Yesterday, we had a patient in the Same Day Surgery who was here for testing because of poor perfusion to their legs and weeping wounds on his lower extremity. The patient told the staff he has been “sick” for a while, but he has had to cancel his last few appointments due to other hardships like transportation, etc. During his admission assessment, Abby gained the information that the patient had brought his mother, who had dementia, with him to the hospital but that he had left her in the car because she refused to come in. The patient was concerned about his mom but said he knew he had to get this procedure done today. 

After his admission was completed, Abby asked the patient for a description of his car and told him she would go check on his mother. Abby went to the car, spoke with the mother, and convinced her to come inside. She assisted the lady to her son’s room and assured the patient that she would check on the situation at hand. The patient and his mom were placed in a room near the nurse’s station for a consistent visual in case a need arose. 

While the patient was off the unit for his test, food and drink were taken to his mom. Later, the patient expressed his appreciation for the kindness shown to his mother and said he was so glad he was able to get his procedure done, knowing his mom was “safe.” 

Abby demonstrated compassion in caring for both the patient and his mother. This is not a one-time event for Abby. Compassionate care is a consistent attribute and yesterday was just an example of the behavior we get to witness from her every day.