Bringing Comfort to the Staff at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)

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Nobody wants to be sick, but when it happens, it affects everyone. When a loved one becomes unwell, it can be the most difficult time in your life. The most important thing is for them to get better with the help of medical professionals.

In Ontario, getting the care people need is becoming increasingly harder. With constant wait times in emergency rooms and medical staff becoming burned out, it isn’t easy for anyone involved.

Although we cannot fix the current state of the medical industry at La-Z-Boy, we can do our part and help the ones closest to us by giving back to the community, and ensuring the staff at hospitals like CHEO are given some relief during their stressful days working long hours.

We sat down with a respiratory therapist at CHEO to talk about their day-to-day life and how important it is for them to receive comfort when helping families who are suffering difficult hardships.

In This Article…

1. Getting to Know the Respiratory Therapists at CHEO
2. Giving Back to the CHEO Staff
3. La-Z-Boy’s Products in the CHEO Lounge

Getting to Know the Respiratory Therapists at CHEO

“There’s no such thing as a quiet day in this line of work,” says respiratory therapist Desiree Warmington. Desiree has been a respiratory therapist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) for 15 years.

A respiratory therapist is a healthcare professional who diagnoses, treats and manages anything that has to do with our body’s respiratory system. “From your nose to your diaphragm, that is our neighbourhood,” she says. These individuals play a crucial part in patient care, helping them breathe when in critical conditions. 

Normally, these healthcare specialists work with patients of all ages, but in Desiree’s case, and with the other respiratory therapists at CHEO, they specifically work with children. This means mainly working with kids who have acute illnesses, but also with complex cases like kids with cerebral palsy or hyper scoliosis.

Since they treat patients who are sometimes in critical condition, they collaborate frequently with the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This special department of the hospital is used for patients with life-threatening illnesses who need constant monitoring, support and treatment. 

The Life of a Respiratory Therapist

While Desiree’s primary focus is patient care, her ultimate goal is to ensure that each patient has a comfortable, and most importantly, as brief as possible, stay so they can return to their families in good health.

Although her day-to-day work life changes constantly with every case, Desiree says that a respiratory therapist works in almost every part of the hospital. “Everyone needs to breathe; whether you’re in or out of surgery, or in the ER getting a cast, a respiratory therapist is always there while you’re medicated to make sure you’re still breathing.”

Because of this important task, these healthcare specialists collaborate with almost every department in the hospital, making this a very dynamic and hands-on job. 

However, with all of this work involved, respiratory therapists, like Desiree, are constantly on their feet. “You cannot do the job that we do sitting down. Most of the time, we’re on our feet for 6 to 10 hours at a time with no break.”

And even though there are some quieter days, there are many other long days. Desiree recalls one of the hardest times in her career being the first two flu seasons after the pandemic had started. 

“After the adult COVID cases had subsided, we experienced an unprecedented pediatric pandemic that was unseen before in modern times,” she says. “It was long, and intense, and the challenges were high.”

Although the flu season lasted only a few months, Desiree and her team learned important lessons about managing resources, dealing with staff burnout, and working together as a team. Through the challenges, they also came to understand just how important self-care is for healthcare workers, something that became not just a priority but a necessity. 

Desiree’s work is hard, yet she still finds it rewarding after so many years. “A respiratory Therapist is at a patient’s side almost throughout their entire stay in a hospital. So, seeing the patient get a life-changing surgery that improves their quality of life and go home after, and seeing a name that’s been on the board for weeks or months, it is really satisfying to see.”

Giving Back to the CHEO Staff

One of the challenges that Desiree and other Respiratory Therapists go through during their day is finding relaxation. 

Within the long hours of standing and treating patients, a healthcare worker’s physical and mental well-being is also important. After all, how else will they be able to effectively do their job and treat patients?

Enter CHEO’s breakroom, one of Desiree’s favourite places in the hospital, and possibly the most important room for them. Not only to physically take a break but to escape the chaos for a couple of minutes and give their bodies rest from their busy days.

As mentioned, a respiratory therapist’s day is spent mostly standing up. And because Desiree and her team are working with pediatric patients, they spend most of the time hunched down to do their work, which puts strain on their upper back, shoulders and neck. Unfortunately, this causes respiratory therapists to commonly have chronic pain as they continue in this career.

Because we know how important these healthcare workers are to the community, we wanted to give back and say thank you for their amazing work for families who are going through hard times.

Desiree tells us, “The recliners given from La-Z-Boy are relieving to sit on after long days at work, especially since you can put your feet up and take all the weight off your legs. Even if it's for 20 mins or so, it makes a huge difference, for our team who is constantly on their feet all day.”

La-Z-Boy's Products in the CHEO Lounge

La-Z-Boy furnished not only CHEO’s respiratory therapist breakroom, but also the ICU breakroom for the nurses in that department.

The furniture pieces in the first breakroom are the Pinnacle. The four leather furniture pieces are upholstered with care, enveloping the healthcare workers in comfort, just as they do with their patients when they need comfort.

In the ICU nurse lounge stands the Sparrow Recliner, also in leather. Both of these products are just the right amount of puffiness to keep these hard workers comfortable and relaxed, while also ensuring their backs and feet feel relieved.

To learn more about the Pinnacle Furniture Family and the Sparrow Recliner, take a look at these articles.

What's Next?

Even though Desiree’s work is hard at times, she tells us how satisfying it is as well. “I have kids myself, and I know when one child gets sick in a family, it affects everyone. It's gratifying to know that I’m doing real, concrete work that's helping not only the patient but families heal as well.”

La-Z-Boy Ottawa, Gatineau and Kingston is honoured to have had the opportunity to contribute to helping CHEO staff and give back to our hard-working healthcare workers who deserve it. 

If you would like to show your appreciation for CHEO, you may be interested in making a donation of your own or starting your own fundraising page. Visit the CHEO Donation page to give back today!

If you are looking for comfortable, quality, and stylish furniture for your home, we are also here for you! Visit us at a local Ottawa, Gatineau or Kingston showroom or plan ahead by scheduling a visit online. 

If you prefer, we also offer virtual appointments allowing you to shop from the comfort of your home. If you’re interested in learning more about our other Community Involved Projects, take a look at this article.

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