A condition C was called for a 103-year-old woman. She was alert all evening and became unresponsive and unfortunately, her code status had not been addressed. Obviously, there was not anything that we could or should have done for her, so the responding physician called the family and ordered her to comfort measures. Jeanette was in charge and was already in the room helping.
Death was inevitable and most of the staff had never had a patient in this situation. Everyone was uncomfortable, wanted to do more and more for the patient and I just said, the best thing you can do is not let her die alone. Then Jeanette asked if she could say a prayer. She held the patient's hand and prayed for her and her family. A very personal prayer, not generic. The woman passed peacefully, both of her hands held, in a room of people praying for her. It was a beautiful moment to be part of, as it is always an honor to be a with someone at the end.
So, I want to commend Jeanette for speaking up and voicing what we were all thinking. She did a great job as the charge nurse and an even better job as a role model. The entire staff did a wonderful job.