Face to face with... Helina Asumadu, patient attendant (PAB) in the Internal Medicine Department of the Royal Victoria Hospital of the MUHC

I tell jokes, dance and sing for patients; I want to bring a smile to their faces. I never forget that the patient is somebody’s mommy, somebody’s daddy, somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter.

Why did you decide to become a PAB?

It’s all because of my grandmother. Back home in Kumasi, Ghana, where I come from, older people stay with the family, so we all lived together. She was old and very, very funny. I took care of her, and we became close. That made me want take care of old people and people who are sick. She died at 121 years of age, when I was already living in Canada.

How long have you been here?

More than 25 years. At 17, I left Ghana for Germany. I was in high school there when I met my future husband, Maxwell, who’s also Ghanaian. He lived in Montreal and was visiting a friend in Germany. 

So love made you move to Canada. Did you start working as a PAB right away?

No. At first, I worked in a seniors’ home, but I thought ‘I can do better; I want to be a patient assistant.’ So I went back to school to earn a Canadian high school diploma and then I got a job as a PAB at the Royal Victoria Hospital. I’m proud to work at the MUHC.

Tell me about your typical day on C-9.

You’ll laugh. My shift starts at 7.30, but at times I’m here at 6 am. I come in early to find a parking space, then I come to the floor, relax and drink my coffee. Most days, I check on all my 12 patients even before my shift starts. I tell them ‘I’ll come back later to take care of you.’ On a typical day, I’ll wash them, change their bed, give them breakfast. Some patients like to talk. I tell them: Let me finish my job, and I will come back and talk.

What do you talk about?

Their personal lives, their children, movies, music, whatever they want to talk about.

You seem to really like your job.

Of course, I do! For me, taking care of sick people is more than giving them medication. A shower and a clean bed, for example, can make patients feel better. Cleanliness is important to me, so I always make sure patients’ rooms are spotless. I also tell jokes, dance and sing for them; I want to bring a smile to their faces. I never forget the patient is somebody’s mommy, somebody’s daddy, somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter.

What’s the secret to being a good PAB?

If you put yourself in your patients’ shoes all the time, you will enjoy taking care of them.