the day-to-day

It has occurred to me that I have failed to tell you how exactly I pass my minutes, hours and days at the Foundation.  I’ll try and fix that.  My daily activities can be divided into 4 categories:

• Medical.  I spend about half of my time working with the doctor, nurse, and physical therapist.  For the physical therapist, I keep computer records of which abuelitos receive treatment each day.  This information is important for monthly reports, funding, and the like.  I’ve been helping the nurse distribute anti-parasitic drugs to all of the abuelitos.  The doctor, employed by the Ecuadorian ministry of public health, has me working on a database of all the abuelitos (there are nearly five hundred), noting which ones suffer from chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, without a doubt the two most prevalent chronic illnesses in this population.  This involves looking through each patient’s medical history and confirming that the proper diagnostic and treatment algorithms have been followed.  For example, if a patient presents with moderately high blood sugar, I should see documentation that a repeat measurement was taken and that the doctor recommended that the patient modify his/her lifestyle before diagnosing the patient with diabetes and prescribing medication.  I also need to check that the proper follow-up has been carried out (i.e. that labs, EKGs, and x-rays, have been performed regularly and according to protocol since the date of diagnosis).  Because the Foundation is chronically understaffed, with a rotating door of medical staff, it is extremely rare to come across a medical history where everything has been done by the book.  Once I have waded through all the files, the doctor will compile the demographic data to map out the epidemic and make a plan for prevention.  Sorry if was too much detail, but this project is wayyy interesting for me.
• The Kitchen.  Providing hot breakfast and lunch for up to 150 abuelitos each day is no small feat.  I try and lend a hand in the kitchen when I’m not needed in the doctor’s office.  I wash and chop vegetables, make juice, and help plate out and serve all the food.  Once all that is done, the kitchen must be cleaned top to bottom.  From about 9AM to 1PM, the cook and volunteers work in a flurry of frenetic motion.  On the days that I work there, I usually leave exhausted and covered in lunch foods.  But content that I've worked my patoot off so that some sweet old folks have something to eat.

• Chillin’ with the ‘Litos.  I make a point of sneaking out of the kitchen/doctor’s office every now and again to attend painting classes with the abuelitos, dance my heart out with the “payasos” group, or play games with the abuelitos.  If I can’t make it to these more structured activities, I usually take a post-lunch break with a group of abuelitos that hangs out in the courtyard of the Foundation, soaking up some sun shooting the breeze.  I’ve had some of the best conversations of my LIFE on the Foundation’s stoop.  Trust the elderly to surprise you with deep philosophical insights while they wait for their afternoon poop to come a knockin’!

• Miscellaneous.  I know, kind of a non-catagory.  SO SUE ME.  Often, errands need to be run.  As I enjoy a nice walkabout as much as the next person, I am quick to offer my services making copies or picking  up some last-minute ingredients from the grocery store.  Also, I sort through donations of clothes, books, and medicines to see what is salvageable and what is junk.