We had a patient who had a stroke and as a result, now suffers from hemiplegia. The patient became depressed and only spoke a few words at most. The staff had been unable to locate the family from the information in the chart. While Liz was helping the patient to eat, he made a comment about wanting to see his mom. Liz took the opportunity to ask questions that would help to find his family.
After lunch, Liz searched the internet and came up with a phone number. Multiple attempts were made to communicate with the person on the other end of the line, but no one spoke, we could only hear people talking in the background. Finally, we received a call from the patient's father. He had no idea his son was in the hospital and was in a hurry to hang up and be on his way from Tacoma. Liz asked the man if we could transfer his call into the patient's room so his son could hear his voice. I was so privileged to witness every moment, including the conversation that happened when we transferred the call.
Liz walked into the room and told the patient we had gotten ahold of his father and that he was on the phone. For the first time since being on our unit, the patient showed emotion and began to sob. The phone was placed to his ear and the two communicated. None of this would have been possible had Liz not taken the time to search for this patient's family. I am so blessed to work with such a caring and compassionate nurse.