Yesterday was stressful, but we kept our spirits up ... from a safe distance ... airing our fears about where we could go if the owner does kick us out. The trouble is ... we don’t have anywhere to go. Motorhomes can be parked on a street, so I couid move, but I’d be taking a risk to a new area, with no facilities. At least on a site I can shower regularly, launder uniforms etc.
Those in caravans don't even have that option. One family was looking for a lay-by to move to after being told yesterday they had to move out. We kept them strong and hopefully the Coronavirus Bill will mean they can stay.
We were promised an update last night ... so far nothing has been said.
Meanwhile, staff sickness has risen to over twenty percent ... so I was out running around like a headless chicken trying to find unfamiliar addresses last night. I didn’t even have a uniform as they were in the washing machine when I found out. I apologised repeatedly for my plain black clothing, but no one cared, they were just grateful that anyone came (apart from the ones that wouId moan about anything). People are really pulling together through this. You can see the exhaustion on their faces and the struggles to just put one foot in front of the other, but my word, we are getting the job done
As many of you know, my mum was a retired nurse, but she was also adamant that she wouId never let me go into nursing, “over my dead body will you become a nurse”. Yet here I am, doing something similar. Not at her level, but still bringing some comfort and support to families. I felt she was with me this week, urging me on. Things I’ve struggled with suddenly became easy, it was almost like she was showing me how to get a sling under a very large bottom and how to work around having the wrong equipment. I know it probably sounds daft, but I felt closer to her last night than I ever did when she was alive