Stress First Aid in action: caregivers check on each other, help each other cope
First aid isn’t just for the body – with Stress First Aid, our caregivers are learning to check on themselves and each other and to connect with resources to help cope with stressful periods.
At Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, CO, security supervisor Kaleb Kakavas makes it a habit to check on his fellow caregivers. Recently, a patient passed away and chaplain Charlene Schaaf was there to comfort the patient’s grieving wife.
“Charlene met his wife in the lobby, and I heard a loud scream, and I knew it was going to be a very emotional night for everyone involved,” said Kaleb. “Charlene came out of the room, and I could tell by the look in her eyes the situation was affecting her, so I asked if she was okay. She said she was hanging in there and went back into the room. When she came out the second time, her look had intensified so I asked her again if she was okay. She looked at me and said, ‘Why are you asking me that?’ and I told her it was because she’s always checking on other people and making sure they’re okay. It’s a chaplain’s job to take care of families, patients and staff, but there isn’t anyone dedicated to taking care of our chaplains.”
Kaleb makes it a point to check in on other caregivers as often as he can because he’s no stranger to mental health struggles. He says he tries to be the voice to let people know that it’s okay and they can talk to him if they need to.
“I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember, and those are issues that will affect most people at some point during their lives,” he said. “I’ve spent the past few years facing it head-on and finding tools to help me through the tough times. It’s not always easy for people to reach out and ask for help, so I try to be an advocate and help them break down those barriers and open up.”
Kaleb says he would like to tell caregivers struggling with mental health issues that they’re all in this together and there are resources to help people who need them.
“I work in Security, and I’m not medically trained, but we’re all one big team here at Good Samaritan,” he said. “We share the same goal of helping people and we see some pretty heavy stuff working in a hospital. It’s important for us to stick together.”
Sarah Pierce works the night shift as a medical laboratory scientist at St. James Hospital in Butte, MT. After three years, she knows the toll it can have on caregivers’ mental health. Only a handful of people work this shift and Sarah has always been a huge proponent of adjusting those caregivers’ schedules to allow them to take care of themselves.
“When I noticed a caregiver on our team struggling with the schedule since it’s a lot to balance night shifts with a family, I offered to change days with her,” said Sarah. “I work eight days on and six days off and she wanted to work four days on and three days off, so I adjusted my schedule to accommodate her request. She was very excited and grateful, and it allowed her to have control over when she worked so she could balance her work with her home life.”
Sarah says that mental health should be a priority for all caregivers. She’s adjusted her schedule for other caregivers in the past who’ve wanted or needed time away.
“You have to pay attention to how you’re feeling so you come to work in the right state of mind,” she said. “You have to be present and want to be there to do the best job you can for our patients. Work-life balance is incredibly important, and your mental state won’t just impact your work. It can cause issues in all aspects of your life.”
Stress First Aid emphasizes the importance of regularly checking on yourself and others to see how you’re feeling and where you are on the stress continuum. Those conversations normalize talking honestly and openly about mental well-being – a critical step in connecting people with resources to help them at whatever stage they’re at.
“Stress First Aid is such a simple model to use and gives us the language to talk about the difficult aspects of the work we do and how we feel about it,” said Sarah Hodgson, patient and caregiver safety program manager. “When we are more aware of our stress levels and can connect with the amazing resources provided through Intermountain Health, we provide even better care to our patients and our communities. I absolutely love hearing about how our Stress First Aid champions are bringing this model to their teams!”