When Jenny Streete began caring for older people more than 50 years ago, prejudice was part of her everyday working life. Streete, who grew up in Jamaica and came to England in 1967, had a way of dealing with it: “Just put a smile on your face,” she says. “If you let bad words into your brain, it will only cause you more harm.”
The 81-year-old remembers one instance of abuse.
Streete says: “The sister who was managing the ward (病房) tried to calm a woman down. But I told the sister to let her say what she has to say. I don’t mind.”
The next night, Streete noticed the woman’s blanket had fallen off. She replaced it, telling the patient in a low voice exactly what she was doing and why. The same thing happened the next night, and the next. “But then, the night that I was off duty, that same woman asked the sister: ‘Where is that black lady? I don’t want anyone else to look after me while she is on duty. She was so kind.’”
Brought up by her grandparents, Streete found her vocation after a mystery illness that nearly killed her, and left her with permanently damaged vision. She got better, she says, because of “loving care and tenderness”. When she came to England, she was determined to give that care to others.
And Streete hopes to carry on caring for older people as long as possible — although, she says, her children are urging her to retire. She currently works two nights a week in an end-of-life ward which provides specialist nursing. Many of the people she looks after are now a similar age to her.
Her preference for night shifts hasn’t changed, either. She frequently stays on after her shift is finished, to spend time with residents.
She urges those considering a career in care to think hard about why they’re choosing it. “Sometimes, people are not happy because they don’t want to do the job — they have to do it, because there is no other way. Wanting to do it is very different from having to do it.”
But the key quality a care worker needs, she says, is patience, “Some people like to do everything quick-quick-quick, but you have to take your time with residents. I just try to treat everybody the way I would like to be treated.”
【小题1】What do we know about Jenny Streete?| A．She never accepts others’ words. |
| B．She minded so much when abused. |
| C．She fell ill when she left Jamaica. |
| D．She has her own opinions about nursing. |
| A．Her love for England. | B．The tender care she got. |
| C．Older people’s prejudice. | D．Her grandparents’ encouragement. |
| A．Serious and wise. | B．Positive but stubborn. |
| C．Responsible and patient. | D．Honest but indifferent. |
| A．Jenny Streete’s care for others in her whole life. |
| B．Jenny Streete’s advice on how to find a good job. |
| C．Jenny Streete’s experiences of fighting disease. |
| D．Jenny streete’s determination to remove prejudice. |
