Health care is challenging at the best of times and an unexpected hospitalization can be difficult, not only for the patient but for their family. Especially when 4 of the 5 of us live out of state. I'm the only one who lives in Wisconsin and lives about 90 minutes from La Crosse. I wanted to share with the leadership team at Franciscan Mayo how pleased I was with the care our mother received while a patient on the 7th floor. It started with Dr. Mallett, Emily, and Anna at the Sparta Clinic who recognized that Mother needed a higher level of care than could be provided either at home or at St. Mary's. The arrangements they made for Mother to be admitted while we drove to La Crosse meant that we walked through the door and were taken up to the 7th floor where Luke and Ty greeted her. The first thing I saw on her whiteboard was "Welcome!" along with the names of her nurses, tech and doctors for the rest of the shift. By the time I re-parked the car and returned they had her settled in, chatting, taking her vitals, etc., in a manner which made her feel comfortable and at ease. Rather than having five different people calling the unit to get updates from the nurse or doctor, my mother agreed with my suggestion to just have one of us check in. I have to say, each time I called the unit I either spoke directly to her nurse or was told I'd receive a call back with an update. Mother kept track of all the people who cared for her (I believe her list is upwards of 60 people), and while I obviously didn't speak with each and every one of them, the staff I spoke to either over the phone or in person answered questions I may have had and more. Even Dr. Matt graciously did not correct either Mother or me when we called him Dr. Mike for 3 days. We faced some challenges with the arrangements we thought were set with the Morrow Home, none of which had anything to do with Mayo. Being able to share with the Mayo team what was transpiring, what our plan was and how we might need them to help with the transition, helped us tremendously. When Mother expressed her desire to be discharged to her home pending the arrangements, the 7th floor team not only made it possible but easy from my perspective. When I told her nurse she wanted to be discharged Monday and what would I need to do for that to happen, he said it was not a problem. Her discharge was as smooth as her admission had been. My brother, handling the Morrow Home admission, arranged for the staff at the Morrow Home to speak with Mother's social worker, Cathy, first thing Monday morning. When she could not answer some medical questions, she had Dr. Evensen follow up. With two phone calls, the concerns Morrow Home had about Mother's condition were resolved, and she moved into her apartment. I'm happy to say she's settling in, finding that her red walker works so much better when she doesn't have to walk down six steps and figure out how to get it out of the shed, and is enjoying being able to get outside and socialize. Her care at Mayo made that possible. I would love to nominate all her nurses for The DAISY Award. I asked Mother if any nurse stood out and she said she couldn't single one out above the rest. They all did an amazing job caring for her! I would like to nominate the unit for this recognition. Thank you for the work all of you. While you may say it is in the scope of care you provide, Mother's care team on the 7th floor exemplified the true meaning of patient centered care. Quite simply, they rock!