James Ford had a patient who had been with us for nearly a month, critically ill, intubated, unresponsive and alone. This patient had no visitors. He had a sister but she never came to see him.
It finally came to the point where decisions had to be made. The sister either needed to have the patient given comfort measure and withdraw care or trach/peg and send him to a facility. After speaking to the doctor the sister made the decision to make the patient comfort measures only/hospice and withdraw care. James contacted the sister to confirm her decision to withdraw care and asked her if she wanted him to wait until she got there to remove his ventilator, she told him that she would not be coming.
James said that his plan was to withdraw care on the patient. A short time later I was looking for James to ask a question about his other patient but was not able to find him. James wasn't at his usual perch right in front of the patient's room. I noticed the curtain pulled closed in the patient's room thinking the patient had already passed away. When I looked in what I saw brought tears to my eyes. James was sitting in the room holding the patient's hand, gently wiping his forehead. He looked at me and said "I just couldn't let him die alone" and he stayed with the patient as his heart rate continued to drop and finally asystole.
James represents the facilities vision "Patients & Families are our Purpose" and is a true representation of a DAISY Nurse; please join me in congratulating James Ford.