Today is Tuesday and we did a lot of fun and interesting things today. Today was a very early morning so it is good that I went to be earlier than usual. I woke up nice and early and headed to the nursing home. Then we made our way back to BCU for the last time and had some lectures! After that we had a night all to ourselves and were able to explore the city of Birmingham once more. 

My Day At The Nursing Home

When we got to the nursing home, we walked in and it was so peaceful. It seemed like a great place to live and there were healthcare workers and caregivers everywhere we went. We started off hearing about the night shift as the nurses and caregivers switched off. At the end it was mentioned that everyone should have a good day and they were off. They seemed like a great team and like they care for each other and their residents. 

First off, Emily and I went with one of the nurses. She was super sweet and happened to be from the United States. We went around from room to room and she showed us how she gets the medications. I was very impressed with how organized the nurses were. She cared about her job a lot and took her time. We met a few patients but then we went back to the group. 

We then followed the doctor around as a group and met some more patients. They were all so sweet and the doctor was very kind. He let us ask him questions afterwards, so we were listening to his story. After that, we went on a tour around the nursing home. I have never seen a nursing home quite like this. We first went out to sensory street and there were several different little shops. There was a butcher, a sweets shop, and a tea shop. They had fake food and seemed like a great place for the residents to hang out. Also it seemed like a nice place for their families. I liked how in each of these places and outside as well, they had objects and reminders from the time period when most of the residents were young. I asked and apparently they change the scenery for the different generations as well which I think is a nice addition.

Something else that was outside were several animals. These included parrots, goats, and even a dog! There were so many places to sit outside and some of the residents said that they hang out when the weather is nice. Then, we took a tour around the facility and something that stood out to me was a salon that also looked like it was from the 1950’s as well as a nice bathtub that seemed like a spa. 

Afterwards, I walked around with Jocelyn to talk to a few patients. All three that I and we talked to had so many great stories. It made me so happy that they were happy to talk to us. It was nice to see pictures of them when they were younger and hear about their life. It just makes me so happy to listen to their stories. You could tell that they all really liked company. One man was telling us all about his family and his grandchildren. Another man that we talked to told us so many stories about his time in America. He was talking about how he loved America so much and had a great time for the six weeks he was here. It was great to hear all of the their stories. 

Lectures At BCU

Afterwards, we came back to BCU and had a few lectures. First, we had a lecture about endometriosis. It is so sad to think about the amount of women that have it. There is no treatment, cause, or even reason for getting it. The person who has endometriosis is in so much pain and it is usually brushed off by several doctors and caregivers. There is not that much research done for it but they are working on it so hopefully there will be in the future. Also, we talked about period products and how BCU is trying to get free products in every bathroom! I think that is amazing! I think it is an amazing goal so people do not feel uncomfortable asking for products. It is nothing people should feel embarrassed about but yet periods are still not talked about as much as they should be. Hopefully in the future there will be a change. 

Lastly, we talked about Female Genital Mutilation, which I had never heard of before coming to England. So many people go through it each year and it really depends on what country you are in. For example, it is pretty prominent in the United Kingdom. Some people do not even understand what was done to them. It mostly occurs in the Middle East and African countries. There are so many reasons why it is done. It was very sad and crazy to think about the results and what FGM is. 

Overall, today was one of my favorite days because I met so many more people and learned so many more things. I hope to maybe one day work in geriatric care because it made me so happy to meet the new people. I know they made my day just like I did for them. I know that it is a hard job, but I just want to make a difference in lives. Tomorrow we go to London and I am very excited! Until then!