and the son were both nice and welcoming toward me and the man had apologized for his earlier attitude. The rest of the time that I had spent there had turned out very well, and the family was looking forward to my return.

However, I never made it back there. It just wasn’t meant to be. I had to call out for the other two days I was supposed to show up. My spirit just wouldn’t allow for me to go back under those hazardous conditions.

I also couldn’t take the chance of my client getting nervous due to the man’s confidence issues that he had revealed to me.

What if an accident occurred and he happened to have fallen on me? Then I may have been the one in need of attention and medical care.

Bad Bodily Odors

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One doesn’t have to work in the medical field or as a caregiver to come across some of the worst odors.

We often smell a lot of funk through out everyday life depending where we’re at and who we are around.

It’s just those of us who’ve held jobs within a healthcare setting tend to and are more prone to encounter bad hygiene at an enormous rate as our workplaces cater primarily to people and wellness issues.

An array of individuals commonly walk through the doors and occupy residence at hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities.

Us people who undertake caregiver roles deal with people constantly all day long on a day to day basis with all type of conditions and ailments and are bound to definitely come into contact with notorious odor.

I remember how once, before I ever thought about working in the medical/ healthcare field, my mother and I were inside the emergency room of a hospital when this bum came in drooling from the mouth with a tall can of beer.

After he’d sat and been there for a while, a female medical technician who’d entered the lobby of the place from time to time finally went to respond to him.

Once she fully observed him and paid more attention to him she noticed his behavior, appearance, and the can of beer he had brought in with him.

The medical technician turned to look at my mother and I and said “Why didn’t you tell me he had a can of beer? She then said aloud, “Oh great, now I’m going to have to deal with his stinking feet”.

I internally sympathized with her because she seemed like a decent person of substance.

With all of this lady’s experience and familiarity within her field of work she knew just by looking at the man what she was in for by having to attend to him that evening.

Some people’s feet smell so bad that it’s impossible to get the odor out of fabrics.

There was a guy who came to my house once and he had his bare feet resting against the carpet of the room.

The odor had gotten trapped into the carpet and no matter how much I vacuumed the odor wouldn’t leave or fade away I even tried sprinkling baking soda to kill the smell and that was useless.

I ended up having to eventually pull up the carpet to throw it away.

I’ve also been in a house with a guy who’s odor was so bad the funk had gotten embedded within the mattress and he was well aware of the problem as he told me he had tried everything from ammonia to drive away the smell yet it was still set in.

These occurrences are nothing new.

I remember a neighbor of mine had to throw away her upholstered chair on account of another female neighbor who had smelled it up so bad.

A relative of mine had to throw away an article of clothing she had loaned to one of her great-nieces because her underarms had stunk up the material and ruined the chance of her ever wearing the item again.

There are so many experiences I could share too many to write about, stories in which would make one holler, “Woo!”

Cop Flop

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I stopped working at one of my jobs about a week ago as I wasn’t satisfied with the company and as one of the heads of the establishment wanted an explanation I refused to give him one as I just requested to get my last check.

The employers claimed that they were not withholding my check from me yet refused to mail it out to me or meet me downstairs of the building to give it to me. They wanted me to come upstairs and discuss how they could improve on whatever I was dissatisfied with.

I didn’t want to discuss anything I just wanted my money. I told them if they didn’t come down to give me my check that I would call the police. The company told me to go ahead so I did.

They must have thought I was bluffing. I don’t bullshit if I say I’m going to do something I’ll do it unless something comes up.

I phoned up the cops about five or six times I know the situation was not a life or death one, however, they never showed up. I initially called around 2pm and the police didn’t get back to me until going on 7pm later that same evening as they gave me a return call on my cell.

A cop had the nerve to ask me if I was at the location I had called about I told him no and how that had been hours ago. The cop apologized stating they were busy at the time and told me to call the police again the next time around.

Last Tuesday I went back to the company and the cops arrived within a timely manner and handled the situation and I received my paycheck on the spot.

I didn’t trust the establishment or environment as I worked for them a very short time. There is a possibility the company may be a front for something other than a legitimate health care setting.

 

One For The Road

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I’m a constant shopper I always have bags especially ones full of groceries. I use public transportation when I travel and often depend on the bus to get me to where I’m going.

When some bus drivers see me standing at the bust stop with my load of packages they act like they don’t want to stop to pick me up and one or two transit drivers had indeed kept on going and intentionally passed me by and their buses weren’t anywhere near crowded within the past yet some will let on those passengers who lug and tote full size shopping carts inconveniently blocking the walkway.

When I get too overloaded with groceries and unable to make it home by bus I may call a taxi and some of them require significant chunks of an arm and a leg.

So many people want someone else’s money and they are ready, willing, and able to help themselves to other peoples cash as if they have entitlement. I was never the type to give away money and I don’t work everyday to support those who are eager to be handed down my hard earned cash on account of their greed or covetousness.

A lot of cabdrivers are out of control these days preferring larger sums and amounts while also expecting to be paid tips going as far as to set their own amusing rates for a trip wherein short distance and location. I understand the drivers have to make a living, however, it won’t be at the expense of ripping me off if their line of work is too insufficient they should get a second job or look into another field of work.

All taxi drivers and companies are not this way I have rode with a few very reputable cab services who were dependable at arrival and reasonable within price and deserved the occasional tip for good business if necessary.

Lately, to reach one of my places of employment I am in need of a taxi to get me the rest of the way for the days that I’m scheduled for work. At first things seemed to go well until this one cab service began to inform to me as to what became the same explanation on a daily basis of none of his taxis being available within my area to get me to my job. I knew the dispatcher was lying I even witnessed one of his cabbies pulling off from a regular nearby location where I was at once. This is just someone who was tired of me calling everyday for a six dollar ride whereas he wanted his drivers traveling to farther locations to get compensated a higher profit.

There is a cab company within my own neighborhood that I’ve been frequently using for years now, though, and they’ve never let me down whenever I need them I wish they were able to drive me the short ride away from where the bus leaves me off at when I head to go to my job but it’s too far out of the area for them to come get me.