The Nurse's Response

THE NURSE'S RESPONSE TO THE OLD WOMAN (Author Unknown)

What do we see, you ask, what do we see? Yes, we are thinking when looking at thee.
We may seem to be hard when we hurry and fuss, But there's many of you, and too few of us.
We would like far more time to sit by you and talk, To bath you and feed you and help you to walk.
To hear of your life and the things you have done; Your childhood, your husband, your daughter, and your son.
But time is against us, there's too much to do - Patients too many, and nurses too few.
We grieve when we see you so sad and alone, With nobody near you, no friends of your own.
We feel all your pain, and know of your fear .That nobody cares now your end is so near.
But nurses are people with feelings as well, And when we're together you'll often hear tell
Of the dearest old Gran in the very end bed, And the lovely old Dad, and the things that he said, We speak with compassion and love, and feel sad When we think of your lives and the joy that you've had.
When the time has arrived for you to depart, You leave us behind with an ache in our heart. When you sleep the long sleep, no more worry or care, There are other old people, and we must be there.
So please understand if we hurry and fuss -
There are many of you, and too few of us.

10 THINGS ABOUT AUTISM

Here are 10 things every child with autism wishes you knew

1. I am a child with autism. I am not "autistic." My autism is one aspect of my total character. It does not define me as a person. Are you a person with thoughts, feelings and many talents, or are you just fat (overweight), myopic (wear glasses) or klutzy (uncoordinated, not good at sports)?

2. My sensory perceptions are disordered. This means the ordinary sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of everyday life that you may not even notice can be downright painful for me. The very environment in which I have to live often seems hostile. I may appear withdrawn or belligerent to you, but I am really just trying to defend myself. A "simple" trip to the grocery store may be hell for me. My hearing may be hyperacute. Dozens of people are talking at once. The loudspeaker booms today's special. Muzak whines from the sound system. Cash registers beep and cough. A coffee grinder is chugging. The meat cutter screeches, babies wail, carts creak, the fluorescent lighting hums. My brain can't filter all the input, and I'm in overload! My sense of smell may be highly sensitive. The fish at the meat counter isn't quite fresh, the guy standing next to us hasn't showered today, the deli is handing out sausage samples, the baby in line ahead of us has a poopy diaper, they're mopping up pickles on Aisle 3 with ammonia. ... I can't sort it all out, I'm too nauseous.

Because I am visually oriented, this may be my first sense to become overstimulated. The fluorescent light is too bright. It makes the room pulsate and hurts my eyes. Sometimes the pulsating light bounces off everything and distorts what I am seeing. The space seems to be constantly changing. There's glare from windows, moving fans on the ceiling, so many bodies in constant motion, too many items for me to be able to focus - and I may compensate with tunnel vision. All this affects my vestibular sense, and now I can't even tell where my body is in space. I may stumble, bump into things, or simply lay down to try and regroup.

3. Please remember to distinguish between won't (I choose not to) and can't (I'm not able to). Receptive and expressive language are both difficult for me. It isn't that I don't listen to instructions. It's that I can't understand you. When you call to me from across the room, this is what I hear: "*&^%$#@, Billy. #$%^*&^%$&*" Instead, come speak directly to me in plain words: "Please put your book in your desk, Billy. It's time to go to lunch." This tells me what you want me to do and what is going to happen next. Now it's much easier for me to comply.

4. I am a concrete thinker. I interpret language literally. It's very confusing for me when you say, "Hold your horses, cowboy!" when what you really mean is "Please stop running." Don't tell me something is a "piece of cake" when there is no dessert in sight and what you really mean is, "This will be easy for you to do." When you say, "It's pouring cats and dogs," I see pets coming out of a pitcher. Please just tell me, "It's raining very hard." Idioms, puns, nuances, double entendres and sarcasm are lost on me.

5. Be patient with my limited vocabulary. It's hard for me to tell you what I need when I don't know the words to describe my feelings. I may be hungry, frustrated, frightened or confused, but right now those words are beyond my ability to express. Be alert for body language, withdrawal, agitation, or other signs that something is wrong.

There's a flip side to this: I may sound like a little professor or a movie star, rattling off words or whole scripts well beyond my developmental age. These are messages I have memorized from the world around me to compensate for my language deficits, because I know I am expected to respond when spoken to. They may come from books, television or the speech of other people. It's called echolalia. I don't necessarily understand the context or the terminology I'm using, I just know it gets me off the hook for coming up with a reply.

6. Because language is so difficult for me, I am very visually oriented. Show me how to do something rather than just telling me. And please be prepared to show me many times. Lots of patient repetition helps me learn.

A visual schedule is extremely helpful as I move through my day. Like your day planner, it relieves me of the stress of having to remember what comes next, makes for smooth transitions between activities, and helps me manage my time and meet your expectations.

7. Focus and build on what I can do rather than what I can't do. Like any other human, I can't learn in an environment where I'm constantly made to feel that I'm not good enough or that I need fixing. Trying anything new when I am almost sure to be met with criticism, however constructive, becomes something to be avoided. Look for my strengths and you'll find them. There's more than one right way to do most things.

8. Help me with social interactions. It may look like I don't want to play with the other kids on the playground, but sometimes it's just that I simply don't know how to start a conversation or enter a play situation. If you can encourage other children to invite me to join them at kickball or shooting baskets, I may be delighted to be included.

9. Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns. This is termed "the antecedent." Meltdowns, blowups, tantrums or whatever you want to call them are even more horrid for me than they are for you. They occur because one or more of my senses has gone into overload. If you can figure out why my meltdowns occur, they can be prevented.

10. If you are a family member, please love me unconditionally. Banish thoughts such as, "If he would just ..." and "Why can't she ... ?" You didn't fulfill every last expectation your parents had for you, and you wouldn't like being constantly reminded of it. I didn't choose to have autism. Remember that it's happening to me, not you. Without your support, my chances of successful, self-reliant adulthood are slim. With your support and guidance, the possibilities are broader than you might think. I promise you I'm worth it.

My 10 Things Autism all comes down to three words:

Patience. Patience. Patience.

Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts autism has given me. I may not be good at eye contact or conversation, but have you noticed I don't lie, cheat at games, tattle on my classmates, or pass judgment on other people?

You are my foundation. Think through some of those societal rules, and if they don't make sense for me, let them go. Be my advocate, be my friend, and we'll see just how far I can go.

I probably won't be the next Michael Jordan, but with my attention to fine detail and capacity for extraordinary focus, I might be the next Einstein. Or Mozart. Or Van Gogh.

They had autism too.

THE LINK THE USA TRIED TO STOP ME POSTING

Thanks to USA the Big Brother and it's iron fist I will have to do it this way.......

....add the bits in blue to make a link.....then put it into your browser....

...and go there...but only do so if you believe that

the whole might of the United States of America

should be used to persecute a young man with asperger's syndrome

for wanting to find out about U.F.O's ! !


So.... freegary...that's the first bit.... .org ..... nearly there .uk


Hmmmmm, that seems to have done it. :-)

Do I get 60 years in an American jail too for standing up to Big Brother?

GARY McKINNON....given more time

Gary McKinnon given more time to challenge Alan Johnson's decision to extradite him

British computer programmer Gary McKinnon has been granted another seven days to challenge Alan Johnson's decision to extradite him to America to answer computer hacking charges.

Gary McKinnon with his mother Janis Sharp. Friend and family say he is 'suicidal'. Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga

The news means that in theory that Mr McKinnon could be sent to America before the new year, if his application in the UK for judicial review is rejected, and he is refused leave to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Mr McKinnon was this afternoon given until Thursday 10 December to challenge a decision in the High Court by the Home Secretary to ignore fresh medical evidence about Mr McKinnon's autism.

Mr McKinnon's solictor Karen Todner of KaimTodner had asked for a two week extension until 17 December, however this was denied in a letter from the Treasury solicitors, on behalf of Mr Johnson.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Mr McKinnon's mother Janis Sharp questioned why the deadline was not extended further: "It is rididiculous. They could have easily extended it until after Christmas. It does not make sense."

If a high court judge refuses permission to challenge Mr Johnson's decision, Mr McKinnon's legal team have 14 days to hear whether the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will take on the case.

If the Strasbourg court says no, then Mr McKinnon will be extradited, possibly before the new year.

Mr McKinnon, 43, who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, is accused of hacking into networks at the Pentagon and Nasa. However, he insists he was searching for reports of UFO sightings.

A health report handed to Mr Johnson had warned the Asperger syndrome sufferer would be a suicide risk if he is sent to the US for trial on charges of hacking into top secret military computers.

It urged him to halt the extradition on the grounds that it would breach human rights laws.

A Home Office spokesman said: "At the request of Gary McKinnon's solicitors, the Home Secretary has granted an extension of seven days in which to apply for judicial review."

There were heated exchanges in the House of Commons yesterday when Mr Johnson was accused of being "spineless" over the extradition battle by David Burrowes, the Tory shadow justice minister and Mr McKinnon's MP.

Mr Burrowes said: "How ill and vulnerable does Gary McKinnon need to be, to not be extradited to the US? How can it be proportionate to allow extradition of a UK citizen who is suicidal and sectionable.

"Far from you saying you are powerless to stop Gary McKinnon's extradition, in the light of this medical evidence, you have shown yourself and your Government to be spineless."

Mr Johnson told MPs that Mr McKinnon, 43, had been accused of “serious offences” relating to hacking into US Government computer networks over 13 months and that he had no option but to agree to the extradition.

“There are very serious charges against Mr McKinnon. He has to answer for those charges,” he added.

GARY McKINNON denied appeal

Hacker denied extradition appeal

Computer hacker Gary McKinnon has been refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court against extradition to the US on charges of breaking into the Pentagon's computer systems.

His mother last night accused the Government of "throwing their people to the dogs".

Janis Sharp said her son had been "suicidal" since learning he was to be extradited to America after hacking into military networks.

She said Mr McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, had only been looking for UFOs.

At a fringe meeting of the Conservative party conference in Manchester, chaired by the National Autistic Society, Ms Sharp said: "When we vote someone in to protect our rights, we don't expect this to happen.

"We are the only country in the world that will extradite our own people with no evidence whatsoever," she told the meeting.

In July Mr McKinnon failed in his High Court bid to avoid extradition.

GARY McKINNON INTERVIEW

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