nursing home blues (slightly OT)

[Clyde Hollinger]

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Tom,

I tune 10-11 pianos in the local retirement/nursing home.  I work with
the person in charge to get me into the areas when residents are not
there, or at least will not be disruptive.  I also hope we can avoid
other interruptions, such as chimes for fifteen minutes broadcast from
the chapel across the campus or the morning retirement community news
broadcast, which is piped everywhere.

If I were to encounter a situation like yours, I would probably try to
contact the person who hired me and inform them that I can't concentrate
on my work under those circumstances, and try to work out a better time
for the next tuning.  If I had only one piano at the nursing home and
there were no acceptable alternative, I can politely refuse to work for
them again.

I try not to have strong negative thoughts toward these residents.
Hopefully I will never enter my childhood to that extent, but who
knows?  I may be one of them myself one day.

I wouldn't consider this topic OT.  Working under difficult
circumstances is very much part of our work.

Regards,
Clyde Hollinger, RPT

Tvak@aol.com wrote:

> Today I tuned a Wurly spinet in a nursing home.  I have never
> experienced such negativity anywhere in my brief (6 years) career as a
> tuner.  There were about 10 patients of the nursing home in the
> activity room where the piano was and as soon as I walked in and
> introduced myself to the attendant, a chorus arose.
>
> "He's not going to PLAY the piano, is he?" to which the attendant
> would reply, "No, he's going to tune it."  Five minutes later, "What's
> he doing at the piano?  Is he playing it?"  "No, he's tuning it."  And
> as if there was a tape loop set up in the room, five minutes later,
> someone else would ask, "What's he doing at the piano?  Is he playing
> it?"  "Does he have to play the piano?"  "Why can't he stop?"
>
> I tuned as quietly and quickly as I could.
>
> Then they started a game of BINGO.  I'd respectfully pause as each
> number was called, and then resume striking keys and tuning, but after
> every number, someone would yell out "I can't hear because of that
> piano!"  One lady threw her BINGO board on the floor and refused to
> play because I made it too difficult to hear.
>
> These people in the twilight of their lives had returned to a state of
> childhood, where their only concern was themselves.
>
> I always try to do the best job I can under any circumstances, whether
> it be noisy kids, barking dogs, no light, whatever...it doesn't faze
> me.  Never before have I felt like I just wanted to get out of there
> as quickly as I could.  I didn't adjust the pitch, it was about 10
> cents sharp.  I tuned it where it was; as quietly, and quickly as
> possible, and headed for the door.  It probably wasn't a very stable
> tuning: I didn't feel like I could really strike those hard blows
> without garnering more animosity.  They made me feel in no uncertaint
> terms that I was intruding.
>
> I know these people have problems much more severe than my own.  This
> is not a happy time in their lives.  This post is not meant as an
> indictment of their behavior.   Rather it is about my reaction to it.
>
> This experience made me realize that I have gotten used to people
> being happy to see me.  I come on time, I provide a service that
> improves their lives in a small way, I'm polite, and everyone comes
> out ahead.  Day after day.
>
> I enjoy the general pleasantry of my daily existence.  Without this
> nursing home appointment I don't think I would have been cognizant of
> that, having become accustomed to it.
>
> I went to my next appointment and met the most delightful old retired
> fellow with a beautiful 1915 Steinway Louis XIV grand.  I think it was
> rosewood.
>
> Tom Sivak

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