A pleasant elderly patient with dementia eloped out of the ED when the patient's caregiver left the bedside. The caregiver did not inform anyone they were leaving and in a matter of 15 min, the patient had eloped. Nobody would ever guess this sweet, smiling, and pleasant patient had severe dementia. The proper people were informed of the disappearance. Ashley was driving home after her shift at 0330 and gave me a call about a woman who fit the description walking near the park. She stopped her car and discovered this was the patient we have been looking for. She stayed with the patient and assisted by driving her back to the ED. The possible negative outcomes that could have happened to the patient were avoided due to Ashley's quick thinking and awareness of her surroundings. The patient was immediately brought back, and the daughter of the patient was very grateful to Ashley for her selflessness and bravery to help her mother. Ashley went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the safety of the patient.
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Since Ashley came to work with us in our department, she has been consistently a hard worker, team player, and has treated our patients like her own family. Most recently Ashley found a dementia patient who wandered away from our hospital on her way home from work. As she slowed, she recognized the person as a patient who wandered out of hospital. Ashley immediately called the hospital and brought the patient back for continued treatment. Not many people would slow down while driving home alone at 3am in the morning to see if a stranger needed help. This is who Ashley is as our nurse and as a person outside of our facility. She is a great example of someone who deserves to be recognized with the DAISY Award.