Smells Bad

I went to pick up Lizzie yesterday to bring her home and to spend the night with me here at OUR house. I walked in to many aromas floating around the group home. I'm not one for too much Filipino food, so the shrimp and rice was somewhat unpleasant for me. Then again, maybe it was the odor of another woman's colostomy bag that overwhelmed my senses. Well, let me be honest ... it WAS the bag that needed to be changed that I found most offensive. All three house residents were sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch with this odor hanging over the room.

Now I don't know what is wrong with me, but I just couldn't make a fuss in front of all of them ... especially in front of Julie who wears the bag. Surely that strong of a smell is an indication that the bag needs to be changed, and NOT changing it ... is that neglect? At the least, it's just plain LAZY. I DON'T WANT MY SISTER LIVING IN THIS ENVIRONMENT!

So what should I do? If I tell the caregivers, they will think I am complaining and probably won't do anything differently anyway. If I tell the Provider (OWNER/BOSS), the caregivers will be mad at me for reporting them. Either way, the caregivers will be mad and my fear ... ? UGH! This is TOUGH. I MUST report it to the Provider. No one deserves to sit around a kitchen table and have to smell that ... NOBODY ... and not under any circumstances.

Not long ago, while I was in the house, the caregivers WERE changing Julie's bag in her back bedroom. The order was unbelievable, and I don't know how I did not vomit. I commented, and the caregiver closed the bedroom door which helped somewhat. OK ... now I know these things need to be done ... but NOT under circumstances that EVERYbody has to smell it. On that day, I asked Milda and Rhoda how often they change this bag, and every replied "Every 3-4 days." WHAAAAT? I don't think Julie has an advocate, so maybe I will have to be that for her.

I will tell Elizabeth tomorrow.