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Helping People Be Themselves Again – By Angela Dueck
My name is Angela Dueck, I work in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Working in the ICU is an emotional and rewarding area of practice. Most of the patients are extremely debilitated and unstable throughout their stay. Often though, we are able to successfully progress a patient from this debilitated state through to regaining independent daily functioning.
As physiotherapists, we have many 'tools' to accomplish this. We have strengthening techniques, mobility aides, cardio respiratory techniques and countless other methods to help patients progress. Occasionally, we, as a multidisciplinary team are able to 'step outside the box', by helping a patient become stronger by treating their need to be themselves again. We schedule times with the nurse, the respiratory therapist and the occupational therapist and work together to provide the patient with the opportunity to get outside, tour the unit, or simply sit up for a little while and watch the news.
Watching the patient close their eyes and take a deep breath of the outside air, or giggle while watching their favourite movie after being so ill is sometimes as productive a workout as walking a length with the parallel bars!! Assisting our patient's goal to be themselves again when they are recovering from severe illness is another way that physiotherapists help patients get stronger.
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