December 5, 2020
By Tara Smith, Care Manager at Bacani McKenny Clinic in Fredonia, KS
One day this past spring, I met with a patient for our standing care management appointment. She’s been coming to our clinic for 5 years, and during our conversation, I asked my usual questions. When I asked her how she was feeling, she told me something I didn’t expect.
The patient shared that her mobility was getting worse. She said it was getting hard for her to leave her home, because she couldn’t manage the step down from her porch. We continued the conversation, and I addressed her other concerns. But after the appointment, I got to thinking. How could we make it easier for her to leave her home?
I didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Later that week, my granddaughter was telling me about her day in school, when we suddenly had an idea. Her class could build a ramp for our patient!
I contacted Aaron Haselwood, the Industrial Arts teacher at Fredonia High School, about building a ramp. He joined in right away. He thought it was a great way for the students to learn and help the community.
Here’s Aaron’s story on how his students built the ramp:
When Tara reached out to me, I thought it would be a perfect project for my class. This is my first year teaching this class, and I can already see that the students are getting a lot out of it. They’re learning skills, gaining confidence, and earning certifications, all while giving back to the community.
The ramp was a class project, but five students took the lead on building and installing it. We spent about two class days on this project. On the first day, we met with the patient to discuss our plan, and then took measurements. We built the ramp in our workshop and installed it on the second day. The ramp didn’t cost the patient anything, because we used leftover materials.
My class already has projects lined up for next year, and we’re excited to continue helping more people in the community.
This ramp has helped my patient become more independent. She feels safer when she enters and exits her home. The ramp, combined with her exercise regimen, has reduced the patient’s risk of falling. She has not had a fall yet. I’m so glad that thanks to care management, our patient feels comfortable telling me her concerns. And I’m just as happy to know there are resources and people in our community eager to address them.