Connecting Hearts and Homes: A Deep Dive into Pediatric Home Health with Solace Pediatric Healthcare

In this enlightening discussion, Stanley Seelye, the Education and Training Manager at Solace Pediatric Healthcare, and Helen Vradelis, a bilingual speech-language pathologist, dive into the nuances and experiences of working in pediatric home health. They share insights on the challenges, growth, and profound connections made with families, emphasizing the unique benefits of this healthcare setting.

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Transcript

Stanley Seelye: Hi, my name is Stanley Seelye. I’m the education and training manager here at Solace Pediatric Healthcare. I am also a bilingual speech-language pathologist by trade, which is why I have Helen Vradelis, another bilingual speech-language pathologist practicing full-time in the field. I have her here because I want to learn a little about her experience with Solace. So, would you mind telling me generally about your experience in home health since you started with us a couple, or two and a half years ago?

Helen Vradelis: Two and a half years ago. That’s exactly right. Yeah, I started with Solace in August 2021. It’s been fantastic. Home health has been a rewarding and unique experience that comes with challenges and need for growth.

Stanley Seelye: Yep.

Helen Vradelis: But for me, it has really felt like home. I’ve worked in clinics outpatient centers and schools, but home health has been where I feel like I can accomplish the most and connect the most as a clinician.

Stanley Seelye: Hmm, I couldn’t agree more. Are there factors specific to Solace that have set you up for success working in the home health space?

Helen Vradelis: Yeah, so home health can be challenging. You need to constantly be on your toes. You’re going in and out of different settings. And the one thing that I feel like Solace has really nailed is having people in the upper management, such as our friend Stanley here, who are past clinicians. So they know what it’s like to be there in the homes, between homes, driving around. As much as I can rely on my friends and family for some support, it’s really important to me to be able to get on the phone with a mentor during some hard days and just talk about the challenges I’m going through or what I just faced, and yeah.

Stanley Seelye: I feel like home health can sometimes be isolating. And so something that I kind of pride myself on that is a Solace thing, is that we really, I don’t pride myself, I pride the whole organization that we try to build community as much as possible in this setting. And we have many avenues for people to connect and have meaningful discussions. So I’m really glad that you’re taking advantage of those. ‘Cause otherwise, you’re just kind of out there.

Helen Vradelis: Yes, so home health, to me, is the space where you can connect with the family the most. You are welcomed into their home, but with that comes the responsibility to be a guest in the home and leave things that might be challenging you that day at the door and really be present with that family in the moment, in their space, in their home.

Stanley Seelye: Tell me a little bit more about how that relates to your role working in many culturally diverse homes that might have different cultures and expectations than what you’re used to in your space.

Helen Vradelis: Yeah, so I work mostly with Spanish-speaking families. And obviously with that, the primary thing is the language. I don’t really have ways to speak Spanish in my personal life. And so it is kind of my work language. So especially on a Monday, I walk in after a weekend, and I have to get my Spanish brain going again. And that can come with some hiccups. Sometimes I hit the ground, and I am speaking Spanish, and it feels good, and I don’t have to think. And other times, oh boy, those words just don’t arrive.

Stanley Seelye: Oh, yeah. Oh yeah.

Helen Vradelis: And allowing the families to see that, to see me working through something, to see me really focusing on being in their environment and fitting their place in whatever that might mean. I think really strengthens that connection.

Stanley Seelye: Right. I think as a communication therapist, it can be both humbling, but also helpful in building empathy with your patients. Right? Because if you’re both there together trying to do whatever you can to achieve communication, even if you’re using different strategies and it looks or sounds different than it might for other people, it can build, I think, that bond that you are getting at for patients and their communication therapists.

Helen Vradelis: So we touched on this a bit before, but while home health allows you to build such great connections with the families, it can be a little isolating. And so it is important to be able to reach out and ask for help. And Solace has such a fantastic foundation for that. There are so many ways to reach out to different clinicians and different supervisors depending on the kind of advice you’re looking for in the moment. There are so many resources that we have already available and everyone kind of understands that we’re in this as a team. And I think that’s really special too. If you reach out to someone and you’re like, I could really use a phone chat. They are so quick to reply and say, yes, absolutely. How can I help you? What are you looking for? How can we support you here? And so, not hesitating to reach out and ask for help I think, is an important skill in life, but especially in home health.

Stanley Seelye: Thank you so much, Helen. Again, this is Helen Vradelis, a bilingual speech-language pathologist here at Solace Home Healthcare. I really appreciate your time today.

Helen Vradelis: Thanks, Stanley.

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