January 2024
Michelle
McCormack
,
RN
South 3
Mount Auburn Hospital
Cambridge
,
MA
United States
Michelle was critical to the smooth transition back to his group home Monday afternoon when his regular staff was able to be with him through dinner and bedtime.
My 50-year-old son has a developmental delay, is independent, and lives in a group home that doesn't have 24-hour staff. My son was in extreme pain after overdoing it on an exercise bike Wed AM. I was in and out of the hospital with him from Wed afternoon until discharge Monday afternoon. I was extremely worried about the abrupt news from a doctor (we saw multiple docs, PTs, and nurses) that he needed to be discharged Sat, or Sunday or at the latest Monday. I was able to see the kind of progress I needed to be assured he would be discharged to a safe environment. It turns out he had a muscle spasm incident, which, happily, can be resolved more quickly than other possible issues. I received no detailed information on this situation or the medications he was on. This was all over the long Thanksgiving weekend, and I appreciate how staff can be stretched at these times. No one offered to give him a shower when he finally began to be able to move about more comfortably until Michelle arrived Monday AM. She patiently heard my concerns about his abilities, assisted him with a shower, and coordinated communication with the MD, PT, and case manager such that I was comfortable with the improvement in his sleeping and movement I saw in the AM for an afternoon discharge. She was critical to the smooth transition back to his group home Monday afternoon when his regular staff was able to be with him through dinner and bedtime. He's a happy camper this second "day after." I am 82 and convinced Michelle was as helpful to me as she was to my son (who just wanted to get "out of there") to make his discharge smooth and reassuring, i.e., she "nursed" me as well as my son