In late April, the patient was admitted to the hospital in Eau Claire for a hip injury. She received a medication that caused her mental status to change. "On May 2, we arrived at the hospital to find [my mom] completely confused and unable to complete a sentence," she says. "We were so worried. This was a huge change in her condition."
Dawn assessed the patient by conducting a head-to-toe assessment, explaining each step to her and her family. She asked the patient questions such as, "Do you know what day it is?" If the patient became confused, she asked the same question, but in a different way, instead asking, "What are the day and the month today?" The daughter says that Dawn was patient in finding a way to assess her mother's mental status in a way that made sense to her. She says that Dawn remained unhurried and careful. "She was thorough, calm and confident, and that calmness helped us become calm, too," she says. "We were afraid. Dawn made us feel our mom was in great hands."
According to the family, Dawn kept the family informed of the patient's care. Dawn described what she was doing, what procedures took place, what medications contributed to the patient's confusion and which doctors she had consulted with. With Dawn's help, she was able to recover from her injury.
"Receiving the DAISY Award is an amazing feeling that I will never forget," Dawn says. "As all nurses would tell you, I was just doing my job. It means a lot to me that a patient and her family took the time to write a beautiful letter about the care that I provided."