It's time to say thanks to those who have helped keep Ballarat COVID-safe
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As each day brings lower numbers and a hope to return to life as COVID-normal, it is worth reflecting on those who have never stopped working and played their part to keep Ballarat free from the worst of the pandemic.
Friday will mark a special day to say 'thanks', and first in line deserving our praise are the healthcare workers who, in all their myriad roles, have played a key part.
The Courier and our community salute you.
Look out for the stories of Ballarat's healthcare workers at thecourier.com.au.
Almost everything about the job of an intensive care nurse has changed over the past seven months - even down to life's basics of grabbing a drink of water or going to the bathroom.
The BHS ICU has been split into two areas - one for COVID care and one for regular intensive care, and staff divided into teams to ensure their paths do not cross.
Then there's the PPE - personal protective equipment including gowns, masks, gloves, face shields and hats - that must be properly put on and taken off and changed regularly if working in the COVID section.
"Even if we are in the normal non-COVID area we have to wear a mask and goggles all the time. The masks dry us out something shocking and make us really thirsty, but you do get used to it quickly," said BHS ICU nurse Megan Youngson.
LEAVE YOUR THANKS TO OUR COVID HEROES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ARTICLE
"To have a drink of water you have to leave the floor, remove your mask, have a drink, get rid of the mask and put on a new one which is tricky because you can't leave your patient and you have to have someone else care for them if you step out even for five minutes," she said.
But in the COVID area where full PPE is worn they are mindful of not wanting to waste precious PPE gear.
"We can leave when we need to go and have a drink, but because it's such a lot of effort and strain on other staff we try not to do it all the time. If we are going on a break we make sure to go to the toilet, have lots to drink ... just cluster everything together.
"But probably we are running persistently dehydrated."
Wearing masks, goggles and face shields also hampers communication with patients, particularly those who are hard of hearing.
"Patients can't see our faces. So much of our communication is with body language and facial expression and they can't see most of our face which makes it tricky for us and them. Masks muffle our voices so if they are hard of hearing patients can't understand what we are talking about.
"And we all look the same to patients so it's difficult for them to know who they've spoken to or seen."
Nurses stay in ICU rooms for hours and in the COVID area some lateral thinking has improved staff communication, with baby monitors bought in to allow nurses inside and outside the room to communicate with each other.
"It's quite a funny simple thing that makes the world of difference. Also because there's a window on the room and the door we now do a lot of writing with whiteboard markers on the window for anything we need to remember when we go out of the room, like vital signs we need to document."
But one of the toughest parts of the past seven months has been the ban on patient visitors.
"It's been really hard watching patients who haven't been able to see family," Ms Youngson said.
"It's said to talk to family members who can't come in and we all keep putting ourselves in their shoes, if our family members were in here and we couldn't visit."
Staff have made sure patients have been able to make phone calls, use a hospital iPad to Face Time with family and received regular updates from doctors and nursing staff.
"For some patients who may be elderly or a bit confused because they are unwell, sometimes seeing a family member is enough to settle them down - they recognise someone, something familiar in the environment which settles them down so they don't become distressed but we haven't been able to do that," she said.
MORE THANK YOU STORIES
- Thank you day: Roundabout to be transformed to commemorate Ballarat's COVID healthcare workers
- Thank you day: Meet the head of Ballarat's COVID contact tracing team
- Thank you day: Why Ballarat's hospital chefs cooked 50,000 extra emergency meals during the pandemic
- Thank you day: BHS security guard Ali Raza goes from mechanic to security guard
- Thank you day: occupational therapists had to jump in to deliver patient meals and help daily care during COVID
Although the hospital did treat several COVID cases, including some in ICU, Ms Youngson is thankful the numbers were not higher in Ballarat.
"We are very lucky we haven't had many cases here. It's still been really busy and full of patients so I can't imagine if we did have a cluster of COVID here how it would work - we would be chockers," she said.
"When I see people who are not doing what the health department wants you to do, it feels like we putting in all this effort here so all you have to do is wear a mask outside. You don't understand what impact that (not wearing a mask) might have down the track but we can see it."
LEAVE YOUR THANKS TO OUR COVID HEROES HERE