Building a safe and trusting relationship with your patient is the essence of true and admirable nursing care. As the family of Patrick Barnes describes, they were awestruck by the care and compassion nurses provided to not only Patrick but the family members of all patients they saw when Patrick was hospitalized.
In our Resurrection family, our colleague, Sandra Van Derpluym is that nurse. Sandy possesses a divine sense of empathy for her patients and their loved ones. She assesses her patients, spends quality time with them, administers holistic care, possesses critical thinking skills, and ensures each patient's needs and their family's needs are met at all times.
Three occasions come to mind when describing this awesome exceptional nurse and her bedside manner. We recently had a young stroke patient, left-sided weakness with mild flaccidity. This patient and his wife, who were probably in their late 40s, were devastated. They could not believe this could happen to him and their family. Maintaining this patient's dignity was a large component of his care. As when he had an accident, he was deeply embarrassed. In his mind, he thought, "How could a man of my age have soiled the bed?" Sandy to the rescue! As she was changing the patient, she eased his mind and educated him that sometimes these things happen and it's normal. She reassured him that there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Sandy spent time with this family, educating them in the most positive ways for an excellent outcome and a positive mindset when he needed this the most. She visited him daily until discharge. During leadership rounds, his wife praised Sandy for the time she spent at the bedside. Time spent when it mattered the most. They commented that Sandy functions with her heart!
Another patient sustained stroke-like symptoms during a flight and was admitted to 4 NW. This patient was also shocked and never imagined this could happen to her. This patient was concerned that she could not arrange her flight home. Sandy to the rescue. She took 45 minutes at this patient's bedside to arrange her flight home. She took the extra time to arrange her luggage check-in and ensured the patient would not be charged for the luggage. Extraordinary nursing for sure!
Our third patient was an elderly man who was admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. After sustaining a stroke, this patient was all alone and very worried. Sandy reassured her patient and worked with the family over the phone to ease the transition into the hospital. Sandy then asked the patient's daughter to drop off photos of the family. Sandy explained that the photos would be very therapeutic. The daughter gladly dropped off the photos. Sandy taped each picture on paper, labeled them, and placed them in the patient's room to be used for his memory and comfort. The photos helped his memory and assured him that his dear family was within him. This brought joy to this patient daily. This is another success story, which without Sandy and her human touch, may not have occurred.