Care Bear Style

Who remembers the cute little Care Bears? I chuckled just now writing that because today a phone call came in from my daughter’s middle school principle that a mama bear and her cub were spotted on the campus and that everyone was being kept inside until the coast was clear. Well, I found this Care Bear at a thrift shop a few weeks ago in Southport, NC and it brought back a great memory from my early days as a dental assistant working for my father in his periodontal practice.

Her name was Sandy (we’ll change the name to protect identity) and she was scheduled for full mouth perio surgery. YIKES! The goal was to do the procedure in two stages, left side – maxillary and mandibular area, then the right side. She was TERRIFIED. During the evaluation, she shared how scared she was and her hands began to shake. She looked like she was going to cry and I thought – “Wow, we aren’t even doing the procedure today, how is she going to make it through?”

My dad gave her a prescription for some Valium – good idea for sure – he wasn’t doing sedation in his office, but had the nitrous oxide, yet still I wondered how she would manage…then it hit me. CARE BEAR.

My daughter Melinda was two years old at the time and this was her favorite toy – she slept with it at night. So I tucked it into a bag and put in under the sink in the operatory. When Sandy arrived, I placed the patient napkin with the chain around her neck, smiled and said, “Sandy, I have a surprise for you.”

I opened the bag and pulled out the Care Bear. I said, “This is my daughter’s Care Bear – it gives her comfort at night when she’s scared. I know you are scared and I don’t want you to be. Hold this as tight as you need to today during your procedure, just don’t pull the head off! – We both chuckled.. We are going to do everything we can to make you comfortable.” I touched her arm gently and noticed she stopped jittering so much.

In what way can you provide an extra touch of care to those around you? Maybe it’s spending more quality time with your family? Or maybe invite your favorite client to break bread? How do you need to care for yourself differently? Be a catalyst for change, be a CARE BEAR.