Mon

Edith and Susan have arrived from Canada and were ready to start their component of teaching today. We finished speech, swallowing and feeding yesterday and they all did well on their exams. Today I was able to go out with one of last year's tech students Ronel. He was hired by HAS and is currently assigned to the most rural dispensary, Bastien. We left campus at 7 for an hour ride up into the mountains and then headed off on foot. We walked from 8 until 2 stopping in to see 7 patients over the course of the day. A new twist on home care! I was so pleased to see how well Ronel is doing. It is hard, difficult work and very solitary with no one to problem solve. We went to see some of his tougher cases to see if I could help give him ideas. The prognosis is pretty hard out there. An hour walk from the dispensary where you can see a nurse. Another hour by car (if you have access to one) if you need to see a doctor. Ronel was doing a great job with the resources he had and had a good rapport with the community. It is often the only was to bring rehab to the people as they have no way of getting down into the towns, particularly if handicapped.

The roads to bastien

The path

School in the mountains

Practicing taking blood pressure

Ronel working with child as siblings chickens and pigs watch

Ronel working with 11 year old with leg paralysis