Kelly was the nurse with me who helped care for two elderly patients. Both of these patients were deaf and nearly blind with early dementia. They also were evicted from their house and brought to the ER because there was nowhere else for them to go.
This elderly couple had lived together for over 25 years and had to be placed in the same treatment room because they did not want to be separated. Kelly assigned herself to the care of these patients because she can understand ASL. She spent several hours speaking to these patients and family on the phone to coordinate and advocate for their best care possible. She stayed an hour after her shift to help interpret for the hospitalist because their vision was too poor to use the video interpreter.
Kelly's actions should be acknowledged and celebrated as everything we strive for in nurses at VMC.