During my clinical experience at UNE, I have encountered many different patients and each one has left an impact on me. One patient that I had taught me about appreciating the small things and how important it is to cherish every moment. This was an older woman who had experienced a stroke and was left unable to speak and could not move the right side of her body. All I knew about this woman was what I had read in her chart, and I did not think that I was going to know more. That’s what I thought until her daughter came into visit and started raving about her mother and the type of woman she was before the stroke. The daughter had told stories about her mother and how active and independent she was. I felt that I knew more and more about this woman and was able to see her as more than just a patient.

            As the day went on, I was able to learn more about this woman through what the daughter was telling us. This woman came from Northern Maine and lived by herself. However, based on what the daughter told us she was more than capable of taking care herself. The daughter had also told us that her mother had taken care of her grandmother for many years. As I worked with this patient throughout the day, I was able to learn how to provide care to someone who is not able to communicate and can’t express pain. I was also able to watch as speech pathology came in to assess this patient and try and have her swallow and speak. Even though this patient couldn’t communicate with me, I still feel like I learned so much from having her as a patient.

            As I look at this woman from a community health standpoint, she is able to access health care and is able to receive support from the healthcare system. First, this woman is in her mid-80s and lives alone even though she can take care of herself. She is also from Northern Maine and none of her children live nearby. When I look at the demographics from the area that this patient is from the population is 2,288 and population density is 425sq/mile. The median age in this area is 51.4 years. The ethnic groups in this area are as followed: White (Non-Hispanic), Two+ (Non-Hispanic), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic), Black or African American (Hispanic), Two+(Hispanic). After looking at the demographics of this woman’s town, I started to think about the social determinants that she fits into. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to ask her too many questions, so the information I have is from her chart. She is a white female who is in her mid-80s. She currently lives alone because she is widowed and is currently retired. Her daughter said that she still lives in the same house and is able to pay her bills on her own.

            This woman lives alone and is retired, but she is still able to do many things for herself. The daughter explained that she goes to church every Sunday and that she likes to go dancing every week. When this woman experienced her stroke, she was taken to the nearest hospital which happens to be in her hometown. She does have access to healthcare when needed. As I investigated this hospital it offers acute medical care, mental health services, long term care, and skilled rehab. After assessing this woman’s demographics, social determinants, and access to healthcare I would say that the health equity for this woman is strong. She can access healthcare right in her town if she needs and she is still independent.

            When I look at the timeline from when this woman had the stroke to when I saw her, I would say that she received care in an efficient manner. She was transferred from the hospital in Northern Maine to MMC in a matter of 2 days. From what I saw when I was with her, her provider had come into see and a speech pathologist all in one day. The staff at MMC immediately started care for this woman to be able to get her somewhat back to her baseline. When I look at the health system, I think it worked well for this woman because she was able to receive care immediately after her stroke. She was able to be taken to a hospital right in her hometown and then was able to come to MMC. This was an emergent situation that this woman was in, so she needed treatment immediately and did receive it. When I look at myself and what I could have done better, there is always room for improvement. I did wash the patient and provided her with basic needs. I also did make sure to check on her frequently and her daughter. I think that I could have spent more time in her room maybe just trying to communicate with her and providing comfort for her daughter. I think that having this woman as a patient provided me with many lessons that I will take with me throughout my career.