‘Family coordinator’ available to patients
Surgery units and other non-emergent hospital departments were shut down and its staff furloughed in the wake of the virus emerging in Maryland and Anne Arundel County. The hospital brought back some workers to fill a new 23-person family coordinator team to support swamped clinicians caring for COVID-19 patients and regular charges.
“It’s a scary time. Being able to talk and see, at least over the phone, is very comforting,” said Dr. Helen Prevas, an intensive and pulmonary care specialist. “It was very helpful to have someone to be able to help us with the physical communication.”
Armed with iPads, family coordinators scheduled times for family members to call and video conference with hospitalized patients, including unconscious patients intubated in the ICU.
“I was at the house alone in my thoughts, and all the silence, thinking about him with that thing down his throat, Llano said. “If I was able to be there, I would have been there probably 18 hours out of the day just sitting there by his side.”
Llano was in constant communication with Juli Pastrana, an RN in the surgical department who shifted into the family coordinator position. Llano called Pastrana multiple times a day for an update on Hewitt’s status in addition to hearing from his nurse.
“I was at their mercy to keep me updated on what was going on,” Llano said.
The unknown can make family member’s anxieties worse, Pastrana said. Family members’ faces light up when they finally see their loved ones over Zoom, but calls aren’t always easy.
Pastrana has coordinated several end of life calls. The benefit of video conferencing is multiple family members from across the country can join to say goodbye. But no one can physically be there as patients die.
“I don’t think any of us get on these calls and don’t have tears in our eyes when we’re done because it’s hard to listen to and it’s hard to realize (family) is not going to be able to be there,” Pastrana said.
AAMC has started allowing one visitor inside the hospital when a patient is dying.
Llano only briefly talked to Hewitt over Zoom while he was on a ventilator. She broke down in tears after.
Pastrana would hold a phone up to Hewitt’s ear to hear Llano’s encouraging voice.
After nine days, Hewitt began to recover and was taken off the ventilator. He was in the hospital for another five days, where he tested negative for COVID-19 three times, before transferring to Cadia Healthcare for 10 days of rehab.
After being sedated for more than a week, Hewitt had to regain strength to walk again.
“It was pretty wild,” Hewitt said.
He’s since recovered and is back home in Annapolis with Llano. They are planning a relaxing trip to the beach.
“It’s a scary time. Being able to talk and see, at least over the phone, is very comforting,” said Dr. Helen Prevas, an intensive and pulmonary care specialist. “It was very helpful to have someone to be able to help us with the physical communication.”
Armed with iPads, family coordinators scheduled times for family members to call and video conference with hospitalized patients, including unconscious patients intubated in the ICU.
“I was at the house alone in my thoughts, and all the silence, thinking about him with that thing down his throat, Llano said. “If I was able to be there, I would have been there probably 18 hours out of the day just sitting there by his side.”
Llano was in constant communication with Juli Pastrana, an RN in the surgical department who shifted into the family coordinator position. Llano called Pastrana multiple times a day for an update on Hewitt’s status in addition to hearing from his nurse.
“I was at their mercy to keep me updated on what was going on,” Llano said.
The unknown can make family member’s anxieties worse, Pastrana said. Family members’ faces light up when they finally see their loved ones over Zoom, but calls aren’t always easy.
Pastrana has coordinated several end of life calls. The benefit of video conferencing is multiple family members from across the country can join to say goodbye. But no one can physically be there as patients die.
“I don’t think any of us get on these calls and don’t have tears in our eyes when we’re done because it’s hard to listen to and it’s hard to realize (family) is not going to be able to be there,” Pastrana said.
AAMC has started allowing one visitor inside the hospital when a patient is dying.
Llano only briefly talked to Hewitt over Zoom while he was on a ventilator. She broke down in tears after.
Pastrana would hold a phone up to Hewitt’s ear to hear Llano’s encouraging voice.
After nine days, Hewitt began to recover and was taken off the ventilator. He was in the hospital for another five days, where he tested negative for COVID-19 three times, before transferring to Cadia Healthcare for 10 days of rehab.
After being sedated for more than a week, Hewitt had to regain strength to walk again.
“It was pretty wild,” Hewitt said.
He’s since recovered and is back home in Annapolis with Llano. They are planning a relaxing trip to the beach.
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