Dad was admitted to 7C on December 30th after a short stay at rehab. At the age of 86 years old, he went from taking care of his wife and his home to suddenly not being able to walk or barely move his legs. He declined very quickly and was having a lot of pain and suffering when he was admitted. The first night he was there, he was very agitated and moaning. Anita Pence made arrangements for him to be moved to a private room, which made it not only better for him, but for the patient in the next bed as well.
Both Anita and Cathy Schultz were great resources for us as things were progressing, and all of the nurses, PCTs and HUCs were extremely helpful. Over the next several days, he progressively declined and we realized that we were going to lose him. We had him admitted to Hospice, but I requested that he stay on 7C because of the wonderful care and kindness he (and we) had been shown.
This was an exceptionally hectic and busy time in the hospital and the staff was so very busy. We knew how hard everyone was working to keep up with the busy pace on the floor, but you would never know at the bedside that they were on overload when you asked anything of them. No matter what the request, it was met with kindness, compassion, and action. The hospice protocol demanded that dad be given frequent medications to help him with the extreme agitation and discomfort he was going through. It was painful for our family to see him suffer and the staff was very in tune with managing his pain to keep him as comfortable as possible.
On several days, Cathy Schultz took him as her assignment to be able to give him the added care, which was so truly appreciated. We had several conversations with Cathy and were so comforted by her support and understanding of what we all were going through, and especially what dad was experiencing. Every single staff member that we connected with was exceptionally kind, compassionate and helpful.
With dad's agitation, he needed constant repositioning and changing. He really gave your amazing PCTs a run for their money. I saw Andrea Franco (the manager) on the unit one evening and shared how appreciative we were of the great care dad was receiving. She acknowledged how busy they had been and how tired everyone was from the last several weeks of a very full house, and she shared with great pride how hard-working, dedicated and extraordinary her staff is. We all agree…they truly are deserving of a DAISY Team Award.