We saw our patient (E) almost weekly. She lived in a group home and was burdened with numerous chronic illnesses as well as chronic pain. She did not have family support or much of a voice to help navigate the complexities of the healthcare system. She had been identified as a patient who frequented the emergency department and we were given the task to decrease this number by supporting the patient and being her guide through the healthcare system. As the year progressed, we ran into many challenges that obstructed this goal. We could not change group home protocols, the speed at which medicare works, or the illnesses that E endured. We felt lost and frustrated with our inability to give E the help she deserved. Overtime, E’s illness took a toll and aspects of her cognition had noticeably declined. She spent more time admitted to the hospital while her ability to converse with us became less. One thing, however, was constant; whenever we walked into the room her face would brighten, and she would smile. This is my fondest memory of E. When we would visit, you could physically see her face release and feel a little less of the pain she constantly experienced. A majority of our conversations were difficult to understand, but in each one there would be sparks or moments of clarity where she remembered a detail about us or something we had talked about in the past. Our frustration with ourselves slowly faded when we realized that being present and spending quality time with E was patient care.
The flowers in the sculpture represent the brightness in E when we spent time with her and the special and unexpected moments of clarity we shared while we struggled to navigate the complexities of her environment and the healthcare system.
About the Artist: Lindsay Schlichte
I love to spend time outdoors, laughing with friends and growing various plants, fruits and vegetables. I have always learned more when participating in hand-on activities and SCOPES was the perfect opportunity to do that. I encouraged myself to express my experience without words and explore a new medium. This project allowed me to reflect on the interactions I had with both my patient and with the health care system and opened my eyes to how easy it is for patients to get lost in our medical system.
