It's time to say thanks to those who have helped keep Ballarat COVID-safe
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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 over the coming days
When more than 100 BHS staff were sent into quarantine after a positive COVID case in the hospital's rehabilitation unit, occupational therapist Sally Eastwood jumped in on the replacement team to ensure the unit could keep operating.
"Our first day, because of how many staff were off, we needed to deliver meals to patients because there wasn't someone to do that," Ms Eastwood said.
"It was about looking at what did our patients really need - that key basic care of food, drink, toilet and shower and once we had that new routine established and we had more staff back and doing things we could look at therapy and what we could do there ... but again being mindful we didn't know if any patients had COVID."
LEAVE YOUR THANKS TO OUR COVID HEROES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ARTICLE
Ms Eastwood said it was a struggle weighing up maintaining therapy and progress versus the risk of potentially spreading the virus and whether allied health visits were essential.
"Hats off to everyone doing all the right things, wearing PPE and hand hygiene meant no one else got it," she said.
"It was a really stressful time but as a team we really banded together to keep each other positive and buoyed up."
The stress of proper 'donning and doffing' of protective equipment meant even simple jobs took much longer and Ms Eastwood said there was always a lingering concern in the back of her mind about whether she had done it right or touched something or forgotten to clean a surface.
"Yes you want to make sure you are covered (with PPE) when you go in but it's what you take it off is when you could contaminate yourself if you touch your arm or hand ... that's when it could infect you," she said.
"It was just making sure we were doing it right, it got so hot and sweaty and everything took at least three times longer because you have to go and completely change everything before seeing the next person."
Having previously worked daily at both the QE Centre and at the hospital, COVID regulations preventing staff working across different sites meant Ms Eastwood ended up working solely in the hospital for much of the past seven months.
The nature of her work changed as well. As an occupational therapist much of her work involves assessing how people manage their daily activities of living and whether they need assistance or aids to be able to do that safely when they return home.
MORE THANK YOU STORIES
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- 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
"Normally we would have a breakfast group where people come down and practice the task of making their breakfast so we know if they can do that they can prepare themselves that basic meal, but if not then we need to supplement that or other things are needed," she said.
But that was not able to take place, so allied health staff had to come up with some alternative ways to assess cognition, planning and sequencing skills.
Patient families were also called on to help assess homes, providing virtual tours to occupational therapy staff, measurements and videos so they could decide whether extra aids or equipment were necessary, or if a visit was vital.
LEAVE YOUR THANKS TO OUR COVID HEROES HERE