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comment by user-inactivated
user-inactivated  ·  3414 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What event(s) taught you the most about humanity as a whole?

First job working with developmentally disabled adults.

Told to read binders about a specific client, whose life spills out as being tortured, awful, body mangled, limbs cut off, surgery after surgery reducing his body, no power, defenseless. Start crying while reading, sadness hurts in the chest.

Said client is everyone's favorite client, always a big smile on his face.

Practical, problem solving mind is confused, no idea how to fix the problem that is this client's life.

Existential crisis that lasts for days.

Eventually realize the client couldn't be fixed, per se. What could be done, however, is providing support, taking good care of the client, adding a sense of healthy fun to his life, making him happy, laugh, feel safe.

Outlook on how to treat fellow humans changed forever.





someguyfromcanada  ·  3414 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I could not do what you do. A doctor just said to me about a parent with dementia, it is not a problem that can be fixed, it just has to be managed as best as possible.

user-inactivated  ·  3414 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Sorry about that, must be rough. Something related I discovered in that line of work: many people make the mistake of labeling a person as disabled, having alzheimers, and so forth, and for them, the person with the disability becomes the disability. Disabled client cries a lot, "caretakers" walk by, it's his disability, don't pay attention, you're wasting your time. Once the human gets labelled, it's like their humanity disappears, they're a thing, not a person.