Life At Pohlen Hospital In Pictures

If you have stumbled across this page and so don't know what is going on here then I would suggest you read the following posts first.

1. My Journey of Faith
2. My Life Changed
3. The Road of Recovery - Part 1
   
4. The Road of Recovery - Part 2 
5. Living at Pohlen Hospital

This is more for me than anything. It is like a photo album of memories of my four months at Pohlen Hospital for my convalescent and rehabilitation care.

Care plan

My first day at Pohlen

My Pohlen teddy bear

Pamper

Christmas nails

Foot washing with friends

View from my window
in Room 6

One of many quilts
Changed with each linen change

 

My main room
Room 6

My bed in room 6 placed against the wall, when I had a fear
of rolling out onto the floor and not being able to stop myself

Breakfast
Every day

Fridays morning tea
- sausage rolls

Morning tea smoothie
Purple!

Mainly meat and carbs
with gravy

Lunch
Main meal and dessert

Sometimes wine
with lunch

Outside in the sun

Some grated carrot

Even some broccoli 

Carryllines teatime
salad special

Tea - I opted
for sandwiches

Sometimes yummy

You might be wondering why I have such a fixation on the meals at Pohlen!

As you will see there was not an abundance of vegetables. It was usually just one vegetable at lunch. In fact the evening lighter meal was usually a pastry of some sort and sometimes just something from a tin. At first it was nice to not have to cook my own meals but it wasn't long before I longed for vegetables or a salad. In fact the meals at Waikato were yummy compared to what we had in here as you can see below.

When I sat on my bed I looked at this brick wall out of the window and I discovered a face/head. I don't know if you can see it but it is on the bottom half on the left edge of the middle brick looking out.

And then there was the hospital cat - Simba. She would often come and sleep on my bed and follow me outside into the garden.

Preparing for Christmas was hard as I was not home for Christmas but there was pleasure in being part of it here

 These lovely banners were made by one of the residents, Janet, and a good friend and companion to me and as she is now a permanent resident she had them brought from her home to share with us all.

A wreath craft I made

The photo and a Christmas card from Shari

We had a Christmas party where our partners were allowed to come. The Matamata band played Christmas Carols. An ice cream truck came and we were allowed to choose our own flavours and we got photos taken as a remembrance.

As I was in hospital from September to mid January, (Pohlen from the 23rd of September) I watched the beautiful gardens at Pohlen blossom for spring and then flourish into early summer. Because of the choice of plantings there were beautiful colours and perfumes as well as attracting birdlife. It became a place I would escape to. The staff and residents became good friends but there were times when I wanted to feel 'normal' so to speak and this garden did that for me. I would take my Bible or book, a bottle of water and sit and pray or read or just take in all its beauty. I would often meet Harry and other visitors out there. And sometimes it was a place for treats.

I soon simply loved flowers. In the garden, given to me by family and friends and those in the lounge/dining room that we all could share.

Outings - van trips, ice-cream treats and family outings to a café

The living spaces

Visitors

Shut in my room visits

Sneaky window visits

Full protection visits

Jigsaws

All in all my four months at Pohlen were a major part of my recovery and my home away from home