We visit and care for many patients in diverse settings. One of our more challenging patients is a resident of a Skilled Nursing Facility in Petaluma. He was a difficult to manage outpatient for Petaluma Health Care as well as a frequent ER patient at PVH. He was homeless, wheelchair bound, alcohol and drug dependent. He has multiple wounds, due to neglect/poor nutrition and his difficult personality. Other staff at Hospice state "he is hard to be with" let alone manage his horrible wounds.

Enter Erica, full of compassion, excellent wound care training and willingness to care for a most difficult and disenfranchised, ungrateful human. Three times a week she goes to the SNF and performs 90 or more minutes of intensive wound care and dressing applications. When I ask her "how did it go?" she responds "He was less nasty today", "his wounds look better" or "he really needs our care."

I would like to thank Erica who continues to enter a difficult space, deal with anger, rage and horrendously rude behavior on her mission to care for the least worthy, the most needy with love and compassion. It makes me think of Mother Teresa.