A visit to the hospital can be a daunting experience for any of us.

Recently, Karen had to go to the hospital to have a scan on her stomach and had been worried during the days leading up to it.

Karen’s mum was quite worried about how afraid she was and spoke to us here at Natural Breaks to see how we could help with the visit. As a result, her support staff went with Karen to the hospital along with mum and reassured her that there was nothing to fear.

After speaking to the radiologist, reasonable adjustments were made to help Karen understand the process better and what she should expect. The hospital staff explained everything that was going to happen and showed Karen all of the equipment that was going to be used.

One of Karen’s biggest worries was that she did not want the scan machine to go over her head. Knowing this, the radiologist made a quick change so that Karen could go in feet first. They demonstrated the procedure and showed her that her head would remain out of the machine and continue to talk to her whilst the scan took place.

Such a simple change, alongside reassurance and encouragement, meant that the process was a success.

Karen was really proud of herself and grateful that both Natural Breaks staff and the hospital staff had explained everything in detail, as well as showing her each step of the process.

After her scan, Karen decided to visit Cathy – who also draws on support from Natural Breaks and is currently waiting for a scan in the hospital.

Karen spoke to Cathy about her own experience, how well it went and reassured Cath that there was nothing to fear.

On leaving, Karen bumped into Vicki who is also supported by Natural Breaks and volunteers at The Royal, with the support of Mediline. Vicki had already directed Karen where to go on arrival and she checked back to see if she got there ok.

“I was really nervous about my scan but my staff helped me to feel better. I went from being worried to feeling more calm and chilled. I love my staff”

Karen, who draws on support from Natural Breaks

“It is really important that we recognise how daunting a visit to the hospital can be, especially for some procedures that have not been experienced by a person before. Whilst Karen’s support is generally utilised to access the community and engage in social activities, we were privileged to be asked to go along with Karen and her mum and make this scary experience a success”

Karen's support staff, at Natural Breaks

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