Therapist clears patient’s hurdle to healing
It took a coordinated team effort to provide a patient the special equipment she needed to speed recovery
A patient was healing well from a wound while at PeaceHealth’s hospital in Cottage Grove, Oregon. One thing was needed for her road to recovery…a wheelchair.
And it could not be not just any wheelchair. It was the patient’s own powered wheelchair with a special seating system designed to prevent skin issues, according to Katie Vendrasco, director of rehabilitation services for PeaceHealth Oregon.
Transporting this unique chair was no easy feat, but that didn’t stop Kim O’Grady, the occupational therapist who was helping the patient navigate her healing journey.
Kim coordinated all of the steps needed to make it happen…arranging use of the inpatient rehabilitation van and recruiting an inpatient rehab team colleague, Amy Dane, to help pick up the chair. Together, Kim and Amy met with the patient’s spouse and drove to the patient’s home to pick up the wheelchair.
In short order, they had delivered the chair to the hospital room of the grateful patient, eager to use it to continue her recovery.
