This morning at the Birch Street Nursing Home, I led the brief meeting on the goals for the day, reminding the patients that the head nurse is upset about all the paint on the carpet, and that pulling up the carpet should be the priority. Mr. Richards suggested starting in one corner, and I was surprised to see Mrs. Patterson dive right into the work. She started pulling on it and soon had the corner up, but suddenly she howled out in pain when one of her fingers got jabbed by a staple. I couldn't help but hold my breath for a moment, worrying she would accuse the late Mrs. Shimshack of setting a booby trap. But she didn't. While Mrs. Henley was wrapping Mrs. Patterson's bleeding finger in a towel, Mr. Richards told me they would need more tools for this job. I decided to leave a note for the head nurse, letting her know we hit a snag, but promising we would start pulling up the carpet next week.
