Notes from an Intern
Oct. 26th, 2006 08:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grim23Tonight I attended the JUH patient Halloween Dance. The Alcohol and Drug Treatment program was there. Adult Rehab was there. Geropsychiatry sent 11 people, 5 staff, and 1 Intern, who went along for the ride.
I watched severely impaired folks on medical oxygen and in wheelchairs dance, and laugh, and have some fun in the hospital gymnasium. I watched chronically mentally ill people dance the Electric Slide. I talked to mentally incompetent to stand trial folks, who asked about my motorcycle, and told me about theirs. I talked to psychotic, drug-addicted, manic, depressed, and demented people, who laughed and danced and had fun. I watched an ordinarily grim concrete psychiatric state hospital transform itself into a place where there was dancing and snacks and music and costumes and a bit of magick.
I saw bright changes in anxious, depressed, confused, grey people. I saw smiles and jokes and laughter.
This is why I am learning to do what I do.
I watched severely impaired folks on medical oxygen and in wheelchairs dance, and laugh, and have some fun in the hospital gymnasium. I watched chronically mentally ill people dance the Electric Slide. I talked to mentally incompetent to stand trial folks, who asked about my motorcycle, and told me about theirs. I talked to psychotic, drug-addicted, manic, depressed, and demented people, who laughed and danced and had fun. I watched an ordinarily grim concrete psychiatric state hospital transform itself into a place where there was dancing and snacks and music and costumes and a bit of magick.
I saw bright changes in anxious, depressed, confused, grey people. I saw smiles and jokes and laughter.
This is why I am learning to do what I do.
