Recognition for Nurse

Katarzyna Wenta, a senior nurse at SeeAbility’s Heather House has won a special award in recognition for her outstanding contribution to developing a new system for the care of young people with Juvenile Batten’s Disease (JBD).

SeeAbility’s Heather House has a worldwide reputation as a leading palliative care home for young people with JBD. Due to the degenerative and ultimately terminal nature of the condition, the process of nursing individuals changes according to their needs. Despite the challenges, the team at Heather House always ensures that the quality of life of the young people they care for, is maximised through a wide range of therapeutic treatments and activities. End-of-life care has always been an emotive and difficult subject and consequently Katarzyna’s review of best practice in this area has led to a groundbreaking system of nursing.

Katarzyna’s approach, involved a review of current evidence and best practice of palliative care and introducing new staff training. She developed innovative new tools such as pain scales and end-of-life care plans. Katarzyna acknowledges the invaluable role families can play in the decision-making process of end-of-life care: Katarzyna used her creative skills to design a room at Heather House where families can spend reflective time to come to terms with their impending loss and she works closely with family members to determine an appropriate schedule for emergency care and advance care planning.

Sarah Kenrick, Registered Manager of SeeAbility’s Heather House comments, “We are delighted that Katarzyna received this special award and it is thoroughly deserved. Katarzyna has shown tremendous resourcefulness and dedication in addressing the difficult issues surrounding the final stages of a young person’s life. She has developed a unique approach to end-of-life care is one of the areas we all find difficult and Katarzyna’s ability to mentor others as well as working closely with families has been a notable achievement.”

Find out more information about SeeAbility’s work with Juvenile Batten’s Disease