I have to say, when I woke up yesterday, the thought of a snow day took me back to those mornings when you can't wait to hear that you have the whole day to either look out the window at the snow or go out to play in it!
But...instead...I picked up Maja, Ashley, and Mallory (the M-3's rotating this month) and we set out for home visits in the snow.
Our first stop was to lend support to a woman with schizophrenia caring for her elderly mother who has lung cancer. She was outside shoveling when we pulled up and when we went in the house, her mother yelled at her because the path wasn't straight!!! That gave us a window into her stress level:) I think we managed to bring her stress level down a notch or two...she did have a good laugh seeing the 4 of us bail out of my vehicle clad in jeans, boots and winter gear instead of our traditional "white stuff."
Next, we checked on a gentleman who is trying to get his driver's license back after a bad head trauma several years ago (he was knocked off the back of a snow plow). He proudly took us into his basement to see the amazing model ships he has built over the years...one of which floated in a pond at the Mitchell park Domes for years! We did see how very frustrating it is for a previously capable man to be patient while regaining his skills to drive again (which may or may not happen...) I think he enjoyed having 4 pairs of listening ears!
Our last stop was a group home where we evaluated another patient who has had trouble settling into her new environment. We found her in good spirits and she had even gotten outside to make a snowball! (a big accomplishment if you know her...)
Overall, we were left feeling like we had accomplished quite a bit on our snowy day....never underestimate the power of a home visit to make someone feel worthwhile and cared about...
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