Reflections

By the Rev. Corrine Dautrich

After a storm, the clouds inevitably part and give way to sunshine. For more than a year, we have been living beneath the cloud of COVID-19, but now there are hopeful glimpses of bright sunshine. Millions of Americans have received their COVID vaccines, and we’ve turned the corner on the pandemic. As of this writing, the long-term care facilities have opened for family visitations again—with the necessary precautions in place—so it is good to pause and give thanks for all our blessings. On a recent visit with a resident at Good Shepherd Home - Bethlehem she shared with me; “I got to see my family for the first time in a year!” As I was listening to her tell the story and share photos of how much her young adult children have grown, I found myself welling up with tears as her heart was so full of gratitude and praise for the reunion that occurred. She was so excited about seeing her family again. These reunion moments offer us blessings. I was giving blessings to the patients in the pediatric unit, and one little girl who was pushing a shopping cart with stuffed animals in it began crying when I attempted to offer her a blessing. When she learned that her pink bunny and her doll would also receive a blessing, the crying stopped. These blessings offer us peace. Three Good Shepherd Home - Raker Center associates recently had babies. Their pregnancies and deliveries were either before or during the midst of the pandemic. The gift of new life for these young families is a blessing. May we take heart and be reminded of all the blessings offered to us by our loving God and share God’s peace with others. n

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make his face to shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,

and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 NRSV

Sleep THE STUDY of and STROKE REHABILITATION

Emily Lyter, research and telemed program manager, and Swati Misra, research assistant.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network has secured a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant to study the complex relationship between stroke, sleep and rehabilitation.

The $500,000 NIH grant will fund Good Shepherd’s portion of a five-year study—“SLEEPR Study: The Sleep Effects on Post-Stroke Rehabilitation”—that also marks a research partnership between Good Shepherd and SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. (SLEEPR is short for SLEep Effects on Post-stroke Rehabilitation). The NIH grant, which undergoes a rigorous review process prior to being awarded, is a significant achievement for Good Shepherd and its research efforts, says Executive Director Frank Hyland. The study, which began enrolling participants in April, focuses on inpatient rehabilitation stroke patients admitted to the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown. Researchers will collect data on patients when they are 15, 60 and 90 days post-stroke through an activity monitor, sleep watch and GPS device. The study will analyze data showing how well patients sleep, their mobility and activity levels and their community participation. A total of 200 participants will be enrolled between Good Shepherd and SUNY. “If we can understand the effect of sleep disorders on recovery following stroke, we may be able to design future treatments that improve rehabilitation outcomes,” says Emily Lyter, Good Shepherd research and telemed program manager. George D. Fulk, chair and professor in the Department of Physical Therapy Education, says SUNY partnered with Good Shepherd for several reasons.

“First of all is Good Shepherd’s dedication to patients and outstanding outcomes for people with stroke undergoing rehabilitation,” he says. “We have successfully partnered together on previous research projects, and Good Shepherd is at the forefront of applying the latest rehabilitation evidence to practice.” n