A Life of Possibilities
(Continued)
Once up, Shirley picks an outfit for the day. She keeps clean clothes in the spare bedroom because it is easier to keep the clean and dirty separate that way -- she sometimes likes to hide her clothes -- or throw them away. Whenever possible, Shirley wears red. Most of her blouses are red and she colors her hair red, too. Wearing red seems to make Shirley's days go better.
Shirley receives 24-hour, one-on-one staffing from Mosaic in Liberal, Kansas. She doesn't like to be around large groups and will sometimes get physically and verbally aggressive. So, instead of going to Mosaic's workshop, Shirley spends many of her days out and about with Dora. Today, the two plan to attend a county fair.
Around 9 a.m. they leave for the fair. During the 30-minute drive, Dora turns the radio on a country station. Shirley starts tapping her foot, smiles ear to ear, and points to the radio, saying, "up!" Dora knows the cue to turn the music up -- the song is one of Shirley's favorites and they both start to sing. Shirley's words are not clearly spoken and, to many people, sound like grunts. But Dora and a few other staff members who work with Shirley understand, though she may have to repeat herself a few times.
At the fair, Shirley and Dora visit the
arts and crafts exhibits first, then head to the livestock arena
where they run into several people from the Mosaic workshop and
their staff members. Shirley gets anxious as people stop to talk to
Dora and is upset that attention is diverted away from her. Aware of
that, Dora asks, "Are you ready to go? Let me know when you are
ready to leave and we'll go, okay?" Shirley waits only a few
moments and says, "I'm ready."
On the ride home, Dora offers to stop
at the cemetery where Shirley's parents are buried. Shirley leads
the way. Near two large spruce trees, Shirley bends down to brush
the dirt from a gravestone and pulls a weed that has grown through
the side of it. After sharing a moment with Dora, Shirley is ready
to go.
Lunch is at a Mexican restaurant.
Shirley loves bean and cheese burritos, so Dora orders for her,
asking Shirley to confirm that is what she wants. Shirley nods,
holding up two fingers, and says, "Two." Dora explains that one
will be plenty and two would make her sick.
"She wants two of everything usually,
no matter if it is food, items to purchase, whatever, she always
wants two," Dora explains.
As Dora cuts the smothered burrito into
bite sizes, she notices that the burrito is a beef, not bean and
cheese but decides that maybe Shirley will eat it. After a few
moments, Shirley stops eating and makes a disapproving expression;
she doesn't like it and won't eat anymore. A new bean and cheese
burrito is ordered, which makes Shirley happy and she eats the entire
burrito.
A daily adventure for Shirley and Dora
is a favorite thrift store where Shirley looks for dolls to add to
her collection. Shirley budgets $15 a week to spend however she
chooses and always looks for dolls to add to her collection, Dora
said. As they walk in, Shirley is greeted by the cashier -- also
named Shirley. Customers who frequent the store know her and also
say hello -- even a young boy with his mother says "Hey Shirley!"
As she rounds the corner to where the
dolls are, she runs into another employee named Shirley -- a happy
coincidence. Soon she heads upstairs to look at blouses. Shirley
finds a red blouse and automatically turns her back to Dora, who
holds it up to Shirley's back and estimate if it will fit. She
decides to buy the blouse and heads to the cashier, who is also named
Shirley -- there are four Shirleys in the store today.
New purchase in hand, they head out. On
the way, Shirley is distracted by a baby girl riding in a cart
pushed by her mother. Shirley smiles from ear to ear and slowly
reaches for the baby girl to caress her little arm and soft skin and
says, "Baby girl."
Back home, Shirley gets a large, cold,
iced tea and settlesin her big red chair to watch TV. She enjoys
General Hospital, One Life to Live, All My Children and The Ellen
DeGeneres Show. If it is not on the correct channel, Shirley will
turn and look at Dora and point at the television until she finds the
right channel. During One Life to Live, she blows kisses to one of
the actors (Dora said that Shirley wants him to be her boyfriend).
Shirley taps her toes and smiles when Ellen starts dancing as that
show starts. With Shirley content watching Ellen, Dora completes her
paperwork for the day.
As Dora leaves with the 2 p.m. shift
change, she hugs Shirley. The two tilt heads until they touch, as
they smile at one another. Diane Zuniga has now arrived and greets
Shirley with a hug. Diane has supported Shirley for seven years and,
although Shirley is comfortable with Diane, she often tells Diane
that she doesn't like her.
It is often difficult for Diane to
juggle the evening responsibilities. Shirley gets angry when Diane is
not giving her full attention. She also has to reassure Shirley that
she will return quickly if she has to leave to start dinner or give
medication to another person Mosaic serves who lives in the same
apartment complex.
After only a couple of hours of Diane's
arrival, Shirley wants to nap and heads to her bedroom. Diane will
have Shirley's dinner made when she wakes. At 9 p.m., Shirley is
asleep for the night and, at 10 p.m., Diane leaves, replaced by
overnight staff.
Shirley is tired on Saturday, worn out
from the busy week that she and Dora had. Taycee Ruiz supports
Shirley on the weekends. The only outing Shirley feels like doing is
going to a local convenience store for a large, cold, iced tea. She
spends her day watching television (anything with music or dancing)
from her big red chair, where she also cat naps throughout the day.
Not long after Shirley is finished eating the dinner Taycee made, she
says she is ready for bed. Even though Shirley goes to bed early,
Taycee says she sleeps through the night with the exception of waking
her up every two hours to use the restroom.
Shirley wakes up on Sunday morning
energized and feels rejuvenated with a happy and excited attitude.
She and Taycee go for walk in the neighborhood and sit outside her
apartment. Taycee asks Shirley what she bought at the Red Barn this
week. Shirley goes to her room and picks up a doll she purchased and
shows Taycee, but is reluctant to let Taycee hold it. Shirley is
very possessive of her things and gets nervous when people get too
close to them No adventures today outside of a van ride.
Monday is not exciting to most
people, but for Shirley, it means Dora is back. Shirley just has to
hear Dora's voice one time and she is up, ready to start the day.
Dora has been asked by her supervisor to take one of Shirley's
neighbors to a dental appointment. Dora tells Shirley who the person
is and asks Shirley if it is OK with her. Shirley agrees to it and
eagerly gets up, ready to get in the van. Dora and Shirley do this
sometimes if the agency is short staffed or the vehicles are all out.
"Shirley doesn't mind as long as
the people are calm. If the person is high energy, loud or like a
busy body, Shirley finds it extremely discomforting and will often
exhibit very aggressive behavior," Dora said.
After lunch, Dora takes the polish
from her own purse -- red, of course -- and paints Shirley's
fingernails. After her nails dry, Dora asks Shirley to show some of
her drawings and colored pictures. Sometimes when Shirley is bored
or can't sleep at night, she colors. Dora points out that Shirley
is a perfectionist, making sure to stay in the lines.
Soon, Diane's arrives to relieve Dora
and greets Shirley with a massive hug and smile. After an errand to
the workshop, Shirley watches television for a bit while Diane
begins to prepare her dinner. Diane has to pass medication for a
neighbor of Shirley's and help start dinner for others. Diane
explains to Shirley what she has to do and tells Shirley what time
she will be back. "If I don't return when I say I will, Shirley
will sometimes run away or go outside to be aggressive to others,"
Diane explains. About an hour after dinner, Shirley retires to her
bedroom for the night.
Shirley eagerly follows Dora because the Red Barn is not open on Mondays so she hasn't visited there yet this week. Upon arriving to the Red Barn, Shirley is greeted by the regulars like always and she happily returns their salutation. The Shirley's at the Red Barn say that Shirley is lucky to have Dora she can trust and love and feel that reciprocated. They say that they can tell that Shirley loves Dora and that Dora is so good with supporting her.
After lunch, Shirley is able to watch all of her favorite programs. An uneventful shift change happens and Shirley is in for the evening as Diane helps her to bed.
Wednesday is not just any Wednesday. Shirley has her six month planning meeting at the Mosaic office. All of Shirley's staff members attend the meeting as well as the nurse, Hali Bell, and Shirley's case manager, Dee Williams. During the meeting they note that Shirley is doing a great job of greeting and returning greetings as she gets out into the community. Staff would like to continue supporting Shirley in that part of her plan. They also discuss that Shirley needs a new chest of drawers for her bedroom and that she is in need of new undergarments.
During the planning meetings, it always comes up that Shirley wants to live in "Topeka with Dora." In 14 years they have grown close; Shirley often spends holidays with Dora in her family's home and considers Dora's husband Tony, her daughter Stacey and their dog Bandit all friends and she cares for them. Dora's family doesn't live in Topeka, but Shirley says that she wants to live in Topeka with the nice nurse who wears the white hat at the big white house. Staff members believe Shirley is remembering the Kansas Neurological Institute in Topeka where she lived as a teenager. The group discusses planning a trip to Topeka for Shirley, which would be a dream comes true for her -- as long as Dora is the staff member to support her on the trip.
In the meeting, Dee spoke about the songs Shirley can sing without help, including Amazing Grace and Happy Birthday, which she recently sang to Dora for her birthday. Kathy Pugh, the direct support manager over Shirley's apartment complex, also was at the meeting. Kathy is a line dancing fan and mentioned that Shirley can dance too. To prove it, Kathy gets up and invites Shirley to dance with her. Kathy counts the steps while Shirley follows right along with the biggest smile ever.
While at the workshop, Shirley was able to visit with her brother, Bobby who also receives services from Mosaic. They have just recently started to build a relationship and are planning a lunch together.
After the meeting, Shirley and Dora are off for the day's adventures. While driving around, Dora stops in front of a house. Shirley was only 12 when she left her family home and moved to a state hospital where she stayed for 10 years before moving to community service providers. Shirley still remembers her childhood home in Liberal and, once in awhile, Dora will drive by and park, letting Shirley look for a moment. "My house," Shirley says. Dora confirms, "Yes, Shirley that used to be your house." Shirley says she remembers the bulldog they had as a pet when she was a child and loves buying bulldog trinkets.
Later that day as Dora leaves, Diane arrives. A full day comes to an end.
While Shirley is eating breakfast on Thursday, Dora checks the newspapers for garage sale listings that they can check out on Friday. It is extremely hot today, so they do not plan much adventure outside of getting a big iced tea from the convenience story. Today is slow and Shirley spends the afternoon watching her television programs, which she continues when Diane arrives for the evening. Thursday night, Shirley surprised Diane by wanting to attend a neighbor's birthday party. Shirley doesn't participate very often in activities going on throughout the apartment complex because she rarely gets along well with others supported by Mosaic. But today is different, which Diane calls "awesome!" Shirley enjoyed herself at the party.
Shirley is one of more than 3,600 people served by Mosaic. Each has different abilities and desires. Mosaic works to help each person achieve their individual goals and dreams.
