Easy Street supporting Manitobans on the long COVID front line
The worst of the pandemic may be over, but for many long COVID patients seeking care at MHC, the struggles seem endless.
Occupational therapist Tessa Bruce says 50 per cent of clients at Easy Street rehabilitation are now dealing with severe anxiety, brain fog, and fatigue.
“It is quite debilitating,” Bruce said. “From not being able to get dressed in the morning to not being able to shower.”
Bruce said treating long COVID patients is a complex and lengthy process.
“It is impacting their daily life activities like going outside for a walk, doing things they enjoy, or going to work.”
She said many of her clients are forced to take a leave of absence from work as they learn how to cope with their new reality.
“It’s very anxiety provoking because they lose their sense of identity,” Bruce said. “For many it’s a complete overhaul of your life.”
Easy Street, which specializes in cognitive rehabilitation, recently launched new six-week group sessions to help those on their long COVID journey, specifically those who are combatting brain fog and anxiety.
“I’m really excited about that because it offers peer support,” said Sarah Snider, another occupational therapist at Easy Street.
“I think there’s so much to be had in those learned experiences, so many people come to this program and say ‘wow, I never met anyone else with long COVID,’ so it’s all about that connection and shared experiences,” said Snider.
The concept of treating people with long COVID is also something that’s fairly new for practitioners at Easy Street which traditionally sees those with brain injury or stroke.
But Snider said there are a lot of parallels in the treatment for improving cognitive function.
The department recently held a long COVID event alongside experts from the University of Manitoba at the Manitoba Lung Association where they heard multiple stories from patients still living with long COVID symptoms. The event was for educational and research purposes.
Bruce said the whole team at Easy Street takes great pride in knowing they are helping so many people get their lives back.
“Everyone we see has different goals and milestones they want to reach, so this is very much a goal-based program, and the focus is all about our clients.”
A report from the Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada said that more than 1.4 million people in Canada, or about 15 per cent of adults who had contracted COVID-19 as of August 2022, say they experienced symptoms more than three months after being infected.
