NEWS
COVID experiences drive me forwards , says occupational therapy student who spent a month on ventilation
As occupational therapists continue to grapple with the second COVID-19 wave , one occupational therapy student who spent a month in an induced coma is getting to grips with the long-term impact of having had the virus .
Daniella Taylor was just a few weeks into her first year at UCLan when she caught COVID-19 in October . ‘ This is technically my second lockdown as I was asleep for the last one ,’ she says .
Daniella had been working in a home for people with learning disabilities in October and there had been cases there , but she ’ s not sure whether she contracted it at work or while at the supermarket , the only two places she had been . ‘ I had done everything right ,’ she says .
As has become a common theme for many people in the early stages of COVID-19 , she also wasn ’ t sure if she even had it . ‘ I felt run down physically , but I didn ’ t think much of it ,’ she says . ‘ I didn ’ t have a cough or fever or lose my sense of smell , so it couldn ’ t be .’
However , she called 111 after experiencing a shortness of breath , and was sent an ambulance . She still suspected it was an asthma attack until getting a positive test in hospital .
The following weeks are a blur for Daniella . She remembers her breathing going out of control while on a medical assessment ward , where she has a memory of a nurse pulling an emergency alarm , what she thinks was the feeling of staff putting defibrillation stickers on her , and being asked if she could breathe - she couldn ’ t . She was put into an induced coma and put on ventilator the next day .
She was put on a less invasive CPAP vent but got air trapped between her heart and lungs , meaning she had to be put into another induced coma . She also had bacterial pneumonia and fungal infections , eventually requiring a tracheotomy .
Daniella Taylor
After four long weeks , Daniella was brought out of the coma and eventually moved up to a normal ward – but even now after discharge , she has continued to face problems , including two trips back to the hospital for suspected blood clots in her lungs .
‘ I ’ m very independent and 25 ,’ she says , ‘ but now I can barely walk up the stairs into my flat and it ’ s so frustrating . After tidying the kitchen , I ’ m exhausted .’
Daniella is now seeing how she can catch up with her studies and slot in her deferred first placement , but doing so at the same time as managing Long COVID symptoms such as a shortness of breath .
And the impact on her mental health has been difficult , although Daniella is keen to share her experience so that others in the same position know they are not alone .
‘ I think I am traumatised by it , but the more I talk about it and the more I deal with it , the more it helps me ,’ she says . ‘ Prior to this I had a diagnosis of PTSD for something else ; I have worked with a psychologist and from that I ’ ve learnt how to deal with trauma .
‘ I can talk about it but it does get me , it ’ s why I wanted to raise some awareness . I want to get across is that it ’ s okay to have them feelings : it ’ s okay not to be okay . I don ’ t want others to feel alone with that .’
She is hoping to draw on her own lived experience as she works with others in future . ‘ I want others to think that was me as well ,’ she says . ‘ There are things I ’ ve suffered and I ’ ve felt alone with this .
‘ My previous experiences have helped me to have empathy ; I have had a care co-ordinator and an occupational therapist , and it is what drove me to start training as one myself . Now I ’ m even more powered to do it .’
While she is just at the start of her studies , Daniella is considering a future in mental health , although she may also draw on a previous degree in teaching in order to pursue a career as a children ’ s occupational therapist .
Glasgow teams distribute 400 self-care boxes to support mental health
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde ’ s South Adult Community Mental Health Teams are distributing 400 self-care boxes to help service users with mental health difficulties cope during the pandemic .
Each box is tailored for individual patients and their therapeutic needs , following assessment by an occupational therapist . They may include things like herb growing kits , colouring books to help with concentration , notebooks to aid communication with friends and family , weekly planner to help plan a weekly activity structure , relaxation advice and tips on sleeping well .
The idea came from senior occupational therapist Megan Cassidy to help adults with complex mental health difficulties such as psychoses and mood disorders .
Initial findings from the standardised assessment scores are mostly demonstrating an improvement in service user-perceived general well-being , although it is not certain whether that improvement came from the boxes alone .
Users have fed back how the contents have helped to vent frustrations safely , provided a positive alternative to self-harm , and helped to reduce stress and anxiety .
14 OTnews February 2021