Return to Haiti ---Ann, PT

After eleven months, I am back in Haiti. It is so wonderful to be here. Despite all of the chaos of getting around every day, there is something about this place that calls one back. I find things much improved in some ways and much the same in others. There are noticeable improvements in the airport. It was much less chaotic getting in, getting luggage, and meeting our ride. We had one bag that did not arrive. We were pleased to find that there actually was a procedure for tracking where it was and getting it back (which hopefully will happen tomorrow!). It did take me almost an hour to stand in line and fill out the paperwork; but still, our hosts tell us that we can actually expect to get our bag! There is much less rubble everywhere than a year ago. The hospital where we are working is now almost empty of patients. There have been repairs to the roof, and there are few foreigners to be seen.
What has not changed is that there continue to be people in need of basic healthcare. This morning we worked with a patient whose blood pressure was 200/105 at rest. She had BP medication but had not taken it in three days. It is not clear if this was due to lack of money to buy the medication or lack of understanding of its importance. Another patient who had diabetes complained about feeling dizzy. I asked her when she had last taken her blood sugar. She told me that she had done it the day before and that it was 250. She had insulin in her bag, but clearly did not understand the basics of monitoring her blood sugar and adjusting her insulin based on what it was.
I spent a fair amount of time this morning working with a patient, “Bridget”, who had had a stroke. Her daughter was also there for physical therapy because of back pain caused by transferring her mother. It became clear quickly that Bridget was capable of a more active role in caring for herself than she was currently performing. By the end of the morning, she was able to put her wheelchair brakes and footrests on and off by herself and had begun to propel her wheelchair with her unaffected arm and leg. We then spent time teaching her daughter how to transfer Bridget without compromising her back, and to encourage her mother to do as much as possible for herself. Hopefully some of this teaching will “stick”. I know, from my time here a year ago, that the culture of illness/injury here is that the ill person is passive and to be cared for. Changing such attitudes in both patients and families is not an easy or quick process. Never the less I have hope for Bridget as she seemed eager to do more for herself and quite proud of her ability to begin to walk with a walker and platform attachment.
There is much to be done in Haiti and it can seem overwhelming at times. When I am working with patients like Bridget and her daughter, I take solace in knowing that for these two people there is something that I can do to help to make their lives a bit better. Tomorrow is another day! There are many “Bridgets” here in Haiti who can benefit from the work of Global Therapy Group and the skills that I have to share. ---- Ann