Preparing a patient for a daunting trip home

A hospitalized patient from out-of-state was alone, anxious and unable to walk as she prepared for discharge and a flight home. Rehabilitation therapists Kate Anderson and Trystan McCaughey made sure she was ready.

The patient had been at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR) for months and didn’t have anyone to help her get to Denver International Airport.

“She didn’t have clothes. She didn’t have a suitcase. She didn’t have anything,” said Anderson, a physical therapist. “We had a hard time figuring out how to get her home.”

McCaughey, an occupational therapist, brought the patient some clothing the night before discharge. A nurse brought her a duffel bag. Anderson’s husband picked up a wheelchair and walker the patient had ordered from Greeley.

“People pooled together to make it happen,” Anderson said.

The patient scheduled an accessible shuttle to the airport. But she needed to pick it up at Northern Colorado Regional Airport. A charge nurse would order her an Uber. But for the 8-minute car ride, the patient needed to prepare by entering and exiting a simulated car in the MCR gym.

“That was one of the hardest things,” Anderson said. “We practiced a couple times over a few days. It was one of those anxiety moments that we worked through together.”

The patient had been nervous about several parts of the journey, but they helped her develop assurance with each therapy session.

“We had a lot of laughs working with this patient,” McCaughey said. “She was very fun to work with.”

Anderson also helped the patient figure out how to access her records in the patient portal, as she would need them for outpatient therapy at her destination.

“I like to work with people and connect with them,” Anderson said. “I try to treat them like I would if it was my parents in the hospital. If it was my mom, I would hope somebody would take the extra step to do those things. I try to carry that with me when I see people.”

By their last session with her, Anderson and McCaughey noticed the patient had become calmer and more confident.

“Kate and Trystan are great therapists. They are very caring, striving to make a difference in each patient they work with and to help them reach their fullest potential,” said Nancy Cwiklin Sanders, manager of inpatient rehabilitation with MCR and UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital. “They are always willing to jump in and go above and beyond for patients and teammates.”

Anderson joined UCHealth as a physical therapist in February. She had previously been a student training with another therapist at the hospital. McCaughey has been an occupational therapist for seven years and joined MCR in February 2022.