SW was a patient in our hospital for over 100 days and she suffered multiple complications during her stay. She spent considerable time in the ICU, on and off the vent. She eventually down-graded and was moved to the 4th floor. It was then that Regina provided care to Ms. S and developed a close connection. Regina laughed with her, spoke to her like a family member, and even spent several hours one afternoon after her work was completed, cleaning, combing, and braiding Ms. S's hair. After Regina gave Ms. S this spa-like treatment, Ms. S slept soundly and peacefully. The connection was so close that Ms. S would sometimes get Regina confused with a family member and refer to her as another name.
Eventually, a point was reached in Ms. S's journey when it became evident efforts to sustain her life were only prolonging Ms. S's suffering and delaying the inevitable. The family had been approached by physicians regarding hospice care, but the family had a hard time understanding and making that choice. With Ms. S's best interest in mind, Regina called the granddaughter making decisions on her behalf. Regina spoke plainly, frankly, and with compassion. As a result, the granddaughter agreed to a family meeting with the interdisciplinary care team. Even though it was her day off, Regina attended the meeting to help the granddaughter understand as promised. Regina was able to relay the information from the interdisciplinary team that allowed the granddaughter and the family to find peace with choosing hospice care and comfort measures. Regina stayed with the granddaughter as she signed papers regarding this decision. Then, she bought the granddaughter lunch and arranged for the granddaughter to have 4 meal vouchers from the cafeteria so that the granddaughter would have meals to eat as she spent time with her grandmother during the final days.
Regina's selfless compassion, generosity, and empowering honesty gave the family the strength to allow Ms. S to pass with dignity. She is certainly a DAISY Nurse.