April 2024
Hailey
Hensley
,
RN
Cardiac
Cookeville Regional Medical Center
Cookeville
,
TN
United States
I was so happy every morning when Hailey showed up, relieved to know that my dad would be have an outstanding nurse over seeing his day and giving him outstanding care.
My 96-year-old father was admitted to the hospital after passing out at the dinner table. He also has dementia and a few other conditions (e.g. significant hearing loss). Hailey took amazing care of him, as I’m sure all DAISY nominees do for their patients. But aside from her outstanding skills as a nurse, there were some things that made Hailey stand out. First, I was SO impressed at the minute details that Hailey knew and remembered about my father. For example: One morning the doctor mentioned that the monitor showed Dad’s heart rate was low, dipping to 30 bpm at some points. Hailey came into the room right after the doctor left and I mentioned the 30 bpm: her response was, “That’s happened twice since he’s been here” and proceeded to name the day and time that each one happened! Then she gave us a summary of what his range tended to be, where it hovered, and what it increased to when he was agitated. And, she did it all in patient and family-friendly language, not a lot of technical terms. In another instance, my dad didn’t remember why he was there and asked Hailey. She reminded him he had slumped over at the dinner table. He asked her how he’d gotten there (“An ambulance brought you here.”) I didn’t even know those details were part of his record, much less that she’d remember them days later. Second, she treated him with such respect. She spoke loudly enough that he could hear her, but didn’t yell at him. She spoke slowly enough that he could understand her, but not so slowly that it seemed insulting. She always spoke to him as an equal, not with the condescending or childlike language that some people use when talking to people with dementia, calling them ‘Sweetie’ or ‘Honey’, etc. And she used just the right number of words—not too wordy to lose his attention and not so short that she left out information. Finally, she was super engaged with us, the family, more than just keeping us updated on his status. She asked us a lot of questions about my dad and his/our preferences about the little details that seem small but make such a difference in someone’s comfort or attitude. She checked on us to see if we needed anything. I was so happy every morning when Hailey showed up, relieved to know that my dad would be have an outstanding nurse over seeing his day and giving him outstanding care.