Being related, concerned and caregiver while Black

12:29pm. Los Angeles. I'm at the library right now working on some writing I promised myself I would get done today. I stayed at Dietra's last night because Grandma is not doing well. There was an overnight nurse who stayed in Grandma's room with her last night. This morning another nurse came. We didn't have a good experience with her. The hospital sent over materials for Grandma to receive an IV so she could start getting her meds since she can't swallow or take meds orally. When the materials got there the nurse informed Dietra that she couldn't administer the IV because she hadn't done it in four years and didn't remember how to do it. What??? So she suggested that Dietra mix her meds in some cottage cheese and give it to her. Dietra repeatedly told her that her grandmother couldn't swallow. Grandma was given the meds mixed with cottage cheese and just like Dietra said, Grandma couldn't swallow it. The nurse got on the phone with hospital and kept telling the person on the other end to please send someone else ASAP because "Granddaughter is getting agitated!" She didn't explain what was going on with Grandma, just D was agitated. At one point she even told D to "calm down." I hate so much that Black women are seen as big, scary, angry beasts that the world needs protection from. Grandma had to lie there holding cottage cheese in her mouth because she couldn't swallow and they couldn't get it out of her. The nurse informed D that the other nurse wouldn't be able to get there for another hour and a half. The first nurse shouldn't have accepted the assignment. Grandma is in hospice care but that doesn't mean that the medical staff does nothing. D got on the phone with hospital and they kept discouraging her from bringing Grandma in because I guess they couldn't do anything for her. But they could have at least insured that she received her meds. The situation this morning was very frustrating and that nurse being up to par on her skills and having a better bedside manner would have gone a long way in making it better.