Support for Patients and the People Who Care for Them [Tonya Steffensen]
Wound care and advanced treatments like HBO2 (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy) can play an important role in helping complex wounds heal when recovery becomes challenging. This story highlights one family’s experience navigating a difficult wound journey, receiving specialized wound care close to home, and finding support not only for the patient but also for the caregiver along the way.
Key Takeaways
- Advanced wound care can support healing when wounds become complex: Specialized treatment options such as debridement, compression therapy, and HBO2 may be used when standard care alone is not enough.
- HBO2 therapy is one advanced treatment option: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help support healing by delivering oxygen in a specialized chamber environment.
- Care coordination matters: Wound care often involves multiple treatments, imaging, procedures, and ongoing monitoring to achieve the best outcome.
- Support extends beyond the patient: Care teams can provide education, reassurance, and support for family members and caregivers.
- Receiving care close to home can improve quality of life: Convenient access can reduce travel stress and make ongoing treatment more manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Video Transcript
My name is Tonya Steffensen. We live in Volga and we've pretty much lived in the Brookings area our whole life. Chad and I have been together for 37 years, been married for 35.
What brought you and your husband to wound care?
My husband had Achilles repair surgery in Sioux Falls. He ended up getting hematomas around the incision area and at week five post-op his incision opened up. So they had to go in and do a second surgery to remove all of the good tissue around the Achilles. So therefore he had a large wound that ended up leaving the Achilles partially exposed. So they put a Wound VAC on and then they had asked if we would like to come to Brookings Health for wound care since it was closer to home. So we agreed to do that.
How was your husband's initial care at the Wound Center?
He had the Wound Vac. He came here with that. We started to get wound care obviously, which was three times a week at that point. So he would have to go get that changed and they'd put it back on. He probably had the Wound VAC for three weeks or so.
Why did you choose to work with Dr. Nephi Jones in Brookings?
Dr. Jones is a podiatrist that specializes in wound care that took over Chad's care. We were still going back to see his physician in Sioux Falls. He had recommended that we go see a podiatrist that was specialized in wound care and he recommended that we go to one in Sioux Falls. We had already been coming here for wound care for two months or so and we had built a huge relationship with Katie and her wound care team here and they were so inviting and so warming. And not knowing what to do, a wound like that can be very intimidating and they had answered all of our questions so well and Katie assured us that you know, whatever choice we made we could do everything here in Brookings that they can do in Sioux Falls. We chose to stay here in Brookings and therefore we left the services in Sioux Falls and then we started seeing Dr. Jones here in Brookings for wound care.
What treatment did Chad receive at Brookings Health System?
He has received debridement which is cutting back like the dead tissue skin so that new tissue can form. He has received compression therapy which helps reduce the swelling to the area. He has received HBO treatment. It's a it's a hyperbaric oxygen chamber where you are put into that for about an hour and a half each treatment which helped his wound considerably heal. So we've had MRI, you know MRIs. They had done ultrasounds of his veins in his legs too because there's not much blood circulation down there. But now there... he had his third surgery a few months ago.
How has wound care helped Chad in his day-to-day life?
His day-to-day life has been very challenging for him. He hasn't been able to work for the last 10 months. Coming to wound care is... it's almost therapeutic sometimes because they are so... we may go there in a bad mood not having a good day, but we always end up leaving there feeling better about ourselves.
How would you describe the care Chad has received?
The care at Brookings Health has been phenomenal. Second to none. When we had a choice to stay in Sioux Falls, you know, we knew that was a huge option and most people think bigger is better. For us that is not the case. We have grown up or lived here our whole life and we have been to Brookings Health System and we couldn't be more happy with the care that we have received here. Personalized, they think about you as a person and not a number. Chad, his first surgery was his Achilles repair surgery and he had his first and second in Sioux Falls and his third surgery here in Brookings and he was scared to have a third surgery. That was just you know, his feelings and it was so easy for him and coming out of that surgery he... he'd do it again if he had to. We hope that doesn't happen, but if it does he's okay with that now, you know, which has been very comforting.
Why is care close to home important?
There's a huge benefit. He has had, you know, multiple appointments in a week anywhere from, you know, one to five in a week. Sometimes more than one in a day. Being close to home is great because I'm able to work. It takes that time away from driving multiple times a week. Having the care close to home as well as far as at home, I do his wound care, you know, when he is not coming to the hospital, which can be, you know, four or five days a week, too. So the peace of mind for me and for him knowing that if there is something, you know, looking wrong with his wound or if we have questions about it, it's only 10 minutes away or I can use the portal and message someone in the wound care team. If they have a concern, you know, they can talk to the nurses or send it on to Dr. Jones and they get back to me within an hour. Previously in Sioux Falls, if I had something, something through the portal, it could be the next day, you know. They get back so promptly is peace of mind, you know, and we appreciate that so much.
How has the staff supported you as a caregiver?
You know, the support has been phenomenal. It's just one less thing to worry about, you know, and they're always asking, "Are you okay?" You know, we're taking care of Chad, but are you okay? So it's been wonderful.
What would you tell someone supporting a loved one in wound care?
I would definitely say that you need to find a team that backs you and supports you because it is a specialized area that you don't realize is so intense, requires a lot of different things coming together. But you need to have those people behind you that are looking out for your best interests, thinking forward, you know. Things may change at the time, but they're always looking for the bigger picture. They want the best outcome for you, but sometimes it's one step forward and two steps back, but they always are looking at the final goal and we have that here in Brookings Health wound team.
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