[extropy-chat] NEWS: "Parents Defend Decision to Keep Girl Small"

[MB]

Spike wrote:

>
> I dated a nurse in my misspent youth.  I tagged along and noted that much of
> her work involved lifting and moving patients.  Over the past 25 years,
> people in general have become much heavier I have heard, and OSHA standards
> have gotten stricter on maximum loads workers are allowed to hoist.  Would
> not these two factors conspire to make the nurses job ever harder?
>

I'd think so. My former-nurse friend is not a large woman, but she is sturdy and
strong.  However, her body was not up to the task of caring for many patients
day-in, day-out.

There are also many retrictions on how one can restrain a patient - no tying them
into wheelchairs and such. Of course this has a downside: the incapable patient may
try to get up and go somewhere, fall, and break a hip - or actually get somewhere,
maybe outside into traffic. Dilemmas abound.

My son worked for a year as a caretaker in a home for the profoundly disabled, some
of whom (many of whom?) were bedridden. I'll ask him what he thinks of this story.

These parents have done, IMHO, the best they could for their child. It will help
them in the care of the child, and after they are gone it will help other
caretakers. This will all benefit the child in her day-to-day life.

There is a special bond that can develop between a parent and a handicapped child. 
I find it can develop between a person and a handicapped pet as well, leading one to
do things that one would not have expected, devoting great energy and effort without
much thought of "this is too much".

Regards,
MB