Follow Up – Older People’s Conversation

Follow up – Older Peoples Conversations

I mentioned to a friend these were the conversations I’d been having plenty of. Rather than asking me what these “old and nonsense” conversations were about exactly, he told me I would have them one day.

So, I’ll allow you to pick from this next excerpt which three things qualify this as nonsense old people conversations.

Which I loved by the way because it gave me the perfect opportunity to tease him. Purely a statement.

“I made some brown rice the other day! It’s been about twenty years since I last made brown rice. It took ages! I’m never doing that again!”

Oh My God! Can you just feel that nonsense? It’s my jam. I have recently been making it more than I have in the last twenty years, I think because, while slow to the party, I discovered the rice cooker.

You know I insisted he get one but he’s still got it in the box and I now understand the old people thing about why they keep them in the box even after using it’s so they don’t forget all the bits and pieces that go with each gadget.

Is this what your “Old Person” does too?

Update on a Few Things

Update on a Few Things

So, I have been intending to follow up on a few things lately, but I’ve been slack in my efforts to use speech to text. Some things are hard to say out loud.

I’ve been meaning to follow up on the bullying I received from the not-for-profit self-advocacy group I’ve been volunteering at for over ten years. I’m letting the dust settle on that for a little bit longer, but the baseline is that my time with them is going to come to an end soon as they took my blog link off their website, making such statements as ‘it’s not even about brain injury’. Clearly, they didn’t look very hard because I’m sure I stated in my profile its brain injury done differently. It’s a lost cause and it’s time to find a new tribe.

Add to this the Gaslighting I’ve been receiving from my mental health care provider. They have done very well at the opposite of their job. Ever wonder why I don’t name and shame providers? Yeah, now you understand.

I’ll unpack both things another time in more detail.

I often hope how I teach organisations to respect and treat me, is how they will continue to treat all their clients or patients. Some are slow learners and if they don’t learn, I take my funding elsewhere.

I have been doing too much as last Thursday I had a migraine that whipped me out for a day and another four of feeling seedy. But I now have injectable Tramadol in my home and no, I do not intend to inject myself.

Hot off the Press 17th May 2022

Censorship – The Next Exciting Episode

This week, I am following up on last week’s post and asking for your support for my blog and my intention to do brain injury differently. My question is “Is bullying OK?”

So, had a very ordinary meeting last Tuesday, trying to convince people who had not bothered to read my blog, that the blog link remains on their website (that features a disclaimer) for the group I’ve volunteered for 10+ years. 

A fellow-member and friend suggested if I wanted to have my blog appeal to more people, I should change it. To be blunt, I could write about brain injury but it’s not sexy and people don’t want to know anything about brain injury until it’s absolutely relevant to them.

I could write about risk-taking behaviour but you don’t have to drink, take drugs and try to drive a car and potentially kill people while you nearly kill yourself to get a brain injury. I’ve done none of those things and I have a brain injury. 

I am probably only alive because I didn’t do drugs, I barely drank. I found alcohol used to make me feel like my head was swimming. Probably because alcohol thins your blood and my AVM once diagnosed was stated as being enormous. So, I suspect its why I was feeling unwell I just didn’t have an interest in doing something that made me feel so awful.

That I don’t ever mention companies or organisations good, bad or otherwise, should tell you I have some ethics.

That’s this NGO (Non-Government Organisation/Not for Profit) thinks to bully me to remaining quiet for the bullying they think to visit on its long standing members and that it’s acceptable. Other members have been destroyed by its poor behaviour and so, if you are still with me? You don’t have to love everything I write or stand for, but if you have any appreciation for what I stand for please Like, comment (positively please) and share through your networks. 

My deadline to have support in my corner is 14th June, 2022.

Thanking you in advance and with much love and predication.

Like, share and subscribe…

FU

F.U.

I know, apart from the title of this blog being the acronym for my favourite swear words or word in this instance, it’s actually for ‘something else’.

I don’t understand this concept where I have to revisit ‘something’ issue/services, something over and over again and it’s still not getting done correctly. It is inefficiency at its absolute best.

You know, that old idea that if you work in an office and every time you deal with a certain issue or case (for example) you put a dot (.) in the top corner of the page. After a determined period of time (a month, a week?) if there are so many dots, you can’t see anything else on the page, then whatever method you are implementing is clearly not working and you should try something else.

Well, I have a new method or suggestion. How about PEOPLE DO THEIR FUCKING JOB! (C’mon, we all knew it would be in here somewhere, right)

For example

Arriving home today, just before 5pm, I respond to texts from my Plan Manager. (The intermediary that receives, approves and pays for all of my carers and services for my NDIS plan) They have received invoices from (for example) 2/1/19 – 2/1/19. Isn’t that the exact same date? Why yes, it is! For 100’s-1000’s of $$$$ and I need to tell them if they should approve payment. But how do I tell them if they should approve payment? How do I know if they are billing correctly if I don’t get and actual invoice?

SOLUTION: Call service provider for invoices. I get one of my ‘least favourite people’ (not my favourite) and because it’s so late in the day. The staff in billing have probably gone home. Prompting me to ask “Does no one work until 5pm anymore?”

Many places still have the 5pm ‘knock 0ff’ time or COB (Close Of Business) I imagine it’s a problem because I bet they still expect to be paid until 5pm.

I wish my day ended at 5pm. That’s generally when all my ‘housekeeping’ begins. Bring my washing in off the racks on the balcony. If not dry: rehang inside. (NO, I STILL DON’T HAVE A FUCKING DRYER), make dinner, filing, yes I do filing. East dinner, clean up, pack the dishwasher and some TV to keep up to date with who, what, where and when. Then emails, but I digress.

So, the woman on the phone gave me a number to call the following day. Was it so hard to get them to just post out my invoices? What? So, I have to ring again? And lastly, FU. In admin terms it’s Follow-up or to follow up.

I always seen to do a lot of this because people don’t know how to provide a service. Don’t get me started, I suspect to cover that another day.