Submitted by Angie Taylor, COTA/TPM, Shawnee Post Acute Care, Overland Park, KS
Moments of truth come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it can be a moment of truth that shines through in our normal day-to-day job duties and roles that we have. As therapists, we are constantly advocating for our residents, but sometimes this advocacy goes above and beyond others. Our PTA Buddy Eblen did that for one of our residents. Kacie came to us initially with a fracture, then developed COVID pneumonia and had a long road to recovery to return back home with her Mom and daughter. Due to all these conditions, Kacie had a slow recovery where, at times, we were not sure if she would rehab home.
Buddy was the voice and champion who kept fighting for Kacie and encouraging her not to give up. He was able to consistently work with her to make the functional progress with stairs and ambulation that she needed to achieve to return home. It is hard to put into words how far she came from dealing with her clinical issues, depression, anxiety and fears. Buddy was the one constant voice of encouragement, drive, motivation, and compassion that she needed to overcome all those issues.
We all need someone to be that voice for us. Buddy was that voice for Kacie, and the result was she was able to rehab to the point of returning home, something she felt early on she would not achieve, in large part due to the relationship between Buddy and Kacie with his insight and dedication to be her champion! We are blessed to have a therapist like Buddy who truly embraces his ability to positively make a difference in people’s lives and has the strength and determination to work through challenges and never give up on others.