Bartlett Regional | House Calls | Winter 2019

Progress with support Daemon’s colleagues, Sam and Francis, are grateful for his help in the kitchen. “He’s cutting sandwiches now, so he’s definitely moved up a lot from when he first started,” says Sam. “He’s been sorting things out and putting away produce. And now he’s doing deli sandwiches for lunch. So it’s great having him.” Megan is grateful for the support. “This could be a scary thing. But everyone at the hospital has embraced it,” she says. At the post-workday meeting, Daemon carefully folds his black cafeteria uniform. He looks forward to his next rotation in the hospital laundry room. Across the table, Lydia, who has been doing filing for human resources, says the internship has provided a sense of self-improvement. She is interested in eventually studying social work. At the head of the table, Solomon, who has Down syndrome, smiles with satisfaction. He’s gained skills in making beds and restocking supplies in Same-Day Surgery. The goal for all of these young people is to be hired for full-time jobs through the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. They may not be at Bartlett, but the internships are providing experiences that could end up on their resumés. The Cookie Man Daemon is known as the Cookie Man by his co-workers in the cafeteria. Most mornings, it’s Daemon’s job to take unbaked cookies out of the freezer, place them on pans and bake to perfection. Daemon, 22, opens the door to a walk-in freezer in the vast kitchen. “This is where the cookies are stored,” he says. “It’s freezing in here.” Daemon scans a shelf full of frozen vegetables, fruits and boxes of cookie dough. He lists off the varieties. “There’s oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, Heath bar crunch, royal harvest, sugar and peanut butter.” Daemon, who has autism spectrum disorder, is very exacting in his instructions for baking the cookies. “They’re supposed to be cooked at a temperature of 320 degrees Fahrenheit for 16 minutes. We turn them around at 8 minutes.” He’s also become adept at safely and properly cutting vegetables. To demonstrate, Daemon hunts down a cutting board, a sharp knife and a peeled carrot. “I have my fingers curled up, the way chefs do to protect their fingers,” he says. With blue latex-gloved hands, he demonstrates how to hold the knife with his forefinger on the top and thumb grasping the handle. “And so now I keep the tip of the knife on the board all the time,” he says, while slicing the carrot into uniform round slices for a stew or a salad. Daemon demonstrates carrot-cutting technique. Daemon with cookies Daemon and Sam Lydia at her HR internship www.bartletthospital.org 11