Laura Rich
September 2021
Laura
Rich
,
BSN, RN, CCRN
ICU
Parker Adventist Hospital
Parker
,
CO
United States
Laura made the painful experience of my father's sudden death feel like it was happening at a human pace; one that took into consideration my dad's wishes.
Laura cared for my father and our family, during the last days of his life, following a catastrophic head injury. Her compassionate care was demonstrated in the way she thoroughly completed her nursing tasks, while over a dozen family members took turns saying their goodbyes and praying with my father. Depending on who was in the room, she offered to explain what she was doing, what the monitors were displaying, or the extent of my father's injuries to each new visitor, while also being able to either wait or quietly enter the room and allow the family to grieve and pray without disturbing them. Her inclusion of my siblings and our mom/stepmom in the decision-making process gave us the opportunity to choose supportive measures that allowed his closest family to make it to his bedside before he passed, and also permitted us to all be around him as he took his final breaths. The supportive environment we experienced in Parker Adventist Hospital's ICU, and Laura Rich's nursing care, in particular, made the painful experience of my father's sudden death feel like it was happening at a human pace; one that took into consideration my dad's wishes, his most important relationships, and religious beliefs, as well as giving him the best possible medical care for his injuries. Laura gave us trust in the neurologist, made sure we had all the information we needed, repeating herself frequently without any sign of impatience, and made us all feel that there was a place for us to pay our final respects in our own way. As a gift from the ICU staff, Laura collected fingerprints from my father, with the help of one of my sister's oldest friends, who is also a longtime nurse. She presented this gift, along with a readout of his ECG heart readouts, one for each of his children and one for his wife, along with a sympathy card from the entire staff. Lastly, she permitted my sister and me to remain in the room with my father's body until transport was ready.