My 94 year old mom was in the hospital for more than two weeks following surgery for a broken ankle. She came through the operation just fine, but struggled with severe post-surgery delirium and dementia. This made my normally pleasant and caring mom difficult for the nurses to work with as she became combative and was very disoriented and confused. While all of the nursing staff at Confluence were impressive and hard working, Dawn stood out through the extraordinary care she provided to my mom. She took the time to get to know my mom by sharing stories about herself which helped my mom to open up and trust her. She was genuinely interested in what my mom had to say. Because my mom trusted her, she had much more success than the other nurses in getting my mom to eat/drink, take her meds and keep calm. She was also very patient and persistent when working with my mom. She recognized that my mom needed uninterrupted rest more than anything and talked with the doctor about her concerns. This resulted in the posting of a "do not disturb" sign on my mom's door. As a result of getting a couple of good, uninterrupted nights of sleep, my mom's condition improved significantly. Dawn is definitely an advocate for the patient and is not afraid to make suggestions and challenge the status quo if she believes the patient might be better served. Her compassion for my mom, and I assume all of her patients, is truly impressive.

My mom was always happy to see her and made great strides in her recovery as a result of Dawns dedication, and caring and positive approach. She was suffering from post operative dementia and having an extremely difficult time communicating with us - a marked change from her condition prior to breaking her leg. During this ordeal there are a lot of unknowns around the recovery of a 94 year old patient and no one-size-fits-all solution. After several difficult days and nights, some requiring anti-psychotic drugs, Dawn was assigned to take care of my mom. In a matter of 24-48 hours she had assessed my mom's condition and I believe at that time was the only one to thoroughly understand her condition. She did this through a combination of really listening to my mom, observing her behavior, evaluating the night nursing reports, and listening to the family about the before and after conditions. While that all sounds like standard operating procedure, what made me want to nominate Dawn for this award was what happened next and over the ensuing extended hospital stay. Armed with a thorough and personal understanding of my mom's condition, rather than passively going along with the status quo, Dawn synthesized a comprehensive set of parameters that she determined were needed in order for my mom to regain her health. This included her diet, meds (incl. quantity, dosage, frequency and timing), sleep needs, and daily movement. She then became a fearless advocate for her during conferences with the Dr. on rounds, and with other staff including the hand-off to other shifts and even the food-service in tweaking her meal preparation. As a result, my mom has continued to improve every day since Dawn took charge of her care. This could not have been accomplished by simply going through the motions. Dawn made a personal connection with my mom, she treated her with the utmost respect, maintained a light hearted and sweet disposition while giving her essential, life affirming care, feeding her, etc. And while I don't think required, she also made sure she was lifted into the chair each day and gave her several full showers even though she could not walk or stand on her own. Through all of this I spent many hours in the room and each time Dawn entered and said hello my mom lit up - they really had formed a special relationship. I believe it is this amazing combination of patient and authentic relationship building, 360 degree evaluation of a patient's needs, and strong advocacy for her patients throughout the organization that ultimately makes Dawn so special and a great candidate for The DAISY Award. Thank you for considering this nomination of Dawn- she is simply amazing and my mom would not be where she is today without her incredible level of care!