Exhausting but rewarding!

I am really lucky in my job as a receptionist in the Allied Health area of our hospital. It is a great job with lots of people contact which I love and lots of great people to work with. My standard hours are 2 and 1/2 days a week and then I relieve when the other reception staff are on holidays or sick. I also do reception for some visiting specialists and yesterday I was lucky enough to spend the day in our elderly 'day centre' which operates out of our building. The chance to do some relief here doesn't come around often (as I am not a trained nurse) but when it does I jump at it. We have around 12 - 20 elderly clients who come in from their own homes for the day (we collect them on our bus), they enjoy a day of companionship, activities and a hot 2 course lunch. While there we can deliver them easily to appointments at the medical clinic, pathology, xray, physio etc. We also do a pharmacy run each day in case they have a script they need filled. Yesterday we did tai chi exercises (in chairs), followed by a game of scattegories then in the afternoon played bocce ( I was no good and helped the 'poms' lose to the 'aussies' badly!!). They all generally have some health problems or mobility issues. Most live alone. One of the dearest ladies yesterday has advanced dementia. Another lady that has dementia was telling me that she used to sew, even make wedding dresses. Unfortuantly those days are beyond her now. Another lady with impaired sight was crocheting a rug, something she has only taken up since her sight became so bad. Some of them are cranky and argumentative! They all have such a lot to offer and I always have such a fun day working with them. Gosh I am physically exhausted at the end of the day though! Today I am doing reception for a paediatrician clinic so the complete opposite end of the scale!! I usually manage a little stitching between patients so may even have something to report on that front!!