Independent thought alert activated!

[LittleClapham]

So I haven't written too much about where I currently live, except for the one or two staff who have actually bothered to understand me (one has now left). But that's because I am extremely unhappy here. Before you carry on reading, please take a few minutes to watch this video (ignore the writing on the video):

youtube.com/watch?v=TGj7TIE...(Not working as expected?)

In this place, it feels similar. God help you if you know better than the staff or question something which is going on in the house. You also get accused of eavesdropping on private conversations whilst sat in your OWN LOUNGE. These conversations are taking place across the room loudly for clarification, these are not whispered conversations which you have to strain to hear. I have been informed by the MANAGER that the staff talking about private matters in OUR lounge is not allowed and that we definitely shouldn't be accused of eavesdropping in OUR home. Just to make it clearer (again), the six residents and I all pay rent towards living in this house. Although our landlord owns the house, we are the tenants. When I was first moving here I was told that it was OUR home and that the staff should treat it as such. I don't walk into another person's house, have a private conversation then decide to have a go at that person for hearing it because they are inches away from me at the time! Although I have not been accused of eavesdropping since the incident (long story), I have heard several of the other residents being accused of eavesdropping.

So today I was sat in the lounge and one of the staff tells off a service user 'S' for 'earwigging' which is, as far as I am concerned, a phrase used in a similar way to 'eavesdropping'. S was sitting in OUR lounge and a private phone conversation was taking place. Of course she's going to listen! What else can you listen to? The television which is being spoken over? How about the pipes rumbling in the background? Or how about the loud conversation which is dominating the entire house, let alone the room!

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Tourettes part (sorry needed a rant!). I am having a hard time with my TS at the moment. It is waxing and waning so much I don't know what I am going to be like on any given day. I am having to supress it around two of the other residents who haven't got the capacity to understand my Tourettes (why the f-word did they put me here then!?), so it is inevitably coming out more in my room and when I am out and about. I hate ticcing outside. Yesterday in the Supermarket I just wanted to curl up and die. The Tourettes took care of the curling up part, throwing me to the floor, rolling me into a ball, but it screeched instead of killed me (has only attempted that three times so far...). I was screeching all around the supermarket as well and old people were staring at me like I was possessed. I feel possessed sometimes to be honest.

So yeah having a hard time of it at the moment.

[catherinem]

I like the clip - reminds me of when I got "squeezed" out of working for a burger chain (sh***y job) for suggesting we have some kind of staff union/committe at a meeting. You are very right, if they want to have conversations in your home, they should be conversations that involve you or other residents. When I was teaching, that was what the staff room was for, a child free zone. Do you think they would have such conversations if there was a family member of a resident there? Methinks not. How would they feel if the tables were turned and you talked about stuff and when they earwigged or butted in they got a short sharp answer? Don't worry about your housemate not understanding, some of they guys that I do voluntary work with would struggle with understanding my TS, all they were told that "Catherine has Tourette's syndrome and she often shouts swear words and ..... " I get on with them fanstically well, one lad is easily distracted by my tics but we laugh about it, my rasberry blowing tic sounds like trying to squeeze acrylic paint from the tube,or a bit of wind, lol.

[LittleClapham in reply to catherinem]

If the tables were turned they would probably tell us off for snapping at them! We can't win. It's not just that they don't understand they get frightened by some of my louder/aggressive tics. They think I am shouting at them. It's nearly impossible to convince them that I am not because they don't have the capacity to understand No win situation really.

[TonyBoy]

It would be fun to shout out something really nasty at them and then claim that under the DDA 2005 you have the right to say what you want. Okay I jest but I've wanted to do that loads of times.