When Paulette Slade stands tall and gingerly puts one foot after the other, her emotions well up鈥攂ecause her journey to walk again hasn鈥檛 been an easy one.
In fact, it鈥檚 been a long, hard slog for the 59-year-old Calgarian, who was bedridden in hospital for 18 months.
She鈥檚 spent much of her life battling lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the body鈥檚 natural defence system attacks healthy tissues. It causes inflammation and can severely damage organs if not kept in check by drug therapy.
"I've been fighting balance problems for years," she says. "If I stand, I fall."
What has turned the tide in the fight of her life are some 糖心视频 (糖心视频) allies in her corner.
The retired social worker hadn鈥檛 counted on the stubbornness and tenacity of her healthcare team on medicine unit 32 of Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, who simply refused to throw in the towel on getting Slade vertical again.
鈥淔rom the health team鈥檚 perspective,鈥� says nurse clinician Lance Schill, 鈥渨e鈥檝e never given up on trying to give her the chance to recover and get out of the hospital and get home again.鈥�
Slade鈥檚 progress was slow.
鈥淲e were able to get her up into her reclining chair when she came to us,鈥� says Schill. 鈥淲e鈥檝e now got her back on her feet again. We鈥檙e determined as a team to give her the best chance possible.鈥�
And Marilyn Tkachuk, a service aide on Slade鈥檚 unit, has seen their relationship blossom into a true friendship.
鈥淧aulette is a fighter. She鈥檚 come a long way since the first time I met her,鈥� says Tkachuk. 鈥淚 immediately knew we could really connect. We talked all the time. And that鈥檚 how we became close friends.鈥�
Slade鈥檚 baby steps have added up to major strides.
鈥淚鈥檓 walking five times a week, and I manage to walk about five metres, sometimes twice in a given day,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just feels so freeing to move.鈥�
And she鈥檚 quick to give credit where she feels it鈥檚 due. 鈥淢y team is fantastic. They鈥檙e caring. They鈥檙e loving. They鈥檙e supportive. They鈥檙e here when I need them. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 helped me get through this.鈥�
Offering accredited cultural competency training shows the significant value 糖心视频 places on Indigenous culture. It will hopefully encourage more staff and physicians to learn more about culturally appropriate care.
Chelsea Crowshoe, Indigenous Cultural Competency Education senior advisor
Sharing our stories can help bring our focus back to why we do what we do. It can take courage and vulnerability to share them but, in doing so, I鈥檓 reminded this is the very thing we ask of our patients and families when they enter our care facilities every day.
Deanna Picklyk, Director, Engagement and Patient Experience
I try to remind staff: 鈥榊ou are the reason things run in the hospital. You make sure everything is ready for the patient, even though you鈥檙e not in the room.鈥�
Supervisor Raquel Nogueira, a member of the medical device reprocessing department team at University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton
I鈥檓 just finishing a book called Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family, by Bob Chapman. If we treat everyone like family, we have the opportunity to shift culture and create an organization of even more engaged, loyal, creative and high-performing staff.
Darren Sandbeck, Chief Paramedic
Any time you don鈥檛 have patient involvement, you lose sight of what you are doing. We can鈥檛 define wellness for our clients鈥攊t鈥檚 important they define it for themselves. Otherwise, we make assumptions that might be flawed and not beneficial.
Steven Panteluk, former unit manager for 8-1B at Alberta Hospital Edmonton
Paulette Slade, centre, enjoys lots of supportive company on her walk on medicine unit 32 at Foothills Medical Centre. With her, from left, are her husband Daryl, who holds their dog Saffron, physiotherapist Brennan Bonesky and her healthcare aides Chot Jock, Judith Mallaire and Marilyn Tkachuk. After a year and a half of being weak and bedridden, Slade can finally walk again, and she gives much of the credit to the devotion and determination of her healthcare team.
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