Ann brings a great deal of passion, compassion and knowledge to the unit. She has a soft spot for patients who have a diagnosed illness, education barriers and the geriatric population. Ann does a great job getting to know the patients and their family members which allows her to pick up on potential needs that they may experience on discharge and shares this information with the care coordinator to help make discharge a smooth and safe process.
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A diabetic patient who had trouble learning and functioning in the community was being discharged home. He had been on the unit for several weeks and was having a hard time knowing how much insulin to take and when to take it, which had been an issue in the past. Ann found pictures of the boxes that the insulin came in and pasted them on a worksheet for the patient that included the time of day that he should take each medication. Ann laminated the copy so he could write and change, if needed, the amounts of each type of insulin he was taking.
Ann also brought this same patient an Origami book to help pass the time of his 6-week hospitalization since he really enjoyed making things and working with his hands.
Ann has also created and brought in items from home to assist patients with delirium and dementia related behaviors. These items engage tactile and sensory skills to reduce agitation and aggression. To encourage others to "Take 5", Ann recently initiated a white board "Rock Star" project, which encourages staff to fill out the white boards in each patient room so we can know our patients and family members better.