Excellence in Patient Care

Today I truly witnessed excellence in patient care. I know there is no way my words can truly describe what I saw today. I was struck by the depth of the patient's physical suffering  and the loving care the community care workers provided while working in a very compromised environment. Everything I am going to attempt to describe to you occurred in extreme heat (it's summer here), in extremely close quarters (we were in a very small shack), with the door closed-no ventilation.

 I had the distinct privilege of observing Maria and two of the amazing community care workers provide the most dignified and gentle care to a patient. This gentleman was 37 years old, paraplegic with AIDS and other ailments. These three staff visit him daily to provide wound care and daily dressing changes to the largest decubitus I've ever truly seen. This giant skin ulcer covered this gentleman's entire buttock region and then some. There were areas you could see muscle. Truly it was enormous. He also had other ulcers on the sides of both knees, calves, and the bottom of both heels.  Sorry to be so graphic but I think it's important you understand the nature of this man's suffering.

In extreme heat, with little space to move, these three remarkable caregivers moved around each other and gave their patient a bed bath, massaged his limbs, carefully removed yesterday's dressings, and then cleaned his wounds with saline solution they made themselves (they boiled water and added salt). They sprinkled vinegar to mask the smell and keep away the maggots he had in the wound previously. They then carefully placed powdered flagel on the skin ulcers.  After this, they placed gauze on the wounds, taped them to his skin, then placed larger gauze over that and then finally a diaper.  It was like watching poetry in motion or a carefully choreographed dance. This gentleman never flinched or cried out in pain. Finally they dressed him and placed him a wheelchair so he could sit outside.

All the while the community care workers were perspiring profusely. Eventually I took a beautiful scarf given to me by a good friend here that was tied on my purse and began wiping their faces. They were grateful for that small gesture.  I told them to keep the scarf and use it for the remainder of the day.  It was the least I could do.  The community care workers told me they were grateful someone was there to see them work and understand what they did. I don't think I've ever been so humbled.

Suncoast Hospice has remarkable staff also. Our staff provides excellent care in trying circumstances. I do not mean to imply otherwise.  I'm not sure that you can truly understand the depth of the need here until you see what I saw today, what I've witnessed my four trips here and what all our other staff who have visited our sister hospice have witnessed. 

The dollars we raise help Hospice Wits in innumerable ways. The supplies you donate are a gift they treasure. Everyone is grateful for our support. They are so proud to be our 'twin'.  I am proud to see them wearing our red Suncoast Hospice buttons.

Tomorrow we finish our support activities with the Soweto staff. We'll conduct a de-briefing meeting with the leadership team and have a final tea. We'll then leave for the airport and begin our long trip back home.

We look forward to sharing more of our stories and pictures with you. Consider inviting us to a teamwork department support.  Thank you for your support and encouragement. We have read all your comments. Knowing you're reading our blog has helped to keep us going.

With heartfelt thanks,

Stacy

Reflections on the Last Two Weeks

It's hard to believe that we've been gone for two weeks. Today (it's Sunday the 17th as I write this) we spent a lovely afternoon having a long leisurely outdoor lunch hosted by Nigel and Dee (Hospice Wits CEO and his wife and my host and hostess). We ate at their outdoor bowling club (not like our American bowling).

Many of our previous Hospice Wits visitors were there including Bev, Dorcus, Ntombi, Penny, Patrick, and Ritta. Joy, marketing manager was also there with her family. It was a delightful afternoon.

We all remarked how fast these two weeks have gone. I can see the sadness in our Hospice Wits's colleagues faces. I can already feel my own beginning telltale signs of starting the saying goodbye process. This disengagement is always difficult. I feel so at home here, surrounded by friends doing similar work. At lunch we were talking about a patient Susan, Terri, and I saw with Penny last week who was admitted to the IPU in Soweto the end of the week. It was nice to be able to confirm what Penny was telling Dorcus and Bev about this patient's primary caregiver.

We've accomplished so much. We spent two half days with their leadership team sharing leadership best practices and reviewing resources available to hospice staff including our Learn Center. I don't believe I told you that Suncoast Hospice donated 6 laptops to Hospice Wits. We brought them in our luggage. These laptops will be placed in the Soweto and Johannesburg offices so staff can access the Learn Center and the Internet (for additional resources).

By the end of Monday we will have provided a day of education to all clinical staff at both locations. By the end of Tuesday we will have made visits with the homecare sisters at both locations. We also spent a day making visits in Soweto with Penny, their social worker.

We have provided support activities, team building, and a powerful activity that reinforced the connection to and importance of all their employees.

We've learned a lot also. I have pictures of a clinical room used for counseling of adults and children I'd like for us to replicate. The walls are painted using nature scenes and mythology to assist with connecting to the symbolic aspects of therapy. I have ideas of how we might use such a room on our campuses.

I have facilitated discussions with the staff and leadership team about how to continue enhancing our partnership. I'll be sharing these suggestions with all of you. First and foremost they'd like to communicate directly with their Suncoast Hospice counterparts. Much more to come.

We will send a few more posts before we leave.

Wish us well during our final three days here. We travel Wednesday night arriving back in Tampa around noon on Thursday. Another 24 hours or so of travel... Susan, Terri, and I will be back to work on Monday the 25th.

Know that we've done a great job representing all of you during these two and a half weeks.

Gratefully,

Stacy

Pieces of The Puzzle

When walking through the center in Houghton, Mark (one of the managers) called me into the office to show me a DVD project he'd just completed. Looking over his shoulder I watched footage of Mother Teresa walking the grounds of Hospice Wits with staff members, and addressing them in one of the rooms of the center. She had visited with them in the 1980's. He had no idea of the significance of the moment...

One of my tasks on our trip here is to talk with the whole staff about the importance of each person's role in Hospice Wits, as well as our connection with one another. I do this by sharing a few stories about puzzle pieces and the fact that each one of us comes as 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle...yet, on average, we come missing about seven pieces to complete our puzzle - while, on average, having about seven extra pieces belonging to other people's puzzles needed for their own wholeness. We end the time by having everyone pin one another with lovely gold puzzle piece pins we brought with us. It is quite a sight to see everyone - from the CEO to the gatekeeper - walking around adorning their gold puzzle pieces.

At the end of this presentation with the first center's staff I shared about Mark showing me the DVD. I shared with them about the honor of being asked to pick Mother Teresa up from the airport when I was but eighteen years old. When she got into the passenger's seat and I returned to the driver's seat she looked right into my eyes and said, "So what are you doing with your life?" Needless to say, during the ride I received one of the pieces that would greatly influence my life. To the staff I said, "I cannot tell you what it means to me to be standing here with you in this very space, thirty seven years after Mother Teresa asked me that question, talking with you about caring for people at the end of life...just as she did." I am still not sure I have completely grasped the moment. I feel as if I have been honored with the sacred task of carrying forth the baton on this journey, through which Mother Teresa so shaped the world.

-Terri

Constitutional Hill Visit

These steps separate the past, the prison, and the future, the constitutional

court. It's a very powerful walk.

Jacqui Kaye, Susan Bruno and Terri Peterson on the African Steps.

Mapelta Daycare Center

Mapetla is a daycare center run by Hospice Wits for children ages 2-5 who are infected or affected with HIV/AIDS. 55 children are at the crèche (school). Visiting Mapetla is always a highlight of our exchange trips. This trip was no different. Lucky, the principal, and her teachers do amazing work. The children are clean, happy, and learning. The two year olds were napping when we arrived. There's nothing more blissful than watching 13 two year olds sleeping peacefully on mats. I had to video them just to preserve the sounds of their breathing.

You should be able to click on some links to hear the oldest children sing to us (Sorry link is not working). Entertain us they did!  And, in order to be totally transparent, we entertained them too... Thanks to the financial  generosity of Paula Dilandro (Center for Loss and Healing Director) and some of her family members and Charla Fogel (Center for Learning volunteer and my mother!) I was able to purchase 10 chairs made from corrugated paper for the Mapetla classrooms. The chairs can open for storage also. The ultimate goal is to purchase chairs for every child.

So, here's the transparent piece... I asked my team if anyone was skilled in putting 'stuff' like this together as I know I'm not. One of the team members (not naming names... Susan) said she could easily do this. About 12 minutes later one chair was put together!!  I hope you're able to see the last little bit of this experience as well as some of the kids (and big kids) sitting in the chairs.