Ellen Seivewright – Compassionate Care Champion

Congratulations to Ellen Seivewright,  a Personal Support Worker and Registered Nurse with LOFT Community Services Hub and Spoke program and Back to Home program.

Ellen is nominated in the Compassionate Care Champion category for exceptional patient-centered care. Ellen was nominated by Stephanie Boehm, Coordinator of Complex Care and Assisted Living for LOFT’s Hub and Spoke program. Here is what Stephanie had to say:

“Ellen has a heart of gold. When you think of someone who works with some very typical clients (working in a healthcare field for over 40 years) you don’t think of someone who has this gentle heart. You pray for someone like her, but you don’t believe she exists. Ellen is the woman who spends her time off wandering through thrift shops and department stores looking for something to make her clients smile, or just make their day a little easier. When she is busy and running a mile a minute in a busy home, filled with high needs clients, she is never too busy to stop and make all the clients feel seen. Instead of rushing through her very long list of to do’s, she slows down and paints their nails, or braids their hair and tells them how wonderful they look and tries to make them feel beautiful about themselves. When visiting clients in the community, she continues to be the woman with a heart of gold. She remembers every story that her clients tell her and she makes a point of letting them know that their words do not fall on deaf ears. She takes time while providing care to talk about families and vacations, wants / desires. whatever the clients feel is important to them and she always finds a way to make them know that she was thinking of them, when she wasn’t there. It may be that she stopped and brought in a flower that they had mentioned, or put aside an extra bowl of her amazing cooking for a client to try. Everything she does is with love for her clients.

There are far too many stories to share, but the one that comes to mind right now is about a client who was dying and had no one in his life to share his dying experience with. Ellen has obviously been through the process of dying clients, but this one stumped her a bit. There was simply no one else in his life. Now this particular client was very angry with the world. He was in pain and did not have anyone to share anything with. I had many staff members go to his home and many staff come back discouraged from his hurtful words and seemingly disinterested state of his end of life care. Until Ellen. She would go to his home and he would speak harshly to her and refuse all care, but with her gentle nature, she was able to get this man to accept shower supports and cream applications for his very deteriorated skin. He began to look forward to his visits from Ellen and asked her to take down a note for him. (his hands would no longer cooperate) Of course Ellen agreed, but when he started to dictate his obituary, she stalled and suggested that he have someone else do it. He explained that there was no one in his life and he just wanted someone to know who he was. Less than 3 months later, this man died. Ellen was the one to find him in his home. And when she wept for him, I remember thinking, how this remarkable woman still truly cared. So many in the healthcare / human services fields will tell you that over time you harden to one degree or another. Not Ellen. Not ever!

Ellen will always be the woman with a heart of gold. Gold is pure, soft, strong, and valuable. For this reason, gold is the relic that I use, when I think of hers.”

Who do you know that deserves a Hoot Hoot Hooray? Nominate them today at Hoot Hoot Hooray: Couchiching PCN Peer Recognition Program – Fill out form