October 2016
Meg
Losey
,
RN, CHPN
Palliative Care
Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center
Vallejo
,
CA
United States

 

 

 

My father did not have a DNR or any other type of instructions of care on file at Kaiser should he become incompetent. His medical condition took an unexpected dive for the worst in September 2016. His kidney failed, sugar level dropped, and a host of other medical problems came to light. It was questionable if he would survive to actually receive the procedure that would allow him to go on dialysis which would allow him more time with us. She sat down with us to discuss what our options were. She was empathetic and took the time to understand our needs and desires. She wanted to get a true picture of our father's personality and how he lived his life. She expressed true interest in how he interacted with his family and life accomplishments. At no time did she project impatience or boredom as we tried to encapsulate our father's 92 years of life into a short vignette that would allow her to understand the personality of such an important man in our lives. It was essential to us that she absorbs the foundation of what we based our decisions on. We felt she truly understood what motivates us and why we decided all methods necessary should be used to prolong our father's life. We know this is something he wanted because it was something that had been discussed at length in our home when he was completely cognitive. It was a relief not to have someone in the medical profession not try to talk us out of a decision our father had made prior to admittance to Kaiser. In today's disposable society, it is a joy, pleasure, and comfort to meet someone as candid and helpful as this Meg.