I can't walk out...
Suspicious Minds - Elvis
The Junta faction, the Free-Thinkers and the Gestapo are all gearing up for an all-out war.
"Where?" you may ask..."some video game or a novel you're reading?"
No, it'd be less scary if it were just fiction, but it's real life...
It's my workplace.
The rumor mill is grinding its wheels in high speed lately and there have already been victims...
The Clinical Assistant reportedly "chose" to not return to her position she'd held for several years once she delivered her newborn baby. Yes, very understandable, but I think there may be more to the story. She never mentioned this intention until just before delivery due date. Very odd.
A much-beloved and long-term member of the kitchen staff was fired suddenly. And now her replacement has been let go after only a month or so on the job. Failed background check, so we've heard. BS, I say. This place wouldn't let me or June start our first minute on the job until all checks came back crystal clean. Now kitchen staff aren't direct care so they may have different background checks done but I doubt it. They still have very close contact with the residents and I'm sure they vet them as fully before they start their first day as well.
And now Scott's been fired. Why? No one knows and even the most specious of rumor threads can only speculate it was something recently that was simply the last straw on the camel's back. He was a bit of a Free Thinker and that may not be the best party to be on in the eyes of the Gestapo.
Speaking of eyes, Chris W., a trusted Free Thinker pool person and also long-time employee has seen a lot over the years. He confided in me he has reason to believe there may be credibility to a rumor that the Gestapo (headed by Helen, of course) is asking residents to spy on staff.
Huh? If this is true, how inappropriate...no, actually, how criminal is that! Asking mentally ill people to spy on their caregivers and presumably report back to administration? How could any professional in this field knowingly plant seeds of suspicion and fear into the minds of people who have a long and arduous history of struggles discerning reality from fiction?
Many of these folks believe the Mafia is out to get them, for cryin' out loud! One lady even props a tambourine behind her front door each night so she'll hear it in case Vito "No Nose" Gambini comes a callin' with his silenced snub-nosed .38 special!
And this morning, one resident tells me that she feels embarrassed that I saw her naked one night while I did rounds. She said she never saw me since she was asleep, but Helen told her about it.
With so many stories flying around, it really makes me wonder if I work at a place where the really crazy people are the ones running it all!