When it comes to making a long-term difference to patients’ lives, Physiotherapist Jenna Ellis and Senior Occupational Therapist Jen Ross really are a ‘cut above’.
Recently, the dedicated pair came together to help a patient who had severe loss of function in all four limbs, after suffering from sepsis, discitis and edema.
Jenna said: “It was really hard for the patient. Before she had been living independently but now, she’d lost the ability to walk, lift her arms, brush her teeth and feed herself. She couldn’t even press the nurse call button.”
Determined to help her regain her independence, Jenna and Jen first worked with the Med Physics team to get her a call button which could be pushed with a flat hand – but they were not done there.
Jen said: “I’d never come across a patient with hand function like hers before, but we really wanted to help her to do more for herself.
“Initially we tried giving her cutlery with really thick handles but, with her edema and the pain she was suffering, it didn’t work for her, so it was back to the drawing board.
“I’d seen adaptive cuffs on Amazon, which allow you to slot in things like cutlery, or a tooth brush. We wouldn’t expect the patient to buy them themselves and we don’t have the funds to buy them for them, so I decided to make one.”
Jenna added: “Jen sourced the fabric herself and hand-stitched it for the patient, using Velcro so that it was adaptable and could be adjusted if her hand swelled.
“She got quite emotional when she was able to feed herself for the first time in months and that really helped her start to regain her independence.”
Over the three months that Jenna and Jen worked with the patient, she went from not being able to tolerate hoisting to being able to walk, aided by two.
Jen said: “Because it was a general medicine ward, the case load is lower but more complex – so we get to spend deeper time with our patients.
“Doing hour-long sessions most days means you get a real relationship with the patients and when you build up that holistic relationship and rapport, that gives them more confidence.”
Jenna added: “She trusted us. We were putting this lady through quite a lot and it was painful, but she was willing to give it a try. She knew she was safe and wasn’t going anywhere.”
And making that difference is the thing both of them love most about their work.
Jenna said: “I have a real love for seeing patients making big milestones. This patient thought she would never be on her feet again, but she did it. For her to do that and then get so emotional – I love proving them wrong and showing them they can do it!”
Jen added: “I would second that. I love seeing people get their independence and part of themselves back.
“It’s often little things, that we take for granted, like being able to feed themselves. People think they are never going to be able to do that again and we say ‘no – we can make this happen’ and we help them find a way.”