A New Opportunity

(Friday September 13)

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This week, I had an amazing opportunity to attend SAADS Healthcare's “The Retreat.” I have always thought about going and volunteering but was scared about trying something new. Learning so much about patient care and seeing the environment makes me want to go and volunteer. SAADS is a different aspect of hospice care. Not only do they do community outreach, but where they can go into homes and take care of patients. They also have a retreat that is posed as a cabin in the woods and a very homey feeling. This is to give the patients who are near death the opportunity to pass in a very comfortable environment. Everything in the facility is made to a certain degree to help the patient and their families be comfortable with such a hard and painful time in their lives. They are not a long-term facility but if a patient needs a “vacation” from home, they are able to stay at the facility. This has been one of my favorite tours we have gone on. I am so thankful that there are healthcare workers who not only provide help when it comes to medicine but also make the whole entire situation comforting give the patient and family comfort and provide them with everything they could ask for.

We have also learned about DOIs and Bed Positions for the patients. A DOI is a Digital Object Identifier that is used to give a document a permanent address. For example, a DOI is used in metadata, tracking, citation, referencing, linkage, and access control. We also have talked about the different bed positions that are used for patients. My favorite postions to learn about are Lithotomy and Sitting/ Seated. The Lithotomy position is when the patients legs are seperated, flexed, and supported in stirrups. This position is mostly used when it comes to childbirth or a surgrey in the pelvic area. Sitting/Seated is when the patient is seated and the bed will be at a 45 to 60 degrees. It is typically used neurosurgery and shoulder surgeries.