On Saturday, my older sister was transported via ambulance to the WMC Emergency Department for aspirating /choking on her dinner. M is 44 years old and has Down's syndrome. Additionally, she has terrible spinal issues that have led to five major surgeries over the course of the last decade. She lives with pain every day of her life.
On the night of her admission, she was having a particularly painful day. While she was eating she had a back spasm, which caused her to suck in air and with it a large bite of risotto. She has a history of choking and when she wasn't able to right herself after a few minutes my parents called for an ambulance, fearing that she would pass out. My sister and I were called to join her at the hospital to offer our support, as she was completely hysterical and the back pain made it impossible for her to sit in a comfortable position. I'm sure she about cleared the ED with her screams.
Michelle was the first person I met when I arrived. She was in the room rubbing M's back and talking to her gently, trying to calm her down. She told me she had been there when M was brought in and her heart completely sunk. It was like she was reading my thoughts entirely. Michelle stayed with her through the IV placement, which was probably the most dramatic she had ever seen, as M is so scared of needles and tubes. She kept focused on M and tried to keep her from getting more hysterical.
Once the IV was in place and pain medication had been administered, M was able to relax a bit. Michelle checked back in on us continually, offering a bright smile, a kind word, and a pat on the back through it all. After M's chest x-ray was complete and read Michelle took it upon herself to reach out to the GI unit to get an ice cream cup for M. It just put her over the moon! She had a really bad evening, but that ice cream picked her up and put a smile back on her face. Michelle took the time to think about how she could help to brighten M's day and she did it!!
Part of my role in the Organizational Development Department is to facilitate our General Orientation. In class, we talk to our new hires about the AIDET Model and the Language of Caring and how they can make a big impact in the lives of our patients and their families. I was so impressed to see Michelle model those behaviors in every interaction. She truly went out of her way to connect with M and every one of the family members in the room. We could feel her caring and it was so helpful calming our frayed nerves. She is an asset to the ED and our organization.