18:16 - 08/30/2009
Wellness
I dropped a resume off in the critical care unit of our biggest hospital the other day. A nudge from a friend that they were needing casual help being the reason for my visit. Usually, one is required to have the certification for that administrative position, but maybe that could be an "in progress" or even waived requirement since it is casual work. With H1N1 expected to hit the city soon, the more available resources, in terms of personnel, the better - right? I already have the language requirements - medicalese/latin/greek being taught in my university physio courses long ago - and the experience from having worked years ago in that hospital's rehabilitation department. Add in the additional training I received, while volunteering with the Red Cross's Survivors of Torture program, and the counselling experience I was given while helping set up the family support center and I think my services would be an asset. Hope they can come to that conclusion too. Walking on to the ward and witnessing the behaviours both of staff and visitors triggered some deeply buried memories.
That short trip was included after two quality assurance assignments and before a visit to my Dad. In all, about six hours of bus travel all on two bus tickets. In the past, each trip would have required a ticket each. The city recently changed that policy, so that one transfer allows one 90 minutes travel in the stead of just one stop. I think it is probably one of the factors that has incresed ridership - especially now that a recession has overtaken us. I only got lost once while using the ten or so chariots I rode, because I was using a city route map that was two years old. Apparently several routes have changed since then, much to my chagrin, as at one point I arrived at the "wrong" hospital - there are two within a mile of each other. Oh well, maybe there is a reason for that for future consideration.
Arrived at the train station newly opened last month, since it is now the only point where I can catch the bus to my Dad's community. Route change indeed. The new station is very beautiful, fully enclosed, and heated. I couldn't help myself, dear diary, I wrote my alderman a couple of days later asking why my community wasn't even afforded bus shelters that were sealed against our -30 C winter months on our platform. If I had wanted to be sniffy, I could have pointed out that our Canadian Charter of Rights forbids discrimination based on geographic location. While waiting on the very exposed, unsheltered concrete train platform at my train station in sub zero weather, one is exposed to the blunt assault of all the elements. The small shelters in place now do not provide much better protection for the following reasons. First, there is a large gap between the concrete platform and the bottom of the shelter structure. Icy winds sweep in through that opening, filling the entire shelter with the freezing air. The seats are made of some substance that holds the cold extremely well. I suppose it might be entertaining to some to watch transit riders squeal and jump up in shock when they try to sit on those seats, but not when you are one of those travellers. Also, the panels of plastic/glass that form the "walls" of the shelter interspersed with metal posts, allow any accumulated heat - say from the closely packed bodies of those waiting (health issues - H1N1) to be quickly bled back outside into the ambient air. There are heaters located at the very top of the shelters - right next to the gaps between the main body of the shelter and the roof. The heat produced is sucked out through those gaps, rarely doing more than frustrate the travellers below who can see, but not feel, the heat produced. I was of the understanding that engineers had to approve those plans, but I can't see how that could be so, since the basic physics principle of hot air rising and seeking the highest level is taught in grade three in our schools. How could anyone have approved this structure for a climate where we can have frigid winter weather for upwards of six months?
Before the argument about tax dollars could be thrown in as a red herring, I pointed out that even though residents and landlords in this community may pay slightly less taxes than those of residents in my Dad's community, one also must consider the population density difference, multi-family developments for example, which tends to even out the amount of money collected from each quadrant by the city. It is a fundamental public health/safety issue, given the length of wait times when trains are frozen to the tracks on the coldest days. There is no other nearby shelter to go to. Maybe when that is addressed, the other issue of the isolation of the station and the fact that it is not in the direct line of sight of any local workers or residents could also be considered for amendment. I hope we won't have to wait until someone is murdered, like the one woman at Franklin station a few years ago.
The alderman's assistant kindly forwarded my missive to the appropriate departments. You see, I had also included links to, among others, the US homeland security's research with respect to UV light as the most effective form of mass sterilization of physical facilities, such as schools and busses. The sanitary conditions on trains/buses and platforms is very worrisome especially in light of the H1N1 virus. Because of the huge volume of transit travellers each day, it will likely be a primary source of spreading the disease. The use of Ultra-violet sterilization, which has been demonstrated to kill 99% of all pathogens, and which is already commercially available at reasonable cost for use and installation should be considered as an option.
I also related an encounter A+ and I had had with tourists when we were returning home from that day at the Chinatown festival. We tried to help a group of 10 German speaking tourists with their transit related problem. They hadn't known that they had to have exact change to purchase tickets. There were no nearby stores open to make change nor any that sold books of tickets. I asked if tourists could be given special care and consideration given that they generate a lot of economic activity when they visit. Besides, a lot of us locals just enjoy the view from other parts of the world that are on offer when visitors show up. I also included a suggestion from the German tourists themselves who asked to have a dedicated "downtown to airport" bus. How very logical. I have used this type of service when travelling in Ottawa and found it both cost and time efficient, as well as scenic into the bargain.
The response? Hmmm. "Any member of the public who is ill/sick are encouraged to stay at home as this is the best prevention to the spread of any virus, in addition to hand washing or any other preventive measures that can be taken." That bureaucrat seemed unaware that at least one third of all downtown workers are on contract, rather than full time employees. I based this number on my knowledge of the major employers' hiring practices. That means that those contract employees are not accorded pay for sick time nor are they given any benefits, in most cases. The employers' way of controlling their gross business "costs", although the impact of chronic absenteeism among their regular staff due to the cycle of infection, plus the lost productivity experienced when sick contract employees, who can't afford to lose the day's pay, arrive at work not well enough to fully participate in their assignments, doesn't ever seem to be factored in. Most contract workers do not make liveable wages for this city's cost of living and so use transit as a means to control their expenses. Those two factors together, plus the use of transit by both school boards to transport their charges, means that the crowded conditions on trains and busses make it almost inevitable that all travellers will be exposed to every viral and bacterial infection making the rounds of any workplace or school.
The bureaucrat directed me to the city website to read the emergency response plan for health issues and then stated "I would respectfully encourage you to continue to manage and control that which is in your power, by ensuring your own personal hygiene and health sanitation regimen." Hmmm, one of the reasons I brought that subject up is that I did work in a hospital rehab department for a few years. There's a theme developing here isn't there, dear diary. One of my tasks was swabbing certain areas and equipment to test for "bugs", viral and bacterial. I have used transit as my primary form of transportation in this city since I was old enough to do so, so what I have observed of health-related issues has been accumulated over a very long period of time. Also, no one could accuse me of being overly squeamish, given my time spent working with very sick patients in the hospital. I get the feeling that the response was akin to saying we've always done things this way and no amount of feedback is going to change our pattern. You might also have noticed, dear diary, that the issue of the train platform in my community wasn't mentioned at all. I don't think what I asked was unreasonable nor was I rude. Election coming up next year so maybe that will have to become one of the issues, eh?
Anyway, finally made it to my Dad's home. He had offered to help me out a bit financially given my youngest and I were in a panic about how we were going to find the funds to pay for his pre-employment expenses. A+ had already loaned me some money, but if my youngest can't get to work or doesn't eat in those first couple of weeks, then we could end up back at square one again. As it turned out, my ex later gave my youngest some money too so in the end we could keep the electricity hooked up, some food on the table and pay for transit too. I also have to spend funds sometimes on my quality assurance assignments upfront and would not have been able to accept them if I didn't have that money available or didn't have bus tickets.
I really want just one job dear diary. I don't think that is asking too much. Any way whine with cheese again. I am so lucky to have friends and family who are willing to help out. I just feel so bad having to ask. I am also worried that they will think I'm not trying hard enough. But really, when the federal job website I searched the other day kept coming up with "0" postings available in this city and redirecting my queries to various places in the US, as well as other jobsites sending me postings in other provinces as the closest for my skill sets, I don't know what else I can do. I think there are more than enough well-qualified people in the US and the other provinces who are also unemployed. I think they deserve those positions, don't you? I know my youngest's new wife in the US has been searching for work for some time too, without success. She is a veteran. I thought they were given special consideration, but maybe not. Right now I'd go just about anywhere reasonable, or even not so reasonable, if it means being fully employed. I've also applied for overseas election observer work, ieds notwithstanding. My youngest tried applying at every local fast food and convenience store within walking distance without one call back too. I am very glad he got the security position though. At least that has some potential for future growth in it. One small positive step at a time, maybe.
My Dad was showing me the cabinets for the old radios he rebuilds that had just been refinished. They are beautiful. He asked me if I would contact some of the on-line radio parts companies to see about selling his excess stock, as well as searching for parts for his own projects. My Dad has 6000+ tubes left from his business you see. 1920 - 1975 vintage. I told him I would inventory them for him, after one of the businesses responded that they would be willing to put in a bid for the lot. They also said they would send a catalogue of their stock to my Dad for his projects. I actually enjoy working with the old vacuum tubes, condensers, transistors, resistors and what have you, but none of them are bar-coded. Guess the old pen and paper method that we used when I was growing up and helping with year end stock taking will be the way it gets done.
Had a discussion with him about the wasps nest in his neighbour's yard. Nothing they've tried has worked. I told him the story of the wasps nest I had removed from my sundance tree out front a few years back. Seems to be a problem all over the city right now. A+'s home appears to have a nest near their front door too. I promised I would try to find the product that had worked for me so that they both can get rid of those cranky pests. All I can remember at the moment is that it smells like whatever the landlord of the property west of me is using at this moment to fumigate that house. Another set of tenants gone, but the new ones seem to be no different - argument in a language I don't speak well and a threat to call the police just now. But I digress, again. Sorry about that. When we were done chewing over family issues, Dad took me out for lunch at an Italian restaurant, then drove me home.
Interesting day,that day, followed by a not so great night. My youngest arrived home very happy with work. He likes being briefed by the ex-police and other investigators who explain how many ways there are to conceal illicit goods. I'm glad I raised my sons with strong ethics, because that knowledge could be used in some very bad ways, for certain. Hmmm. What made things unhappy was that our one male cat has had a relapse with respect to an infected urinary tract. Remember, the first time was on my son's birthday two years ago. I've spent the past four days doing nothing but nursing that very sick boy. The first night I wasn't certain that he would make it, but we don't have the money to pay for a vet this time. We didn't last time either, but at least all the bills were paid up till that point. As you may recall dear diary, the last incident cost well over $2000, by the time Mr Mel was fully functional again. The refusal to release him back to us until we paid in full, with each additional day having a $500 charge added to the bill, was part of the harrassment by that one finance person at the clinic. Caused some nasty flashbacks as I was trying to decide what to do this time. Stress and then some. I wouldn't say that he is out of danger yet, but at least he has cat-titude enough to go round for all five cats right now. The first few days he just lay there while I poured the medicines we had used, and that I had saved, down him as best I could recall from the previous experience. The first night he crawled into my bedroom and his brother, Boots, jumped on me while Mr Mel mewed piteously from his place on the floor so that I could give him another dose of pain killer. Now he fights strenuously when I try, even though I know he must still be in a lot of discomfort. I have spent a lot of time in prayer and meditation trying to find the right balance, as well as the right approach, to help him. Recollections of the staff's troubled faces on that hospital ward I visited a few days ago flickering through my mind as I mulled over all the options. Anyway.... milked his bladder in the same way too as last time. Yeuck, I know and too much information probably, but that hospital/health theme seems to be dominant in my life right now, doesn't it. Any way litter box duty calls, so I'll say adieu for now.
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