We met Emily on our first day of hospice and were very lucky to have her as our nurse. Emily's capacity to connect with our mom as a person and patient, along with her diligent care, meant the world to her family surrounding her bedside. Our mom was the mother of seven children, and a registered nurse. She was a caregiver all her life. Emily, like our mom, embodies the qualities of a true caregiver: kindness, compassion, professionalism, and she easily earned our trust and confidence. Emily is a natural and defines what a nurse should be. In the saddest time of our lives, Emily was an enormous comfort to our family. For any nurse, dealing with such a large family could be challenging, answering questions from many people, having so many people in the room while you are trying to give meds and work around us, but Emily always worked seamlessly and showed patience and respect to our family. Not only is her warmth comforting, but her knowledge and skill as a nurse inspired our confidence and assured us our mother was getting nothing but the best while in her care. Emily's sincere loving and caring of our mother showed in her words and actions. Her excellent nursing and going above and beyond include:
-Being proactive in her care and the management of my mom's medication; never hesitating even for a moment to respond to our concerns or requests for more medication.
-Checking on my mother, and those staying with her, every hour on the nights she was with us.
-Answering all our questions patiently and thoroughly, in terms we could understand.
-Proactively providing answers to questions we didn't even know we had.
-Demonstrating her knowledge of who my mother was and expressing that she was happy she got to know her before the time came when we could no longer communicate with her.
-Massaging my mother's back, at her request, treating her with as much tender loving care as if she was her own family.
-Always calling my mom by name, and speaking to her with kindness, letting her know what she was doing as she worked, and treating her with the utmost respect.
-Helping to prepare us for what was to come, and even going as far as to switch her shifts so she could be there on that day she thought, although was not sure, out mother would pass. And that is what did indeed happen. Emily was there in our hour of greatest need.
In her brief time caring for our mom, Emily truly got to know her. In our conversations with Emily, it was clear she understood the true essence of who our mom was and cared for her as if she would her own family.
In our mother's final hours, we sought out and relied on Emily's guidance to aid us in helping her pass peacefully. Her warmth, patience, and knowledge are a gift that provided us with a loving and tranquil passage for our beloved.