Acknowleding those in the service industry

During this holiday season, many of you acknowledge those in the service industry by giving them a small gift or card and I am SURE that acknowledgment is greatly appreciated. From the mail carrier who trudges through all sorts of weather, the doorman that works at your building, the mechanic that fixes your car, the bag boy who carries your groceries (yes, they DO still exist). The majority of them work hard to please you, and like to know that their efforts to do so have not gone unnoticed.

But what of those who go unnoticed? I work in one of "those" service industries. What do I do? I am a housekeeper in a nursing home. Every year at this time the resident wings are flooded with fruit baskets, cookies, flowers, poinsettias, and many other little treats from doctors, pharmacies, and family members to thank the nurses and aides that care for the residents that live there. That's good, they deserve it. They work hard and strive to do their best to make each resident safe, comfortable, and well cared for. They lend an ear to the lonely, comfort the sad, and ease the pain of the hurting.

That leads me to the four positions that are taken for granted where I work, those being kitchen, maintenance, laundry, and of course housekeeping.

Every day the kitchen staff provides 3 well balanced meals for somebody's loved on to eat. They make snacks for the residents and cater all the facility parties. They make each resident a special meal on their birthday.

The maintenance staff make sure that there is heat and hot water, the walkways and parking lot are free of hazards, the lawn is mowed, and fix things that break in a timely manor.

Laundry washes your loved one's clothing, sheets, and blankets. The make sure there are clean towels and wash clothes for showers, baths, and routine care.

Now for my position...housekeeping. Wanna know what we do every day? I'll tell you exactly what we do.
Day shift - (in an 8 hr period)
Clean 22 residents bedrooms and bathrooms EVERY day.
Clean the shower room which consists of 2 walk in tubs, a shower, a toilet and 2 sinks.
Clean the nurse's station and bathroom - each wing has one
Clean the mini kitchen on the wing
Clean the wing dining room both after breakfast and lunch.
Check all toilet paper, soap, purell, and paper towel dispensers and refill them as needed
Sweep and mop the clean soil, resident storage, lift, and nurse's storage rooms as needed.
Vacuum entire wing at least three times a week
Clean up any spills or extra messes when paged.

Evening shift - (a 6 hr shift)
Empty garbage and vacuum 21 offices
Clean 7 bathrooms
Clean the dentist/podiatrist treatment room, exam room, activities, PT and OT
Vacuum the lobby, halls, and rugs by the entrances.
Sweep and mop entrance and back hall that leads to the service area
Clean the dining rooms on each wing after dinner, The main resident dining area, the staff lounge, and the atrium
Dust vents, ceiling fans, door casings, and light fixtures as needed
Collect the garbage from all wings, offices, dining rooms and lobby into one large cart and take them to the garbage bin. This includes 3 outside garbage cans, even when it IS only 10 degrees fahrenheit out.
Answer all calls to clean spills, "acidents", and incedences of residents vomiting on floors/carpeting
Check and fill all soap, toilet paper, purell, and paper towel dispensers.

While doing all this, we also find time to quickly lend an ear and dispense a hug when needed. We offer warm greetings and smile to all we come across.

What do we receive in return? NOTHING! No goodies or flowers, no cards or even a thank you. Did you honestly think this stuff just magically did itself? If it were not for us four departments, you loved ones would not be getting the wonderful care they are receiving. They would not be getting meals and snacks, their wheel chairs oiled, laundry washed and have a clean bed to sleep in.
Please, if you have a loved one living in a residential care facility, take time to acknowledge the hard work of those behind the scenes. We don't necessarily want all the goodies, though they would be nice, a simple thank you, a card, or I appreciate how hard you work could just make our day!