Last summer, I began working in the Cardiology Department at Harlem Hospital in New York City. Not only is it a place that is very interesting from the global health standpoint, as many of the patients are from various parts of the world, but it is also a place where I encounter many individuals with a physical disability. For many heart patients, exercise tolerance is a large issue and causes many people to be wheelchair bound for the rest of their life. This is because in some patients, the heart has to work too hard, causing the lungs to be overworked also, and resulting in the patient being short of breath and unable to ambulate on their feet.
When I am volunteering in the cardiology clinic, I greet and assist the patients to their consultations with the physicians, but also get to know the patients on a more intimate level in the exam rooms with the physician. The patients really open up to me in the waiting room and also in the exam room with the physician about their illness and their restrictions that they face every day. They explain what it is like to be wheelchair bound and not be able to do many things on their own. They explain how it feels to have to rely on someone else to do tasks that they used to be able to do, and they explain how their life has changed in other aspects.
One would think that patients do not like talking about being physically disabled; however, they enjoy my company and like to talk to me about their feelings. Our conversations are also pretty entertaining to watch, as it consists of the patient non-stop talking and the physician and I are usually just nodding our heads and smiling. It is really special to me that they feel comfortable enough to communicate these feelings to me and that I can comfort them in whatever way possible in the waiting room and as the physicians are examining them. I truly enjoy being able to help the patients for their short stay in the clinic, and I know that the little time I spend with the patients, showing them that I really care, truly means more to them than anyone could ever imagine.
For more information about the hospital center visit: http://www.nyc.gov/html/hhc/harlem/html/home/home.shtml
Photo credit: catalogs.com; http://www.conejovet.com
When I am volunteering in the cardiology clinic, I greet and assist the patients to their consultations with the physicians, but also get to know the patients on a more intimate level in the exam rooms with the physician. The patients really open up to me in the waiting room and also in the exam room with the physician about their illness and their restrictions that they face every day. They explain what it is like to be wheelchair bound and not be able to do many things on their own. They explain how it feels to have to rely on someone else to do tasks that they used to be able to do, and they explain how their life has changed in other aspects.
One would think that patients do not like talking about being physically disabled; however, they enjoy my company and like to talk to me about their feelings. Our conversations are also pretty entertaining to watch, as it consists of the patient non-stop talking and the physician and I are usually just nodding our heads and smiling. It is really special to me that they feel comfortable enough to communicate these feelings to me and that I can comfort them in whatever way possible in the waiting room and as the physicians are examining them. I truly enjoy being able to help the patients for their short stay in the clinic, and I know that the little time I spend with the patients, showing them that I really care, truly means more to them than anyone could ever imagine.
For more information about the hospital center visit: http://www.nyc.gov/html/hhc/harlem/html/home/home.shtml
Photo credit: catalogs.com; http://www.conejovet.com