yes,this week I have sucked at blogging. I need a new phone that is blogger easy, so I can blog while away from my laptop. Today is day 2 after chemo 3 (or day 30 of the whole treatment cycle)and I am hiding in my bed with my cat and my computer.
I am a little messed up on steroids so cannot sleep or settle well.
I am saving my energy for getting work done at home and working a long day at the store tomorrow for Mother's day sales.
Todays ranting is from an hour that I sat in the Cancer Centre on Tuesday waiting for blood work. I like the building from an aesthetic point of view and I am sure the lovely staff working there thinks it is a great place. From a patient stand point I don't like it.
Dear Designers, (yes I know who designed the building) here are my rants about your choices and while your choices are lovely and practical and my suggestions may be silly.. take them to heart if you ever have to design a patient care place again. 1) Comfortable chairs in this setting only work well if they are tested to sit on for hours ( yesterday, I had 3 hours waiting for chemo in the same chair, with stiff unfoldabale arms, and a straight back)
2) Granite, Marble and all expensive cold stone looks pretty... but is loud and cold feeling when you have to stare at it for hours.
3) Pretty gardens behind glass are just a piss off, especially when the staff tells you that you cannot go and sit in the lovely garden because the plants are unsanitary...???
4) Live Piano music is great, but a pianist playing sad wartime love tunes really makes things too sombre and sad. I think sombre and sad in the cancer center should not be the goal.
Now, this brings me to my thoughts on how the CC would be more fun for patients.
I think the cancer centre would be awesome if it was more like Ikea, meets Holt Renfrew with Free Rollercoasters and a bouncy Ball Room while you wait.
Free Shopping, amusements and free food of your choosing while waiting for your appointment or loved ones appointments would be awesome. Comfy chairs to lounge in while you watched people laugh and play would be great. You can put the malls and amusements behind glass to keep the annoying un- sterile environment contained.
While you are there, make the hand soaps and hand cleaners fragrance and alcohol free. A Fragrance sensitive environment should really not have cheap soap full of fragrances to keep out hands clean.
Call me at the store if you want help with this part.
So, next time you want to spend insane amounts of money on stone walls and slippery flagstone stairs... spend it on rollercoasters and organic soap instead.
More ranting later on music and emotional states!
Cheers!
Noelle
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2 comments:
I loved this note Noelle. More people need to take note of such things when designing buildings. Perhaps they should spend a day as a patient prior to slapping together notions of grandeur and actual patient care.
Thanks for your insight. As always...you're a genious!
Leigh
So glad to hear from you again, I am sure a lot of us were worried. What great insight you shared about the building, it would be interesting to know how many professionals involved in the planning actually have gone through chemo sitting on the uncomfortable chairs etc........
Interesting about the cancer causing soap too, go out the back door of the cafeteria, there you will find thousands of cigarette butts on the grounds of a hospital that specializes in cancer care!!
Take care
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