My husband, T, was a patient in the Senior Behavioral Health Unit at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph for one week. This was a very difficult situation for me as I am his full-time caregiver and I worried about his being away from me and his home surroundings.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I wasn’t even allowed to accompany him from the emergency room to the unit and the visiting hours were very limited. When I went to see him the next day I was able to communicate with the staff about how he did his first night there. The nurse who took care of him who really stood out for me is Corina.

When I visited my husband, Corrina was right there with him and other patients, in the hallway, sitting and talking to them, getting to know them as best she could, considering their communication skills, and getting information she could use to care for them. During the time my husband was there and she was his nurse, she was always available to give me a report about how he was doing, if he was eating, if he was participating or not, and which medication he had been given, and if they were effective. This was very reassuring during this difficult week of having him there.

She even helped me to communicate with one of his physicians while I was there one day, which was helpful. It was very evident that Corina was really invested in loving service to her patients in what I could tell was a difficult work situation with dementia patients. She was a good listener and addressed my concerns. She was very knowledgeable about her field of nursing.