Karissa Thoreson

Background

About Karissa Thoreson

I currently work as a direct care professional at a group home (ACR Homes) where I assist the residents who live there with activities of daily living. I administer medications, bathe and dress them, do adult brief changes for incontinence care, transfer them via hoyer, perform urinary straight catheterization, prepare meals and feed them, laundry and cleaning duties, and take them out into the community so they can engage with others, such as going to church or to the YMCA. I am currently researching the benefits of aromatherapy on their behaviors and then setting up a protocol to use aromatherapy on a daily basis. My current research entails how essential oils can help alleviate stress and anxiety, help with sleep and behavioral issues and pain. I also volunteer in the pediatric department at Hennepin County Medical Center where I interact with children to help distract them from any pain they are feeling, to give their parents a break, entertain the children by reading or playing a game with them and holding crying babies. I also organize shelves, disinfect toys and surfaces, and help with any tasks the Child Life Specialist or medical staff I work with needs help with. Due to covid, volunteering hours were stopped for about a year and they have now been restarted and I have over 50 hours volunteering here. Prior to volunteering at HCMC, I also spent a year at Mercy Medical Center working in the Courage Kenny joint replacement center helping individuals with hip and knee replacement surgeries or other bone, joint or muscle surgeries working hand in hand with physical therapists to provide exercises for these patients. I would help assist the physical therapist during group therapy, demonstrate exercises to the group, talk with the patients to help distract them from pain they were feeling, call the nurse to come get them, and clean and disinfect the group therapy room. I have over 50 hours volunteering here.