My Unexpected Battlefield: Caregiving for Hundreds of Sick Patients
Oct 22, 2023Episode 95
Sherrell D. Mims
In this episode, I delve into the remarkable experiences of individuals who confronted crises armed not with weapons, but with caregiving skills and unwavering determination. My guest, Sherrell D. Mims, founder of Global Caregivers Network and Global Caregiver Speakers, shares her firsthand challenges as a caregiver during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sherrell discusses resource shortages and the call for retirees to serve in healthcare during crises. She also highlights the difficult conditions healthcare workers face.
During our conversation, Sherrell stressed the importance of processing emotions during tough times and how colleague support sustained her. Despite overwhelming odds, her unyielding passion for caregiving serves as an inspiring testament to her mission.
In this episode, I delve into the remarkable experiences of individuals who confronted crises armed not with weapons, but with caregiving skills and unwavering determination. My guest, Sherrell D. Mims, founder of Global Caregivers Network and Global Caregiver Speakers, shares her firsthand challenges as a caregiver during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sherrell discusses resource shortages and the call for retirees to serve in healthcare during crises. She also highlights the difficult conditions healthcare workers face.
During our conversation, Sherrell stressed the importance of processing emotions during tough times and how colleague support sustained her. Despite overwhelming odds, her unyielding passion for caregiving serves as an inspiring testament to her mission.
Welcome back to unarmored talk podcast. Thank you so much for listening and watching each episode and continue pleased to share with your friends and family members and colleagues, and don't forget to leave a rating or review if you feel this is an awesome show. And you can connect to all of my social media on the parade deck, just look in a show notes or you can put in the search engine Mario P Fields parade deck and get all access To my social media. Well, let's get ready to interview another guest who is willing to remove their armor to help other people. That's today. We have another guest who is willing to remove her armor. I don't even consider her a guest. Everybody, I seem like I've known charelle. Let's just jump right into it. Sherrell D. Mims, give it up everyone.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Charelle D Mems, thank you, thank you, thank you Mario. Charelle we've been trying to get.
Mario P. Fields:
We've been trying to get this thing. You know this episode since what?
Sherrell D. Mims:
1905 that is correct, and here we are 2023 fast forward.
Mario P. Fields:
Here we are. But before you guys know the deal, before I get to the professional introduction, again, don't forget to get on that Apple podcast platform. Leave that rating or review. That's the only way I can get better. I mean, because if you guys don't leave anything, I guess you're saying I'm great and that's your belief, but I don't believe that. I believe there's always room for improvement. And again, thank you for that YouTube channel support.
Mario P. Fields:
As you guys know, everything's monetized every time you share, you watch a video, you even click on a thumbnail you are generating funds that's donated to still serving incorporated that's wwwstillservingeekcom and continue to help me and our amazing Volunteers and partners make a difference in Pitt County, north Carolina. Everyone, cheryl Charelle D Mems she is the founder of global caregivers network. She's also the founder and CEO for both companies of global caregiver speakers and more. Charelle, welcome to the show.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Thank you so much. What a great introduction, mario. Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here, oh.
Mario P. Fields:
I'm happy. I was worried. You know the deal because there's some, some people that your feedback matters. Now, everyone's feedback matters, but there's Higher, higher metric on Charelle's. Can you tell the listeners of viewers is a little bit about yourself.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Absolutely so. As Mario said, I am Charelle D Mems. I am the founder of global caregivers network, which was established in June of 2021. From there, we came out of global caregiver speakers, which was established on Christmas Day 2021. Let me just share a little bit about global caregivers network. This network is exclusively for caregivers, professional healthcare workers and Family caregivers, and then the speaker part of it, the global caregiver speakers. That's all about bringing your wonderful story, your journey and what you have done as a caregiver for what? In a Professional world, as we say, and a love one at home, or neighbor or friend it doesn't just have to be a loved one to be a caregiver. Those are the main things that's going on in the global caregiver world. There are what is it? 53 million and don't quote me please 53 million plus Unpaid caregivers around the world, and I'm telling you right now you know someone that is a caregiver, or you yourself may be a caregiver, so either way, you fit in that caregiver spectrum. So what do we go from here, mario Wow?
Mario P. Fields:
53 plus million and more, you know. Let's jump right to the topic. We talk about caregiving and you, you know from what I've seen, shirel, you've done an amazing job. I mean, last year's global conference was just amazing and exceptional. But let's get into it. The pandemic. You mentioned 2021, right, the year 2021. And when you you launched right, you started both companies in the midst of kind of the height of the pandemic.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Yes.
Mario P. Fields:
From my basic understanding, you were a either a registered nurse or you were in the hospital front lines, caregiving, if you will, for people that were directly impacted by the pandemic. Talk to us about that.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Sure, thank you so much for that question, mario, and you're absolutely right. I was right there in the midst of it. I wanted to jump ship myself, but I didn't. Okay, I'm telling you it was so horrific. Let's go back when the pandemic first started, back in March of 2020, when they declared the official date March 10th. I'll never forget it March 10th 2020. Official date for the COVID, the COVID-19.
Sherrell D. Mims:
I'm telling you it was so bad, it was so horrific. We were in the hospitals. It was just. Everything was just aloof, if you will. Nothing was organized, everybody just running around. We did the best we could with what we have. What do I mean by what we have? We did not have enough PPEs, the personal protection equipment. What does that consist of? Our gowns, gloves, hair nets, shoe covers, goggles, whatever we needed to protect ourselves from what the virus was at that time. Right Didn't have enough equipment. It was so horrific and so personal to me. I literally just wanted to jump ship. For real, it was so much going on. The ERs was overpacked and we didn't have enough staff. They had declared for retirees to come back to work.
Mario P. Fields:
Oh, wow.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it got real bad.
Mario P. Fields:
I used to hear it.
Sherrell D. Mims:
sometimes it was just so horrific.
Mario P. Fields:
So kind of like similar to the military. So essentially what I'm hearing, sherrell, is that you guys were so overwhelmed with patients that they recall when I say they had a hospital, recalled retirees to come help. Is that what happened?
Sherrell D. Mims:
That's exactly what happened, not just the hospitals, I guess it was the state, if you will. They had to call in retirees and those. Whatever they was doing, they needed them to come back to assist us. It was just overwhelming. It was frustrating A lot of my coworkers. All of us got fatigued, we got burnt out. I mean because we had to wear the whole nine the mask, the shield, the gargle. We couldn't even take it off.
Mario P. Fields:
We had to go at the whole 12 hours.
Sherrell D. Mims:
The only time we took it off was when we took a break, and that was just to go eat lunch break, sit down, cry, whatever we had to do. And family members remember, they shut off all the family members coming in and out of the hospital. Everything was shut off and it was for our benefit. Right, With the staff, we had to protect ourselves the best way that we knew how, by doing what they come out with the vaccine. Well, no comment on that. However, we had to get it right, Because we was in that space where it was active with the virus.
Sherrell D. Mims:
We had to get the vaccine, we had to get the booster, and then there was other series that came from out of that, other strands, if you will, that came from that original vaccine. And so all of us dealing with this right, Mario, and you're listening all this for my fellow colleagues, my essential workers. I'm not just talking about nurses, I'm talking about doctors, CNA certified nurses' assistance, patient care technician, home health aides. Everyone was an essential worker, right, Not just nurses. Yes, we was at the core of doing everything, but we needed all hands on deck. It was so horrific. And guess what? The people, if the audience, if you will, the public. They did not even experience half of what we was going through in the hospital.
Mario P. Fields:
And that's what I was going to bring up too. Listening to you, even, you're helping me gain a better understanding of what was going on outside of the news and reporting. And if you had to put you know, paint a picture, if you will. I kind of used that metaphor. But what was your patient load? Like you know, average prior to that? Like what was the numbers prior?
Sherrell D. Mims:
roughly, OK, so let's take me I do. At that time I was doing psychiatric nursing, right, we had five patients per nurse, which is not bad. On the psych unit we could get up to six right. On a psych unit that I was working on, they maxed, I believe, 20 patients, which was good.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Going through the pandemic, though, it got worse because, guess what, my colleagues had started getting coming down with the disease, the virus themselves. So, guess what? That left us short, right, and now we take no more patients, and that's the more patient load, the more what stress you become, the more fatigue because, remind you, we have to put these garbs on every day coming to the unit. Before we even came to the unit, we had to put on all these garbs and then go out there. We rarely took a break, because anytime you took a break you have to take off your mask and your shield. You couldn't even take off everything and of course you take it off your gown, but it was just. I wish I could have pictures to show you how horrific it was, just from the time we walked through the door, mario, you know, going in, clocking in and then putting on the guard. It did remind me of the army. It did remind me of the military. It was like we was actually getting ready for the battle.
Mario P. Fields:
Wow, because the battle was before us what a metaphor.
Sherrell D. Mims:
You know what I'm saying, mario, because that is so real. We was literally getting ready for a battle.
Mario P. Fields:
Yeah, so you. So you're saying essentially and thank you, by the way, cheryl, so to the point, it was so overwhelming that that you, like you, said it was before the pandemic, it was easy to go yeah, we're averaging about five, no more than 20. You know we're now. You're so overwhelmed you came and put a number to it.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Correct and, mind you, they just stopped taking patients. The patients that were that was there, they stayed there. Right, we didn't admit no more patients. That was it. They can leave. We was discharging but we were not admitting any more patients because, guess what, they was all coming through the ER and most of them was coming through the ER, had came down with the virus and of course, we were not admitting patients that had the virus. Right, we're containing what we already have on the unit, right, but it was very, very horrific, it was very frustrating, it was very. We just got burnt out.
Mario P. Fields:
Did you have any? Did you have any colleagues? That just quit.
Sherrell D. Mims:
They absolutely did. They jumped ship. I'm telling you, it reminded me so much of the military. They jumped ship because I think what was going on is some kind of stimulus or some kind of money came through but they said you can sign up for this money. A lot of them went out. Guess what? I can relate this to the military, so good because we are not good. I know. And then wait, wait a minute, mario, but it was not good.
Mario P. Fields:
They jumped ship with what PTSD they were so traumatized, you know what is what, and that's why I'm glad we're doing this episode, because in it's fitting with an armadillo podcast, where all human beings will experience a, an emotion or multiple emotional events while living. It's how you think through and let's talk about that. That's why I asked the question, because it's not so. How did you you know what emotions that you experience and then how did you think through them at this critical moment where you are still surel melms?
Sherrell D. Mims:
in the fight, and then you're going to see all these other things come on, mario and your wonderful audience, let me tell you y'all didn't see me crying, right? You didn't see me behind the curtains, just on my knees. You know I'm saying praying to God, let this thing pass over us, right? I see all that, I'm praying, I'm crying. My colleagues, night we were going to back in our little room then we couldn't even stay long, right, but we were actually pray together, cry together. You know I'm saying we will sit down.
Sherrell D. Mims:
For many, black girl, was how you feeling, rather how you feel and what's going to happen in your mind. A lot of us we had. It was so emotional For me, I'm telling you, I was burnt out, I was crying, I was, I was literally balling because it had overtaken us. It was something that has, number one, has never happened. It overtook us. You know I'm saying it just came in and this overtook us. It's like a dark cloud just came over the hospitals, right, and the administration. They was doing the best they could to get the proper equipment that we needed. Some days we just had to wear the same stuff over, right? Patients didn't know, we knew it, but we did the best we could with what we had. But I'm telling you. That was the most emotional time in my life, not even having my baby. And how did you?
Mario P. Fields:
And I want to know how did you think Like, what was it about you that you thought, what changed, that you did not jump ship per se and you stayed in there?
Sherrell D. Mims:
You know what? The patients I stayed for the patient, somebody had to be there. Everybody couldn't jump ship. You know what? Everybody couldn't jump ship.
Mario P. Fields:
When you say I want, when you say I wanted to. Maury, don't get me wrong, but I have to think through this.
Sherrell D. Mims:
I could not do it. I could not do it why? Because I love what I do. This is my passion Taking care of God's people. Taking care of people, period. We didn't even got to put an acronym to it, we didn't got to put the word to it. Being nice to people, being kind to people, and guess what? They was the most vulnerable to patients. We was the ones coming in from the outside. They was already in the hospital. So I played my part as a patient advocate. I made sure they had everything they wanted, everything they needed. It did not matter If I had to sit there and talk to them for a minute. That's what I did Because, remember, this is emotional for them too. They got family members that could not even come see them. They couldn't come in, nobody coming in, nobody leaving out, and so all of that was going on. At that time I was just so glad when they said it was over. But guess what? It's still not over.
Sherrell D. Mims:
They're still coming through the ER.
Mario P. Fields:
They're still coming through the.
Sherrell D. Mims:
ER. Yes, they're still coming through the ER. And I still wear my mask, Mario.
Mario P. Fields:
Yeah, and I love everyone, I love you guys. Didn't catch it. I'm going to just inspired by Charelle. Did you guys hear the power of passion? Charelle talked about all of the catastrophic events, the unknown things that would just have people jumping ship.
Mario P. Fields:
And they're dead man, oh my gosh. But the power of passion. And I love, charelle, how you took the perspective of the patient where you said not only is it me caregiving for these patients during this very traumatic time, but let me put myself in their shoes, which was a choice, if you will. Looking back, I mean, you built two amazing companies. You look at you right. I won't say survive. You were thriving Riving. Yes, come on. You were thriving through some of the world's most challenging moments when it comes to the health care industry In our lifetime. I mean, I know I turn 75 next week, but Come on.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Yes, it was so real baby.
Mario P. Fields:
But, looking back, if you had one thing that you can give our listeners and viewers, one tip that you can give them as they face either current or future life challenges, what would you give them?
Sherrell D. Mims:
Number one. We can't speak enough about taking care of you. Make yourself a priority. Just think, mario, if I didn't have the stamina that I did because of what I do, I'd take care of me. You know what I'm saying. I take care of me. Self-care. Drink my water, do my exercise, eat the right food. Right, I'm telling you, don't take any medications. I had that stamina, but when I look at my colleagues, they jump ship. I'm not saying they didn't have the stamina, I'm just saying look at me, I'm still standing through the storm. Same way in the military Some gonna make it, some are not. Some jump ship, some do not, those to have the stamina. It's a reason why I'm still here, because look what happened. As you said, mario, two wonderful companies came out of it the global caregivers network, global caregivers speakers. These caregivers Facebook groups are exclusively for caregivers. That's my whole focus, that's my whole passion, that is my DNA taking care of others.
Mario P. Fields:
I know I'm a servant leader.
Mario P. Fields:
No, well, I tell you what. You've definitely taken care of me over the last year and some change, and I've personally witnessed you take care of a lot more people globally, which is fitting for the company names. I know you are having fun, so I stopped saying people are busy years ago because the guests on this show they're having fun making an impact. So thank you for appearing on the Unarmored Talk podcast, thank you for sharing with the listeners and viewers and you guys heard it self care, put yourself first. It can make a world of difference, but it's a choice and you have to think through it Like Charelle did. How can people connect with you? Charelle was the best way for people to connect with this awesome, caring person, who's a great thing. Tell you, man.
Sherrell D. Mims:
And I ain't joking, I'm not.
Mario P. Fields:
Joking, I'm not joking.
Sherrell D. Mims:
I can't find you. They emailed me, charelle at globalcaregiversnet, and you can always go on the website globalcaregiverscom. And guess what? I'm old school. I love talking on the phone 2602183377. Let's talk about it. I'm telling you, if you're a caregiver, connect with me and connect with us and get your event bright ticket. We have a wonderful and all-growing national family caregivers conference coming up November the 10th and 11th. Be there. We got some us. I'm telling you. We got some headliners. Mario was there last week, I mean last week, at our last summit. It was, I'm telling you, it was phenomenal. You have to be there. If you're a caregiver or you know someone that is a caregiver, show up, support us. It's a virtual experience, so we look forward to you being there. Connect with me. Thank you so much, mario. It's always a pleasure coming on and sharing the good news with the people.
Mario P. Fields:
No, thank you again. So much, charelle and guys. You guys know the deal. We're all human beings. We're born emotional, we're everything's emotional. But to think is a choice and hopefully these episodes and many more to come will help you develop potentially a precise or accurate way of thinking through life events. See you, guys, in a couple of weeks, but you guys know how I sign off. God bless you, god bless your families and God bless your friends. Charelle, be safe.
Sherrell D. Mims:
Thank you Mario.
Mario P. Fields:
Thank you for listening to this most recent episode and remember you can listen and watch all of the previous episodes on my YouTube channel. The best way to connect to me and all of my social media is follow me on Twitter On the parade deck, that is wwwparade deckcom, or you can click on the link in the show notes. I'll see you guys soon.