Dear PT, Buck Up!

Last Monday, when I was on the standing frame, the new PT who took over me passed me a questionnaire and a pen and asked me to fill it up and return it to her at the end of the session. Off she went about her other duties.

I glanced through the questions. I was to fill in my daily activities half hourly from 6am (I think) to 11.30pm. I was also to rate the following for each of the activities.
- I consider this activity to be: Work/ Daily living task / Recreation / Rest
- I think I do this: Very well / Well / About average / Poorly / Very Poorly
For me, this activity is: Extremely important / Important / Take it or leave it / Rather not do it / Total waste of time
- How much do you enjoy this activity: Like it much / Neither like nor dislike / Strongly dislike

OMG So ley chey! I sighed and got started. I suspected that it's really testing my motor skills. I didn't follow the instructions to a T - if the activity spanned more than half an hour, I bracketed up the timeframe and wrote the activity once. So I got sleep, wash up, work, lunch, work, dinner, shower, rest and my day ends abruptly at 11.30pm. Hey my life barely started at 11.30! Still not done with resting, brushing teeth and sleep! What generalization is this man, assuming everybody attending PT sleeps by 11.30pm?! That's way too early!

So... should I draw extra slots, lest people think I'm so gross, never brush teeth?

Aiyah heck! I'm too lazy! Anyway no space on the paper.

Now I look so no-life. Bulk of my day is filled with work :(

Now to rate the activities. Yeah, I think everything I do is extremely important. Not so good at the washing, eating and showering... but I do my work Very Well!! And I Strongly Dislike working haha! This feels like the employee engagement survey. My boss should see this.

There's another section about what I have done by myself recently, e.g. walk, climb stairs, make hot food, drink. No to all. Aww I feel so disabled now.

Ok done.

It so happened that I was meeting J and W the next evening. Out of curiosity, I asked J the purpose of the questionnaire. J was appalled at the manner it was administered. The PT was supposed to sit with me properly, not when I was in the middle of an exercise, and go through the questions with me. At the end of the questionnaire, she was supposed to see if I was having any problem with my daily activities and make recommendations. Hence it was even more appalling it's the end after I handed it in with not even an assurance that we were going to have a discussion. Ehh so is it just for her own reading pleasure? C'mon, I wrote so much, must say something ley??

Today, I waited to see if the PT was going to follow-up on the questionnaire. Coming to the end of the session, it became clear that she was about to release me as usual. I casually asked her the purpose of the the questionnaire last week. Brief shock detected! Must be not used to people asking for follow-up!

She said that's it's to find out about my daily activities. (Ok, good, she knows her stuff)

And she asked if I'm having any problem performing them. If I have, she could see how she could help. (O great, some help with my work will be extremely appreciated. Jokes aside, she wouldn't have said this if I hadn't asked.)

Intentions not clearly communicated, if any in the first place. She needs to improve on that. And also to ask more specific questions and make less assumptions! During her get-to-know-me questions, after I revealed that I am in the field of IT, she asked if I have any certs. Well, I took that as to mean professional certs, so I replied yes. Turned out that she meant some low-skill kind, as she asked whether I got it from the training centre upstairs -_-;; I don't know, but I thought basic information about me should be in my file already? Either the file sucks, or she never read.

Appalling, J said. People working here go outside sure die. I feel Irritating Guy when he said the therapists here suck.