Kathleen Allen is a life coach based in the Salt Lake Valley who specializes in helping people live their best, healthiest lives. She recently had a close family member admitted to Intermountain Medical Center following a major stroke. The experience was unsettling for both Kathleen and her husband, and they experienced several discouraging days that left them feeling adrift. That was until they met Hannah, an occupational therapist who changed the trajectory of Kathleen’s entire experience, and also the experience of her husband, their whole extended family, and of course the patient.
“Hannah entered the room with a mix of optimism, compassion, genuine interest for all in the room and curiosity … a LOT of it,” Kathleen wrote in a recent blog post. “All of this observable in the two-inch space between the bridge of her mask-covered nose and her eyebrows. Almost instantly, I could tell this healthcare provider was different. She was special.”
Kathleen described the care Hannah provided as “art,” sharing how she’s one of those caregivers who provides care to her patients so naturally and intuitively. In her own words, Kathleen carefully listed behaviors Hannah exhibited that demonstrated caring and respect. She included in her blog the following bullet points detailing things she observed:
- Confirmed patient’s name and introduced herself to patient and all in the room and asked their relation to patient.
- Asked about patient’s occupation and interests.
- She smiled with her eyes.
- She exuded energy and enthusiasm for the task at hand.
- She involved those in the room with whatever she was doing.
- She encouraged interactions between us and the patient.
- She actually had us all singing at one point (and this is not a sing-a-long type of group…but we did it for Hannah.)
- She explained what she was doing and the why behind it.
- She let us know what results we could expect and how to get them.
- She showed us how first and then let us try and encouraged our efforts.
- She celebrated our victories with us! (At one point there was not a dry eye in the room…even Hannah’s.)
“After Hannah left, we all noticed the lift that she had provided,” Kathleen wrote. “Even the nurse who had been nearby in the hallway had a new outlook on this patient and treated them with a heightened level of positive compassion. I don’t think as healthcare providers we realize the impact we are having on our patients. We have the opportunity to not only provide a patient procedure, but a patient experience.”
Kathleen wrote Hannah did all this “through genuine connection, AKA love.”