I would like to nominate Michele Blomeke, RN for a DAISY Award. Our case managers here at Martin have their hands full overseeing every discharge and upcoming discharge. They are extremely busy.
A few weeks ago, I watched Michele stop in her tracks to do everything she could to care for and be with an elderly patient that was dying and had lost most awareness. Our patient had undergone a rapid decline and her family did not live locally. She was having difficulty breathing and had previously put in place documents to "Allow a Natural Death". Michele repositioned our patient, making her more comfortable and making it easier for her to breathe. She did as much work as she could from the patient's room so that she would not be alone. She sat with the patient. She called physicians and frantically tried to find a hospice nurse that might be able to come in on such short notice so late in the day.
The most touching part of all was watching her call our patient's family members, one by one, and hold the phone up to the patient's ear so that they could each say goodbye. Our patient's granddaughter will never forget having that opportunity.
Michele is a special nurse that goes above and beyond every day. Our patients, their families, and our staff are so very lucky to have her.