Page 96 - Womanition_Alberta_North_2020

No need to journey
O Alone...
n a bitterly cold Christmas Day when I was a child, my siblings and I were eagerly waiting for our Father to come home from work. Mom had worked all day to prepare a beautiful dinner and all seven of us were ready to eat. Dad got home shortly after 6 p.m.
and we were surprised to see he wasn’t alone. My Dad was a firefighter
working at an inner city station and had found an older homeless gentleman rummaging in the dumpster behind the firehall. He brought him home for dinner. I remember the man in soiled clothes, very unkempt and smelling like garbage. My Dad gave him his seat at the head of the table and we shared our Christmas dinner with him. He had our rapt attention telling stories about his life and what led him to his current situation. Coming from an upbringing like that, it is not surprising that all of us chose careers that focused on serving others.
My role as a Registered Nurse has defined me in many ways. Nursing is not a career that gets “left at the office” but a lifestyle that becomes the fabric of our lives. I have many memories in active treatment nursing that have been both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I have witnessed an infant take their first breath and sat holding the hand of a patient as they took their last. I have held crying family members and dodged the attack of methamphetamine users hallucinating on street drugs. I have consulted with physicians based on my nursing “instinct” and trained new nurses
to listen to theirs.
Over 30 years I have witnessed a steady decline in healthcare delivery due
to increased patient acuity, reduced bedside nursing and government fiscal restraints. My passion for patient care has always been based on the mantra that dignified healthcare is a right not an option. In 2016, I answered a calling to become a private healthcare advocate and founded Advocann Health+Wellness Inc. I became a voice for the vulnerable and their caregivers.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, patients have been forced to endure hospitalization and health crises alone as their families suffer indescribable helplessness. Healthcare navigation and patient advocacy has never been more important. Caregivers and seniors are my greatest focus as the need for help
in this sector is vast. Chronic health condition management, hospitalization advocacy, home health assessment and supportive living options are a few of the services provided by Advocann. I personally transport seniors to medical appointments and procedures while taking an active role in quality healthcare delivery and advocacy.
Everyone will face healthcare issues at some point during their life, and an experienced RN companion makes the journey less daunting.
heAther sAvAge-steWArt rn
advOCann HEaLTH+WELLnESS InC.
support@advocann.ca advocann.ca I 780-288-1852
Christina Louise Photography