7E Nurses Find Loving Home For Patient's Pets
June 2023
7E Nurses
Find Loving Home For Patient's Pets
Medical/Renal
Bryan Medical Center
Lincoln
,
NE
United States
Crystal Stech, RN
Stephanie Watson, RN
Maddie Vidlock, RN
Sam
Stephanie Watson, RN
Maddie Vidlock, RN
Sam
We had a patient who became near and dear to our hearts. She was a lady that came in with respiratory failure and progressively became worse throughout the stay. From nasal cannula, to airvo, to needing BiPAP, this patient was severely ill, and would not improve despite our efforts. She had a history of interstitial lung disease with pneumonia and lung cancer on top of that.
One night when Crystal came to work, the day shift RN pointed out that the patient had two small dogs. These two small dogs were her entire world. Her husband had recently passed in November of 2021. They did not have any children, but they did have these two dogs. She talked about them as if they were her children. When Crystal and Sam took care of her during the week, they could see that she was not going to be leaving the hospital. The nurses and multidisciplinary team discussed her prognosis with her, and she wanted to get her personal affairs in order first before deciding to become comfort cares.
She had great support from her neighbors. The neighbors were caring for her dogs while she was in the hospital. She stated that she was really worried about the dogs and what would happen to them after she had passed. She needed to find a person that loved them just as much as she did.
Crystal took the pictures home with permission from the patient and showed them to Crystal’s mom, J. She wanted to adopt the dogs.
When Sam took care of the patient the next day, she told her that Crystal’s mom was interested. The patient wanted Crystal’s mom to come to meet the dogs to make sure they were a compatible fit. J dropped everything and made a plan to come the next day – which included driving five hours from South Dakota and rearranging her work schedule.
The next day Sam came back to work and could tell the patient was not doing well. During the shift, she set up a time with the house supervisor and the patient’s neighbors to bring the dogs in. This would allow the patient to say her final goodbyes to the dogs. There was so much joy evident on her face, and she looked as though a weight had been lifted from her. About an hour later, J met the dogs, and it was love at first sight. The neighbors told Sam that J was a Godsend for the dogs, and they couldn’t have chosen a better person.
The following day, the patient decided to initiate comfort cares. She passed away peacefully about 12 hours after initiation. We believe that she had come to peace, knew her dogs were with a great person, and was ready to be with her husband.
One night when Crystal came to work, the day shift RN pointed out that the patient had two small dogs. These two small dogs were her entire world. Her husband had recently passed in November of 2021. They did not have any children, but they did have these two dogs. She talked about them as if they were her children. When Crystal and Sam took care of her during the week, they could see that she was not going to be leaving the hospital. The nurses and multidisciplinary team discussed her prognosis with her, and she wanted to get her personal affairs in order first before deciding to become comfort cares.
She had great support from her neighbors. The neighbors were caring for her dogs while she was in the hospital. She stated that she was really worried about the dogs and what would happen to them after she had passed. She needed to find a person that loved them just as much as she did.
Crystal took the pictures home with permission from the patient and showed them to Crystal’s mom, J. She wanted to adopt the dogs.
When Sam took care of the patient the next day, she told her that Crystal’s mom was interested. The patient wanted Crystal’s mom to come to meet the dogs to make sure they were a compatible fit. J dropped everything and made a plan to come the next day – which included driving five hours from South Dakota and rearranging her work schedule.
The next day Sam came back to work and could tell the patient was not doing well. During the shift, she set up a time with the house supervisor and the patient’s neighbors to bring the dogs in. This would allow the patient to say her final goodbyes to the dogs. There was so much joy evident on her face, and she looked as though a weight had been lifted from her. About an hour later, J met the dogs, and it was love at first sight. The neighbors told Sam that J was a Godsend for the dogs, and they couldn’t have chosen a better person.
The following day, the patient decided to initiate comfort cares. She passed away peacefully about 12 hours after initiation. We believe that she had come to peace, knew her dogs were with a great person, and was ready to be with her husband.