FAIRWEATHER FRIEND
FIRST VISIT
Tuesday, July 25th
Today was my first visit with B. She is really sweet & wanted to know a lot about me. She was born in ______ & is the oldest of 6 sisters. Her daughter is her primary caregiver, & seems nice as well. B is aware of her own memory problems, but she is trying to stay positive. Next week I'll bring some magazines for us to read together.
SECOND VISIT - THE ENTRY THAT BECAME THE SONG
Tuesday, August 1st
I brought a book about India for B today. She really enjoyed it, & was definitely in a good mood for the entire visit. I also learned a little more about her daughter today. Her daughter gave me an old almanac of theirs so that I can show it to other patients. She seemed to be happy with today's visit as well.
THIRD VISIT
Tuesday, August 15th
Today was a good visit. I saw B's cat for the first time. The Nat Geo magazines were okay, not as good as the book last time. Today the daughter showed me some of her pictures.
FOURTH VISIT
Tuesday, August 29th
B has begun to have more trouble completing sentences. She will be going to an assisted living facility soon - I should call my coordinator about how that will affect my visits.
FIFTH VISIT
Friday, September 15th
Today was my first visit w/ B at her nursing home. She was sleeping when I got there and I think I woke her up. She remembered me and I showed her some pictures of my dog and the family pics I got in India. She was really supportive and said I was like a grandkid. I don't think I like nursing homes, even though everyone in it was so nice. I wish she wasn't sick b/c she's so nice.
SIXTH VISIT
Friday, September 29th
B was a lot more confused this visit. Her frequent urination has worsened, and I don't think she really remembers me. Her daughter dropped by at the end of the visit and she congratulated me on my MCAT. I'll stop by tomorrow too to make up for missing last week.
SEVENTH VISIT
Friday, October 6th
Kinda sad visit. B went to bed pretty soon after I came. She was pretty sad, I think b/c of how her disease makes her feel and also b/c she felt like she was a bother. I told her she wasn't. She felt freezing, so I put a blanket on her and she felt better.
EIGHT VISIT
Friday, October 13th
Really fun visit. I arrived while B was eating lunch, so the first ~20min were just sitting around. However, after that showed her some animal pics from r/aww and she really enjoyed them! It felt like a really successful and quick visit, even though it was a little longer than usual.
NINTH VISIT
Friday, October 20th
Pretty much a repeat of last week, but still a fun visit. B doesn't seem to have gotten worse since last week, and I think the animal pics are fun for her. Also, I think she remembers me, which is nice.
TENTH VISIT
Friday, October 27th
Short visit. B was part of a singing group in the lounge today. She feel asleep and I took her back to her room.
ELEVENTH VISIT
Friday, November 3rd
Pretty routine visit. Spent time with B and another patient who is her friend. B wanted water but the nurse at the front desk only let her have 1 cup. I also did a bad job explaining that. I think I should've lied or put off the question b/c the truth was upsetting to B. I kinda hate nursing homes.
TWELFTH VISIT
Friday, November 10th
Bad day. She is pretty disoriented. I felt kinda sick today. Saw the daughter at the end of visit. I think B might die soon. She is definitely weaker. I don't know though. Today was really sad.
LAST ENTRY
Tuesday, November 14th
B died early this morning.
JOURNAL TRANSCRIPTS
I started this entire project from a journal entry I wrote after a visit with one of my patients. That entry is a part of a larger series. I provided them as transcripts in case you'd like to learn more about my experience a little more directly. Fair warning, a lot of these are pretty rough and slightly edited to avoid giving away personal information.