Report of 25 Mar 2012
Hello folks!
We have eaten pizza - a rare treat - and one young man is sound asleep. I've also eaten an entire packet of jackfruit and some watermelon. Fruit is such a fine thing to have and I am trying to match Naren in the "No added sugar" department; he is doing better than I.
We are well, the B is great. Naren and I had philosophical discussions about whether I ought to be embarking into full-time private practice. BUT, I so love what I do and have time for myself that I don't see this changing. It is nice to heal the poor, and teach, and dance and write and read.
We had a lapse the other day at the Banyan with my not being notified that a certain patient's toe was fractured, seen on xray. I was furious, sad and disappointed, and Leela and I let everyone have it. We got to the source of the problem quickly and have tried to rectify it so that there is no repeat; the staff are accepting of this and no one is holding ill will towards us. Again, that's one of the grand joys of working here - when we must reprimand and discipline people, they know it is for the ultimate benefit of the patient.
Our deaf, mute patient, Ms. S, has asked to go home again. We've been over this, and have tried to teach her sign language, but the NGO that did it found that she did not have the comprehending ability to learn it. So we are back to square one, with no way of knowing where her house is as she cannot write. It is a frustrating position for all.
Training has gone swimmingly, and this week, we discussed female issues. We talked about the menstrual cycle, and pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases - the incidence of HIV being the greatest in the monogamous wife of the philandering husband. It was a candid discussion, and extremely rewarding for me as a teacher.
Vandana had a meeting last week, for which all of us gave up our responsibilitiies, and she told us of our lack of responsiveness, accountability, etc. She is off to do much bigger things and is changing the face of homelessness and mental illness on a national level (with great ease, I might add), but the B is not doing very well from an admin standpoint: emails unanswered, donors not thanked, etc. So we will brainstorm next week for suggestions. Rane, a big corporate house here, ran a training session for us last week and I enjoyed it. We hope for improvement - the truth is that many of us do this work due to the personal charisma of Vandana and Vaishnavi.
One of our two senior health care workers, a very lovely young woman, got married today and Naren and I went for the wedding. It was in a village about 1.5 hours away, and was at 7.30 AM; so, if you do the math, we had to get up at 5 AM and hit the road an hour later. The scenery was pastoral and gorgeous, and the wedding hall festive and lovely. I met Koliamma's parents, who came down from the dais to greet us, and spent many minutes talking. We had an excellent breakfast, and when we went up to greet the couple, that was the first question Koliamma asked me: "Doctor, have you eaten?" We chatted a bit, and laughed, and took a photo, and Naren (being half-white, tall and hairy) got a lot of attention. Koliamma's grandfather then asked that I look after her - she chose a husband who worked in Chennai and who would let her continue working at the B, to our great relief - and I promised; "like a mother," he said, and I realised that I was indeed that age. It was a fun wedding, and to get the knowledge that we have improved a young woman's economic status and given her financial independence was very heady. I gave K a sari bought at Nalli, a very prominent sari house. I think all impoverished people must get saris from Nalli, just as they must get U.S. chocolate. I have felt that the expensive coffee in doctors' lounges at hospitals must instead be given to the custodial staff.
I saw "Kaadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi," a Tamil film, and went alone for it - always very risky in India. It was very good, and I am glad I went, on Naren's recommendation.
Shortly, the 3 Weiss men and I will Skype. That is always grand fun for me.
If any of you have suggestions on how to improve email response time, and ensure that all emails are answered, please would you let me know soon. Thanks.
"After all is said and done, more is said than done." - Unknown
R
We have eaten pizza - a rare treat - and one young man is sound asleep. I've also eaten an entire packet of jackfruit and some watermelon. Fruit is such a fine thing to have and I am trying to match Naren in the "No added sugar" department; he is doing better than I.
We are well, the B is great. Naren and I had philosophical discussions about whether I ought to be embarking into full-time private practice. BUT, I so love what I do and have time for myself that I don't see this changing. It is nice to heal the poor, and teach, and dance and write and read.
We had a lapse the other day at the Banyan with my not being notified that a certain patient's toe was fractured, seen on xray. I was furious, sad and disappointed, and Leela and I let everyone have it. We got to the source of the problem quickly and have tried to rectify it so that there is no repeat; the staff are accepting of this and no one is holding ill will towards us. Again, that's one of the grand joys of working here - when we must reprimand and discipline people, they know it is for the ultimate benefit of the patient.
Our deaf, mute patient, Ms. S, has asked to go home again. We've been over this, and have tried to teach her sign language, but the NGO that did it found that she did not have the comprehending ability to learn it. So we are back to square one, with no way of knowing where her house is as she cannot write. It is a frustrating position for all.
Training has gone swimmingly, and this week, we discussed female issues. We talked about the menstrual cycle, and pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases - the incidence of HIV being the greatest in the monogamous wife of the philandering husband. It was a candid discussion, and extremely rewarding for me as a teacher.
Vandana had a meeting last week, for which all of us gave up our responsibilitiies, and she told us of our lack of responsiveness, accountability, etc. She is off to do much bigger things and is changing the face of homelessness and mental illness on a national level (with great ease, I might add), but the B is not doing very well from an admin standpoint: emails unanswered, donors not thanked, etc. So we will brainstorm next week for suggestions. Rane, a big corporate house here, ran a training session for us last week and I enjoyed it. We hope for improvement - the truth is that many of us do this work due to the personal charisma of Vandana and Vaishnavi.
One of our two senior health care workers, a very lovely young woman, got married today and Naren and I went for the wedding. It was in a village about 1.5 hours away, and was at 7.30 AM; so, if you do the math, we had to get up at 5 AM and hit the road an hour later. The scenery was pastoral and gorgeous, and the wedding hall festive and lovely. I met Koliamma's parents, who came down from the dais to greet us, and spent many minutes talking. We had an excellent breakfast, and when we went up to greet the couple, that was the first question Koliamma asked me: "Doctor, have you eaten?" We chatted a bit, and laughed, and took a photo, and Naren (being half-white, tall and hairy) got a lot of attention. Koliamma's grandfather then asked that I look after her - she chose a husband who worked in Chennai and who would let her continue working at the B, to our great relief - and I promised; "like a mother," he said, and I realised that I was indeed that age. It was a fun wedding, and to get the knowledge that we have improved a young woman's economic status and given her financial independence was very heady. I gave K a sari bought at Nalli, a very prominent sari house. I think all impoverished people must get saris from Nalli, just as they must get U.S. chocolate. I have felt that the expensive coffee in doctors' lounges at hospitals must instead be given to the custodial staff.
I saw "Kaadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi," a Tamil film, and went alone for it - always very risky in India. It was very good, and I am glad I went, on Naren's recommendation.
Shortly, the 3 Weiss men and I will Skype. That is always grand fun for me.
If any of you have suggestions on how to improve email response time, and ensure that all emails are answered, please would you let me know soon. Thanks.
"After all is said and done, more is said than done." - Unknown
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
5:26 PM
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