My mother fell and broke her hip. She was transported by ambulance to SJ Hospital South. In the ER at South, my mother was cared for by Nurse Stephanie. Stephanie asked me: “what are your plans for your mother?” I had not even considered that, although I have been my mother’s essential caregiver for almost 10 years. It never dawned on me that a decision needed to be made until Stephanie mentioned it in a very kind and caring way. She explained that she had a personal experience with her 97-year-old Grandmother recently and shared her experiences with me. I listened to my mother, who suffers from dementia, cry out in pain for what seemed like hours. My family and I had decided at that point that we would not have her go through the surgery and would just request Hospice care for her. That is when I met hospitalists Karl Slazinksi and Kate Youngberg. They explained what life would be like for my mother if she did not have the surgery to repair her hip. They provided invaluable information and went above and beyond what I think would be necessary. With their guidance, my family and I were able to make an educated decision to allow my mother to be evaluated by the orthopedic surgeon who would approve her for surgery. She had the surgery and came out of it like the strong, woman that I know her to be. Very special kudos goes out to her nurse for the first two days, Kate, whom I believe has only been practicing for one year. Amazing, caring, and informative. If I asked a question and she did not know the answer she took the time to find out. Nothing was out of her scope.

Sarah, a nursing student, was also very helpful during that time of oh so many questions and concerns. And then, of course, there was Juan the technician who made my mother laugh every single time he entered the room. He lifted her with great care while pretending to dance with her. He made the post-operative pain almost pleasant. Juan was the one who talked me off the ledge when I thought I could not take any more. Kindness does not even begin to describe the way he does his job. He made me feel that my mother was special to him.

There are so many more people but unfortunately, I do not remember their names. Suffice it to say that the team during my mother’s stay was fabulous. A term that somehow does not seem appropriate when describing a hospital stay. Thank you.