Bridges of Hope
Sharon Hiebert, Social Worker
Welcome to the A4 Rehab unit, where everyone works together to get patients home. Sharon Hiebert and Leah Jaakkimainen describe how COVID has made them the bridge between patients and families.
For the most part, Rehab hasn’t changed at all; medical staff, nurses, and allied health professionals still work with patients and their families, and the beds remain full. The unit has a gym, dining room, and teaching kitchen and bathroom so that patients can work on all areas of need to be able to return to their optimum level of function.
However, safety precautions became necessary: “During COVID,” says Sharon, a social worker at A4, “the dining room isn’t up and running, which was the place for patients to get out of their rooms and socialize.” It also hosted fun programs like music nights. Recently, Occupational Therapy has, instead, given patients a mental health program to help them cope.
COVID has also limited familial contact, and their involvement is often key in a patient’s recovery: “They know the patient best,” says Sharon, “they participate in the assessments, and provide their loved ones with comfort and a familiar face.”
Not only is less family involvement hard on the patients, it’s also hard for the families themselves as they miss out on that extra level of support. Acquiring collateral information from families over the phone is challenging as well.
“It’s just not the same level of engagement. In person, you can better sense people’s energy, you can watch for visual cues. Someone may sound fine on the phone, but they come in and they’re frail and clearly struggling. You can’t make assumptions,” Sharon observes.
On the flip side, patients that were isolated at home now get to interact with the endlessly kind and caring Rehab staff. Sharon was especially impressed with the work of the physicians: “The Rehab and Geriatric doctors have been stretched thin due to the additional demands of the Fairfield hotel site, and they have worked so hard to not skip a beat. Their work is memorable,” she emphasizes.
“It’s just not the same level of engagement. In person, you can better sense people’s energy, you can watch for visual cues. Someone may sound fine on the phone, but they come in and they’re frail and clearly struggling. You can’t make assumptions.”
Rehab goes above and beyond to keep things running smoothly and foster genuine connections with their patients.
“A4 is a huge team that wants to help get people back home. We encourage independence. To us, they’re not just patients; they’re people trying to heal,” says Leah, a nurse at QCH for over 17 years. “We give hope to families and patients,” she adds.
Leah recalls a time from a few years ago, when making her rounds, she noticed a patient crying in her room. “I stopped to take the time and chat. I wanted to know how to help, how to earn their trust, how to help them in their healing process. It was just thirty minutes, which is a lot of time in the morning for a busy nurse, but I knew they needed it.” Later, Leah was nominated as a Champion of Care by the patient, who made a donation to QCH Foundation in appreciation of her actions.
“Thirty minutes with someone can make a big difference for them,” she says warmly. “It makes it all worth it.”
Leah recalls a time from a few years ago, when making her rounds, she noticed a patient crying in her room. “I stopped to take the time and chat. I wanted to know how to help, how to earn their trust, how to help them in their healing process. It was just thirty minutes, which is a lot of time in the morning for a busy nurse, but I knew they needed it.” Later, Leah was nominated as a Champion of Care by the patient, who made a donation to QCH Foundation in appreciation of her actions.
“Thirty minutes with someone can make a big difference for them,” she says warmly. “It makes it all worth it.”
