I hate reading stupid case files!

Man, I am having a bad hair day!  Reading thru stupid workers compensation case files.  Here’s one.  The worker “suffered” (and I purposely put that word in quotes) a soft tissue injury to her right foot in May 2009.  And get this.  The diagnosis is “by exclusion”.   Meaning, no fracture, no other obvious reason for any disability of the foot, so the doctors decide it is a “soft-tissue” injury.  That’s like a muscle strain folks. And now the worker has developed a “chronic pain disorder” which will end up getting her  a permanent impairment pension award, on top of the loss of earnings benefits she has been collecting  while she attends college, studying to become an administrative assistant.  Oh yeah.  And the tuition and books and parking and a rolling bag carrier to carry those heavy books, are all paid for by Ontario’s workers compensation board (WSIB).  All costs of this claim end up on the employer’s account and they are penalized because their costs  are now exceeding the industry average.  So next time you read about some mafia goings on in Montreal re: corrupt construction industry, remind yourself that corruption exists in just about every agency of government.  And unlike the illegal shit going on it Quebec, most of it is condoned by stupid Claims Managers at agencies like WSIB who are overpaid, bungling bureaucrats that just don’t get it.  So don’t bitch about our manufacturing jobs disappearing to China and India.  Who in their right  mind would open any kind of business in Ontario given the ridiculous workers’ compensation law and policy that lets bullshit artists like this worker get away with ankle sprain and stretch it into three years of loss of earnings, a pension for life and retraining at one of our fine colleges?  Hey employers, shut your doors and move your operations offshore.  This province is headed for a soup-line future.

And that, my friends, is my rant of the day.

 

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Couch surfing idiots!

So what’s the deal with couch surfing?  A recent incident resulted in death of one of the “surfers”.  Sorry, but I can’t find any sympathy for the dead dude.  You sit on a couch, attach it to a car by rope, and let the driver take off down public roads.  Is there a serious deficit in brain matter of youth today?  I think so.  This reminds me of the roller bladers who hitch hike rides, holding onto bumpers of cars.  Why don’t you morons take up less risky activities.  Say, base jumping, or cliff diving.  Whatever happened to streaking?

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Dad’s home again, hopefully for good.

Well, Dad is home.  He got discharged yesterday.  Blustery winds, winter arrives.  But 2 weeks in hospital is about all they will keep you unless you are on life support.  So with temps at minus 11C and snow blowing, we drove straight to the cemetery so he could see Mom’s monument.  (and his eventually!)  I’m quite happy with the work the carver did.  We enjoyed an afternoon and evening at his home, quaffing some beer and wine.  Watched some Hockey Day in Canada.  And he got to walk around the house without stumbling over the tenant’s boxes and bags.  I had to load the garage again while Dad was in hospital, with tenant’s stuff that looked to be of value.  But I still managed to fill 9 extra-large garbage bags and 8 banana boxes with crap.  Paid a junker to come and pick them up the same evening.  I will admit that a lot of the stuff was Dad’s or carryover from Mom.  Does he really need 20 yr old boxes of cake mix?  Who knows when I’ll get at the basement, but at least for now he can walk safely upstairs and feel that the home is in order.  Managed to get him out of the house for 4 hours today, church followed by luncheon in the hall.  It did him good, got his mind off the phantom thieves who he still believes are coming into the house.  Had to guilt him into going to church though, not a pleasant way to get a parent moving.  Whatever works.  I think I have enough care lined up for the coming weeks, housecleaning, social services, drop-in companion who lives within walking distance and speaks his native tongue.  Miracle.  Thanks Inta and Daina.  But I also have a life to get back to, so it’s home (mine) on Tuesday come what may.  Good luck Pops.

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Dad soon to be home, but is it really his home?

Dad’s been in the hospital for over a week now.  Suffered a fall at home while shoveling snow, that launched his heart rate to the sky, and sent him into a delirium.  I spent two nights in hospital with him, trying to calm him down.  Watching your Dad hallucinate is a scary thing.  Having to sit next to him as he struggles against restraints is so demoralizing.  I loosened the restraints and eventually took them right off.  What Dad needs is somebody to talk to, a companion who can relate.  Unfortunately that has not happened in his current home situation.  That will soon change.  They want to discharge him this week, but there is so much to do.  The house has to  be made safe so he can move around without fear of tripping.  Molly Maid has to come in and  do a top to bottom cleaning.  His clothes and bed-sheets have to  be laundered.  Looks like my day will be spent in the laundry.  It is embarrassing to look at the clothes he was wearing, the soiled underwear, socks held up by safety pins.  And we’ll need to schedule health care aides, physio sessions, basically ensure that he is never alone any more.  Dad deserves to be comfortable in his own home, he can afford the care, we owe him that.  I called several of his Latvian buddies to let them know what is happening.  Thank you for visiting him in hospital, please do continue visiting him at home.  He desperately needs to reconnect so don’t forget him.

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Saunaboy is back!

Well folks, it’s been a while but I’m back.  Took a breather for a couple of months, went to Costa Rica.  Highly recommend such sabbaticals if you can swing it.  Therapeutic and mighty enjoyable.

But now it’s back to this other reality, itself also enjoyable but not in such a carefree way.  And not 32C and sunny either!

My Dad had a dangerous slip & fall in the driveway last Sunday.  He’s been in hospital since.  Delirious for a few days.  I spent two nights with him, trying to chill him down and get him relaxed.  He’s come around, but it is obvious that he will need far more attention than he has been receiving at home.  Perhaps that will turn out to be a good thing for everybody, helping us all move forward.  Some more than others.  It’s a strange thing, how some people can move through life with blinders on their eyes, seeing only what they want to see.  Cones in their ears, focusing words that fit their view of reality.

Anyway, it’s good to be back but I do wish I was elsewhere!

 

 

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