Sweat Equity Pays Off | APTA

Listen to an audio version of this column, voiced by the author.

As I write this in June, for months the patients in my skilled nursing facility have been dealing with the health and lifestyle consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’d like to focus on one patient who has been particularly affected. Providing care for her has tapped all of my skills as a PTA and reflects the reasons why I choose this career.

Before being infected with the novel coronavirus, this patient, who is 82, could ambulate for short distances using a walker and stand with minimal assistance. She primarily spent her days sitting in her wheelchair reading or watching TV. Even though she was asymptomatic when she tested positive for COVID-19, she was placed in an isolation unit at the SNF.