Why Therapy?

Right now my blog posts are sparse, and this is because the thoughts around the chosen topic of awayfromthemind are few and far between. I am so overwhelmed with the logistics of providing therapy these days. By that I mean, minutes, RUGS, case-mix, skilled service justification, third party payers, medicare cut-backs, productivity, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I am normally much more positive, an idealist, a therapist who will fight for what she believes in, but right now elder-care (at least in my world) kind of sucks.

Now this doesn't mean I love my patients any less, or provide less effective therapy, in fact the contact with the people, the patients, those moments where I feel like I have made a difference in function or quality of life are the ones that keep me plugging along. Sound like burnout? I'd say it's a strong possibility!

For now, I'll laugh at the jokes made by my favorite seniors, try to help keep communication and swallowing up to par, and smile when they remember my name but have no idea where they are. I will know that long after the billing systems are revamped, the documentation standards are modified again and again and again, and the things that make therapy stink right now are sorted out, I will be left with a compassion for humanity, a love for the elderly, and the desire to make their lives as fulfilling as possible.

Ahhhhh. There it is. I found the optimist again :-)