HEARTBEAT February 2019

Virtual seals named at start of
programme to calm anxious patients
CORPORATE AND GENERAL
NEWS
For those of you who haven’t heard
our Paroseals have officially been
named.
Introducing Snap, Crackle and Pop!
Sarah Gammidge-Jefferson, I-Proc &
Procurement Systems Supervisor, picked
the winning names, after Paula Gardner,
Chief Nurse, ran a competition.
And it has also been revealed that a
fourth – named Ron - will be joining our
organisation very soon.
The seals are being used as a therapeutic
intervention for people with dementia
and learning disabilities on our wards.
The fluffy robot uses artificial intelligence
(AI) technology to learn from its
surroundings and responds to its name.
It likes to be petted and even wags its
tail afterwards to show appreciation.
Since Heartbeat introduced the seals
last month, they have been used to help
calm our patients.
One of those included Gurbachan
Kaur, who had been admitted to City
Hospital’s D16 ward with a urinary tract
infection. She had experienced episodes of
confusion, leading to mood swings.
Her granddaughter, Harjit Bains, said: “My
nan’s mental state has been up and down.
Sometimes she has been very overactive
and aggressive, wondering around at night
and swearing. Her symptoms came on very
suddenly and it has been very unlike her.
“However after seeing her with the
Paroseal, I could see a huge difference in
her. I haven’t seen her smile in three weeks
and this was the first time I saw her do just
that – it really made my day.
“This initiative with the seal is fantastic and I
100 per cent back it.”
Stephen Keates, Dementia Clinical Nurse
Specialist, said: “I work with the dementia,
delirium and distress (DDD) team. The
Paroseals are a relatively new development
coming out of Japan and it is an exciting
opportunity to reduce the distress that
patients may suffer whilst in our care.
“This was evident when we saw Mrs Kaur
interact with one of the seals. She had been
very hyperactive, but we introduced the
Paroseal and we saw a noticeable difference
in her. Her face lit up and she was smiling
and drawn to the seal. She was able to
derive comfort from that interaction.
“We have three seals currently. One will be
based with the DDD team, the other with
Donna Hawkins, an activity co-ordinator
and the third will be based at Rowley Regis
Hospital.”
To find out more about Snap, Crackle
and Pop and how they can be used on
your ward, contact Stephen.keates@
nhs.net.
Paula Gardner, Chief Nurse, presents Sarah
Gammidge-Jefferson with her bottle of
champagne, after she picked the winning
names for the Paroseals
Stroke survivor Shena sings the
praises of research at local conference
A former colleague is helping spread
the word about the value of research
following her recovery from a stroke.
Shena Davidson suffered a stroke in 2016
whilst working as a healthcare assistant. Her
stroke left her at first unable to walk, talk or
carry out simple daily tasks.
Despite initially feeling isolated and alone,
Shena was approached by the Clinical
Research Network (CRN) West Midlands
about taking part in their activities and
enjoyed it so much she decided to throw
herself into becoming a fully-fledged Patient
Research Ambassador, working closely with
CRN.
Recently Shena, who has made a full
recovery, helped organise the ‘I Am
Research’ conference held at Pannel Croft
Village in Birmingham, where she is a
resident and leads the village’s community
choir, which consists of and supports stroke
Shena Davidson addresses a research
conference about her patient experience.
survivors. They hold regular fundraising
concerts.
The conference featured presentations from
experts and case studies from beneficiaries
of research, as well as a performance from
Shena’s choir.
She encourages others to not only see
the value of research but to take part in it
themselves. Shena said: “Research is very
important. A lot of people do not know
about how important it is and I want them
to know how much it has done for me.
And I endeavour to do it by making people
happy and making them smile.”
Rachel Evans, Senior Research Facilitator
at CRN, said: “Shena was upset and had
lost her support network very quickly. But
she decided to help and rely on herself and
took part in our research – and on the ward
would not only be doing her own rehab
but helping with others as well. She’s very
inspirational.”
Shena has since gone on to take part in
stroke research projects with the University
of Oxford and University College London,
including one on post-stroke cognitive
problems.
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