Christmas fun brings welcome distraction

Christmas spirits help hospital patient walk again.

CHRISTMAS: Margaret Greasley (second from right) decorated the Selangor Private Hospital during her rehabilitation. She inspects her work with Anna Krzysica, Wayne Greasley and Sheree Maddern. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

A DECORATING competition has given a patient an opportunity to make Nambour Selangor Private Hospital “a bright happy place” for those spending Christmas in the rehabilitation ward.

Selangor hospital usually runs the Christmas decorating competition as a staff activity but team member Anna Krzysica said once functional neurological disorder patient Margaret Greasley found out there was no stopping her.

“Every year we have a competition among the wards and this year the theme was doors and I was talking to Margaret about it and she became quite involved, so I told her the theme and off she went,” she said.

“Normally its staff-driven but This is the very first time we’ve had a patient involved.”

Mrs Greasley’s disorder means she can lose all physical movement and sometimes speech for up to two weeks at a time.

Having suffered a serious non-responsive episode, she hasn’t been able to walk since April.

Occupational therapist Sheree Maddern said the decorating started as “an occupational therapy-derived task for her hands” but led to her achieving a lot in her two week stay.

“She had reduced hand function but when she first came in the big thing was that she wasn’t walking so the crafts distracted her and she ended up walking out of here, so it was and amazing achievement,” she said.

Mrs Greasley, who has been in and out of hospital for 18 months, said the decorating competition took up a lot of her time and was a great distraction.

“We kind of developed a routine and … focusing on that gave me a purpose to keep going,” she said.

She said the crafty patient’s creative spirit also inspired others in the ward.

“She continued to engage every other member of this hospital,” she said.

“It’s just her personality she is so passionate about crafts and Christmas decorations.”

Mrs Greasley said many patients got involved.

“We actually got to sit around with the others some of them helped but even those who were not able to do would come and talk,” she said.

The winner of the Christmas Decorations competition will be decided on December 13 by hospital executives.

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