I Worked as an Attendant Nurse on a Psychiatric Ward

Ypsilanti State Hospital B   BUILDING 5th   WING 2nd   FLOOR

B  5  2
Geriatric "Dead End Ward"

What an experience ... working on the "end of the line" ward. I saw humanity at its most bizarre. With both men and women together I was able to see the extremes of human distortion both physically and mentally. I have no great desire to work in a similar situation but the lessons and insight obtained are valuable to me. I could talk for hours about the quirks and oddities exhibited by the patients. Much of it would seem quite amusing and it was yet the general tone of the ward was somber and oppressed. I handled patients in the later stages of syphilis ( contracted before penicillin ), Parkinson's disease, brain damage from trauma, skin conditions like fish scales ( studied by specialists ) and other odd "weirdnesses" but the majority of the patients were diagnosed as " Chronic Schizophrenia Undifferentiated ". I established some odd rapport with many of the poor old people. There was Mr. A... who was always so cold when he slept. The patients from other wards ( who made the beds for our patients who generally couldn't do ANYTHING for themselves ) never left the extra blankets for skinny little Mr. A... so I got him an extra blanket almost every night I worked and he always said "thank you" but what was totally amazing was the gift he gave me one day. Cigarettes were controlled by the attendants ( back when they allowed that horrible stuff to be used ) and no patients were allowed full packs or matches yet one day Mr. A... shambled up to me and gave me an unopened package of Camel cigarettes ... and he didn't even smoke! How he managed to get a full pack is completely unbelievable but I accepted them as if they were Solomon's gold so old Mr. A... would feel as if he had paid me back in some measure for the little act which meant so much to one with so little left in life. The sadness of many of those old folks and their pitiful existence often brings a tear when I reminisce. old John Paul W. and Ivan B. and Frank and dr. s. and Bessie and ... My life has lead me past a wide range of human lifestyles but WARD B52 takes the cake ( with the possible exception of the Golden Goose Casino ! ) Feb. 2004 Update - Ypsi State is being torn down.

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