hospital

It has been another week of hospital routines. My sisters and I are getting our rhythms 'down pat', organising ourselves so that my father generally has one of us around. When you have a hearing impairment (and refuse to wear hearing aids) and english is not your first language navigating the hospital system and understanding doctors and specialists is a challenge, we act as intermediaries, helping to relieve my father of some of his confusion and anxiety. I think the medical staff are also very appreciative! You have to speak loudly, slowly and in words that my father can understand, a challenging and sometimes amusing task.

At least this week he has been on the same ward, in recovery mode. Hospitals are a world unto themselves. We have become familiar with the rhythm of the days - meal times, doctors rounds time, medication time, showering time, rest time, visitors time... and on it goes. A world ordered by hours and minutes, a comfort if you like routine, boringly predictable if you don't. Luckily my father is quite content with order and happy to stay put as they attempt to 'tweak' his multitude of medications trying to ensure he is safe to return home. He is coming up to three weeks in hospital now, the end is in sight...