Recently, there was a veteran with dementia on unit 3 East. The patient was agitated and requiring a sitter. A member of the medical team informed the nurses that the patient used to be a piano teacher for 50+ years and suggested taking him to the lobby to play the piano. Holly MacIntyre was his nurse and along with other staff, took him downstairs to play the piano.
The patient immediately sat down and played beautiful music from memory. He began to smile sweetly with his eyes closed. The Medical Center Director happened to be walking by at the same time. Holly and the Assistant Nurse Manager asked him if it was possible to have the piano temporarily relocated to 3 East while the veteran was inpatient to help ease his agitation. The facility Director agreed and asked the Environmental Management Service to take the piano upstairs. The Assistant Chief and a supervisor of the service personally brought the piano up for the patient. The patient played for them and said thank you. The veteran could be without a sitter and showed decreased signs of anxiety and agitation during his stay after the piano was available to him. He played beautifully several times a day and every time he sat down, the music flowed from memory while he had a smile on his face.
Holly always goes above and beyond for her patients and the above is just one example of working with the team to do what is best for the patient. Recently, she also made a doll out of a towel for a female veteran with dementia. The patient loved the "baby" and held it almost the entire day. It helped calm her. Holly is always looking for ways to go above and beyond for her patients, thinking outside the box. She shows sincere compassion each and every day. She demonstrates all the ICARE values but truly lives out commitment, advocacy, and respect in her daily practice and in the examples listed above.