Thinking about putting the right person in the right place in a nursing home kitchen

Good morning, this is Hosshi.
(This is work from mid-December)

Recently, my wife has been doing day labor in nursing care.
She is a nurse by trade, but since she works at a facility, it seems she has many opportunities to interact with caregivers.
So, she wants to actually try doing care work herself to improve coordination there.
She seems to be enjoying it well enough, so I feel like trying it too, but...
I definitely don't think I'm cut out for care work, so I can't get involved in that 😅

Looking at my own traits objectively, I think I have an aptitude for work that involves moving around while anticipating things, but I probably don't have the aptitude for work that requires facing each user individually and doing something tailored to them.
Well, people have things they are suited for and things they aren't.
And if you get involved in day labor that you are too ill-suited for, there is a risk that not only will you have a hard time, but you will also cause trouble for those around you.
I sometimes get involved and end up in a mess 🤣

Well, even for someone like me, there are things I can do.
And that is this!

If it's this kind of day labor, I might be able to be of some help.
Well, actually, I have donenursing home kitchen workbefore.
Other than that, even before that, I also worked at afacility for people with disabilitiestoo.
During those two times, I did full-on cooking.
But this time, it feels a bit lonely that there doesn't seem to be any cooking.

Since it was day labor I decided on with such momentum, I didn't check if there was a staff meal.
When I checked again...
No staff meal❗😭
W-well, it can't be helped.
The motivation for applying this time is to infiltrate a nursing facility, after all.
For now, I'll do my best within the scope of what I can do without overdoing it.

So, the day arrived, and I came to the nursing facility where I would be working.
It is a residential-style paid nursing home located in a residential area.

It's close, about 15 minutes by motorcycle from home, so the commute is easy.

I went inside and greeted everyone right away.
I was immediately handed a uniform, and after changing, they guided me to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, there was a female staff member about my age who greeted me brightly.
But, she was in a total state of chaos.
While in a state of chaos, she explained today's tasks to me.
Today's tasks were preparing dinner for the users and washing dishes.
And as I listened to the explanation, mealtime is from 17:00, so I have to finish the preparations by then.
And it is currently 16:20.
No wonder it's chaotic 😂

I was told to just put the white rice in.
I measured out 150g, and while making sure the rice grains didn't stick to the bowl and plating it fluffily and appetizingly, I served it at top speed.
Meanwhile, the staff member put the side dish plates on the trays.
It really was total chaos 🤣

Because, you know, there were people who needed porridge, and people who needed their side dishes finely chopped, so it was complicated.
It's complicated, but I haven't been taught those rules...
So, I took on tasks like rice and miso soup, which don't have such detailed rules.

Even so, there were people who needed 170g of rice, and people who needed thickener added to their miso soup, so it was tough.

And, just when I thought I might be able to take a breather after managing to get everything ready just in time for 17:00, that was a huge mistake.
The lids for the side dish plates came back one after another, and there was a mountain of kitchen utensils to wash, so I plunged into dishwashing mode like a stream 💦
By the time that was finished, the used dishes came back one after another, so it was total chaos again 😅

Well, even in the midst of that, the staff and caregivers treated me kindly, so that was good.
Come to think of it, I've never met a disagreeable person at these kinds of care facilities.
I wonder if there are many gentle types among people in caregiving professions... 🤔

And, although the staff member and I were running things, the staff member would occasionally get caught by an elderly man and end up being a conversation partner...
In other words, what does that mean...
It means that sometimes, I'm the only one left as the workforce!

No, it's really tough...
It's tough, but in facilities like this, making the users feel comfortable is probably important too.

And when I encounter scenes like this, I feel even more that I'm not cut out for care work.
I feel like my vector is pointed more towards anticipating things and quickly finishing assigned tasks at the appointed time.
I'm not the type who can do work by being close to each individual user like the staff member...

Well, there's such a thing as being suited or unsuited for a job, and putting the right person in the right place.
I'll just do what I can do.
It can't be helped.
Even though there's no staff meal, I'll kick into 1.5x turbo mode and do my best to wash the dishes for the staff too.
So, even though it was chaotic, I finished by leaving the place cleaner than I found it❗

The staff were surprised too.
Heh, don't underestimate the prince of the dish pit😏
And, not only did I finish the cleanup on time, I even had time left over, so I cleaned the kitchen floor, said my goodbyes, and went home.

Man, people really do have things they are suited for and things they aren't, don't they?
There are those who can connect with the residents, and those who can read ahead and power through the work.
It's not about which is better or worse, it's that there's a place where each person can shine.
It was a day of temp work where I was reminded of that again🙄