Day 19 Pink, People, Dance

On Friday, I went to the same clinic as I did on Thursday and pretty much did the same thing. However, on Thursday I shadowed a rehab specialist and on Friday I shadowed a habilitation specialist. The difference between the two is that “rehabilitation is the process of assisting someone to improve and recover lost function after an event, illness or injury that has caused functional limitations.” An individual would be in need of rehab if he or she went to war for instance and returned with PTSD (Post- Traumatic Disorder). However, habilitation services cater to individuals who have a developmental problem, not those who have mental disorders.

Now that we have that covered, onto my actual day. On Friday, I shadowed a woman named Ana. We went to pick up one of her consumer’s, Victoria (for confidentiality purposes) who is a 30 year old patient in need of habilitation services. She is in a wheelchair and so we had to make sure to take the van. After Ana helped Victoria get settled inside with the buckles for the wheelchair, we drove to the mall. Victoria loves to shop and the color pink. She even wore a magenta dress that day. It must say, the color does suit her.

We all toured the mall, going in and out of jewelry stores. I think I was more excited than Victoria about the low prices and the colorful accessories. When all of our bellies were making funny sounds, we decided to sit and eat. Ana and I got pizza, while Victoria got Wendy’s. As we sat down, Ana and Victoria about her Victoria's current boyfriend and Victoria's situation. She may be pregnant with a man who is also an MR patient. And I just sat there remembering what Ana explained to me before we picked up Victoria. “They’re humans too, just like the rest of us. They have the same desires, wants, just like us. If only people could get past what they see first and realize that.” It’s so true. Here I was listening to Victoria talk about her boyfriend and the problems they are going through and we ALL go through that. The only difference is that many of us take it for granted that we can walk, that we learn and pick up on information without any difficulty.

As we exited the mall, we came to the van to take Victoria back. As Victoria and I waited for Ana to get the van organized for Victoria, she told me “I wish I could go to with you to New York. I heard it’s beautiful there.” The only response I could return was a heart-felt smile. Then as I waited outside in the 107 º F weather for Victoria to get settled in, she looked at me and said “Get in because it’s hot.” This time I did more than just smile, I actually got in the van because it really was hot. I was sweating by simply standing (I know,…gross). And finally when we were ready to take off, Victoria tilted her head in my direction and asked Ana “Did Dimple buckle up?” As I answered “Yes,” I thought to myself how sweet and caring of a person Victoria is and how truly happy I was that I got to spend the day with her.

And to top off my day, I attended the monthly dance that was held every month for consumers. I saw John there and talked to him for a bit. It was cool to actually know some of the patients. As I sat through the dance, I saw how much fun the consumers were having and I thought to myself, “when’s the last time I had that much fun?”

The very idea of having a dance for consumers is excellent because “They’re humans just like the rest of us. They have the same desires, wants, just like us.” And frankly speaking, they want to party like us too and they do just that every third Friday of the month.