There is also a plum leather recliner that is reserved for Mary, behind a table which is permanently set with Mary's coloring book, glasses and crayons. When the residents return home at the end of a busy day at the Pipestone Kin-Ability workshop, everyone melts effortlessly into their evening routine. Coats and shoes are off in seconds, and Pauline makes sure that the closet is closed before heading to the kitchen to check on the dishwasher. Bev Monin, the part-time relief worker, arrives just in time to help with hair washing and back scrubbing, since the clients seem eager to jump in the tub. The biggest treat for most is the whirlpool bath, which has recently been installed.
Laundry day is whirlpool day too.
On weekends we put her in at nine, and she doesn't come out 'till 11, all soft and wrinkled. But it's not just a life of pure luxury. Most household chores are performed by the residents themselves. The roster on the kitchen wall is rigidly adhered to, and even the fish-feeding schedule is faithfully obeyed. Lillian says that nobody is exempt from chores, although Pauline is not allowed to feed the fish after dumping half the jar of food in one day.