Michael

Michael is a neglect case from another care facility. When he came in, there was a small hole rubbed away down to the bone on the heel of his foot. It now sports a fuzzy, odd cast which he likes to disassemble at least six times per day. To shower him, we have to put this weird bag with a plastic top over it, which almost pulls off the bandage every time it gets slipped on and off. His bandage has bled through a couple of times.

Michael used to be a limo driver. Being from Nigeria and having no other known family, his former service job is what pays for his newer accommodations as he sees his way towards death. I found it kind of endearing that his ex-boss is what's keeping him on the ups rather than a neglect ward.

Noticeably, he one of two residents whose butt has not caved in to gravity, thus making him one of the heaviest lifts- up to three people if we're not using the lift machine. It's extremely difficult to wheel him anywhere unless you're going very fast, as he will reach out and grab anything and not let go- door frames, the edge of the couch, other people's arms. He has a keen death-grip when being moved, too. Despite being strong as an ox and a big black man, he flinches here and there and cowers down a lot smaller than he is sometimes due to possible memories of abuse from the last home he was in. He can't figure out how to stand up or sit down most of the time. He whispers under his breath and most of all you can hear is 'okay' and 'ohhh'. The only time I've heard him raise his voice is where you ever hear voices get raised- the shower- and it was something along the lines of 'COOOOLD!!!' then '...ohhh.'

Michael is kind of a back-to-basics kinda guy right now. He doesn't talk much or move at all in the course of a few hours, but he's one of the few residents who still jerks off. Sometimes, he'll get his hands on some of his own poop and sit around with it in his hands- smelling it- until a staff member comes by and gets sicked out enough to get two or three other people to wash it off. His hair gets kinda chalky if you let him sit near a window long enough, I don't know how or why it does, but it does. Anywhere he sits during a shower gets poop on it. He's the only guy who will eat his food if it's extra spicy. If there's no pepper or cayenne on it, he won't touch it. His bowels can handle it from what I've seen.

Michael's got a short, greying fro on his head and the bottoms of his eyes sag as low as his lower lip. His permanent expression is one of severe brain damage. But I bet if I tossed the man a Rubick's cube, he'd somehow figure it out. I just get that feeling like he's stuck in some kind of forever Autism until he's not. I mean, he does disassemble his cast, play with it, pick up books, tear all the pictures out. I like to think he's permanently driving anytime he's getting wheeled somewhere. Everything's going by so fast and he needs to stay focused and keep his hands on something or else he's going to crash.