Today was a big day for all the projects. The Aldo Chavarria outpatient group was able to begin work at the clinic and it was a huge success! They were able to help treat tons of patients and have begun working on inservice learning experience for the current PTs to help progress the quality of care provided. Nindiri clinic was able to successful move from the old small clinic into their beautiful, big, new clinic that will begin seeing patients tomorrow. Los Pipitos was able to treat twice as many patients as they have been seeing and even had a lunchtime dance lesson on the traditional Nicaraguan folk dance from the clinic director! Today we wanted to highlight the work done at the Casa San Antonio clinic, keep reading to learn all about the good work they are doing!
We arrived and our residents were on their way to ash Wednesday mass. During mass, Lisa, Cam, Kiana, and Q trained the director of nursing and the physical therapist on 2 person wheelchair to bed transfers with and without a sheet. Q and Kiana did a demonstration with explanation and then the staff practiced with critique. During the transfer training, a stage 4 pressure injury on the patient’s sacrum was identified and the staff was alerted for treatment. We also helped bring and fix some equipment including: bringing a mat table that was made here by our students from wood, foam covered w a sewn vinyl cover and 7 canes and 7 walkers adjusted to the correct height and modified, with new rubber stoppers and greased, today today by Cam, Lisa and Kianna followed by assistive device training. Each student had an exciting day including:
Cam was working on plans for homemade equipment for the casa san antonio - weights made from cans, PVC pipes and rice, rubber bands for hand strengthening and buying second hand or making pulleys. He was successful in getting a pulley system made in the evening!
Q did gait training 43 feet with patient who had never walked outside of parallel bars since arriving at CSA! Another patient who loves Q gifted her earrings. They now have a standing appointment at 1pm every day or else!
Kiana had patient say to her “I’ve been waiting to see you all day! I didn’t go into town because I wanted to make our appointment”. She then did gait training with a newly modified cane with a patient who fell from the top of the cathedral while he was painting it when he was 18 years old.
Eunsol worked with her 100 year old patient who loves to read in his Florida marlins hat!
Some other highlights include:
Kiana, Liz and Eunsol did Squat pivot transfer training after lunch for 2 psychology students who finished their clinical rotation at CSA and are volunteering there for the next two weeks. Liz and Lisa worked with a patient who had polio when she was 5, evaluated her 1960’s AFO since it is starting to rub her foot and ankle. They took measurements of her leg, ankle and foot and took her orthotic to be evaluated at Aldo Chavaria for adjustments and padding.
Overall we’ve reached a new level of friendship with our translators. Today, we all exchanged hugs after clinic!
We look forward to tomorrow and seeing what other ways we can serve this community we are in!