He starts talking to me in another language. I try to grab words he says in English that are familiar. He seems like he is not happy about things, so I decide I will spend some time getting to know him, slowly though, as he is a private man as well. So I decide to take it slow. I just say hi as he passes me in the hall.

I cannot pinpoint his language and it takes me a long time to work it out. But after a while, he tells me he is from Russia.

It takes 4 weeks for us to create a trust relationship, but by the fourth week of my popping into his room and saying hi and chit chat in the hallways, he finally asks me to play dominoes.

I feel like I am the chosen one. As only one other man would be able to play dominoes with him.

I walk into his room this morning and I say, “Good Morning!” with a big smile. He smiles back. I ask him, “How are you feeling this morning?” He replies, with a huge grin, “I am big and strong”, as he shows me his muscle pose. I laugh at him, what a crackup!

He puts his arm out as if he wants to arm wrestle. I step in and grab his hand as if I was going to win, of course he let me win! He’s a big softie!

I have found over the past 4 weeks, I have always made the effort to say hi to him. I made the effort to ask how his day was. I made the effort to ask him about his walks to Footscray.

I listened to him talk about his homeland. It took 2 weeks for him to tell me about how he had to hide in a hole during a war. It took 4 weeks for him to tell me he was in a mental hospital 5 years ago from too much drinking and complications from that.

In 4 weeks. He tells me I’m different. I care. I laugh. I love life and I listen to him talk and I converse back. I play dominoes. I don’t care if I lose or if I win. I shake his hand at the end and we laugh the whole way through.

I cared. It changed his whole demeanor. He felt cared for.

This is my social work.