Every Tuesday, Mana Threads will be highlighting some of the essential workers within our Mana Threads community. These ladies are courageous, hardworking, selfless, and inspiring. Read more about our Essential Worker Appreciation program here.
Who are you and what do you do for work?
I am a Physical Therapist Assistant, working in various Skilled Nursing Facilities or in Acute Care hospitals around the Bay Area, working hard to get patients home to their loved ones. I work primarily with the geriatric population; however, on occasion, I do see some fairly young patients and rehab them back to their prior level of function. I am one of those therapists that will pester you to get up out of bed and get moving because lying in bed won’t do ANYONE any good. If you want to get home, meet me halfway!!
Photo of me in a Rehab Gym with some of the essential items I need to do my job - parallel bars, a walker, and sometimes a mirror for visual feedback. Not pictured is my gait belt to hold my pts in case they are unbalanced.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, outside of work.
Outside of work, I love to go running. Ever since the Shelter in Place in California, I have barely run outside, mainly because of the virus and also for social distancing, as it is a bit hard to do that in the area I run at.
What has been the hardest part of being an essential worker and working on the frontline during COVID-19?
One of the hardest parts of being an essential worker during Covid-19 is not fully knowing who has the virus and who doesn’t. When a patient arrives from the hospital, the facility places them in “Observation” for 14 days. As we all know, sometimes one can receive a false report for COVID -19 and still have “symptoms.”
Personally, it has brought up some anxiety and paranoia for me. Constantly washing my (now cracked, dry) hands, wondering who has it out there and who doesn’t, and second-guessing myself on did I just touch my face by accident, Did I already wipe down my gait belt, my pulse oximeter and/or walker? As the weeks have gone on with Shelter In Place, I have relaxed slightly, but, it is still in the back of my mind.
What has been the most rewarding part of being an essential worker and working on the frontline during COVID-19?
The most rewarding part of being an essential worker is knowing that I am helping get someone better, lending an ear to my patients, who I know miss their family terribly and cannot leave the facility or have visitors due to this virus and that I am not the only one working during this pandemic. I don’t consider myself a “frontline worker,” but, I do think of all the RN’s, respiratory therapists, MD’s janitorial services, and many others working closely with Covid-19 patient. We really are all in this together♥️.
Name three things you can't wait to do once states open back up?
What is one thing you would like to share with everyone?
Please, please, PLEASE stay home! I know it is difficult, especially with warmer weather approaching, but, this virus is SERIOUS!! Healthcare workers are literally overworked, physically, and mentally exhausted, trying to save as many of your loved ones as possible. This virus is NOT a hoax. It’s as REAL as a heart attack or stroke. The only difference is that it takes time to show up. Thank you!!
Please be kind to others out there - hatred and attacking others - physically or verbally - is not the answer. Please be safe♥️
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Seasons of life
What if you still planned to run that race that was cancelled from Covid, dedicated yourself to a training regimen and showed up on race day, even if to complete the “race” alone? What if you still climbed that mountain even if the person you always climbed mountains with is not physically at your side any longer? What if you set aside 30 min a day from rushing through the “To Do” list to instead walk in the woods, touch the trees, breathe in the leaves and allow the fall chilled breeze to wrap you up in its embrace? What if you felt and recognized the sometimes crippling depression calling you back to bed but instead you called a friend and allowed them to take your hand, get you out in the fresh air and even just sit in silence together? What if instead of closing in and becoming rigid we actively chose to hold space for our losses by honoring our grief while simultaneously choosing to actively to give attention to what returns us to innocence and heals us from the inside out.
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32 - 33
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43
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Amelia Leme
Author