I am the legal guardian of my sister, S, who is severely mentally and physically disabled. She is non-verbal and had no understanding of what was going on. I bought her there for non-stop vomiting and severe diarrhea. Daniel was assigned as her nurse. This man was outstanding in all areas. He realized almost immediately how impacted S is, and definitely acted accordingly. He spoke in a soft, reassuring voice to S. He had to draw blood and start an IV. He did so slowly, taking all the time he needed to make sure he could access her vein with one stick. This meant the world to me as she is historically not a one stick patient. More often than not, a vein finder is required to get an accurate stick. Daniel did not need one. He took his time, spoke in a kind tone and this enabled S to remain calm and not move, allowing Daniel to collect blood samples for the lab and start the IV she badly needed. Daniel had to straight-cath S to get urine as she is incontinent. During the procedure, he apologized to her if she jumped, and got the cath in and out as quickly as he could. Again, his calm voice and demeanor went a long way towards keeping her calm, even if he didn't realize that.
When we arrived, the ER was a madhouse. Bays all full, beds lined up in the hallway of the ER. He checked on her several times while taking care of other patients, and he kept us fully informed of what was coming next. He was truly a pleasure to work with. We have been to ERs all over the state with S. Most nurses come in, do what they need to do and usually pay absolutely no attention to S by speaking to her or even just having a calm voice. Daniel highly impressed me. I've been a caregiver for over 40 years, and this is the third time I've ever wanted to recognize a staff member because he was just that good and was that good to my sister.
Knowing that he was dealing with a severely mentally disabled patient, he was smart enough to keep his tone low and his demeanor calm. He did nothing twice, as there was no need to. When he came to do something, he was fully prepared to start and would continue until he was finished.
Someone like S has no concept of the fact that the ER staff is there to help her. The ER is a frightening environment for someone like her. Lots of movement, lots of people, lots of noise. When Daniel was with S, it felt like S was the only patient in the hospital. He remained very focused on her, how she was responding to his actions and knew he would get the job done.
S does not cooperate very well at times. She kept throwing her arm off the side of the gurney and letting it hang. He spent at least 5 minutes on his knees on the ER floor trying to palpate a vein. He was far more interested in S's comfort than his own. I would consider that to be selfless, particularly from a care provider who has never met her before. That really resonated with me. Daniel certainly deserves to be recognized for his actions. Speaking as a 40+ year caregiver, Daniel is an excellent caregiver and Bassett is lucky to have him on the staff.