Leslie Stagner consistently introduces herself and provides daily acknowledgment to veterans by name, who pass by her office, come in to visit or to whom she encounters when making rounds to each veteran care area. She provided emotional and physical support by sitting with and comforting a woman who just lost her husband on the hospice unit. This woman did not have other family or friends present to provide her support at this initial time of grief.
She advocates for veterans and theirsupportpersons in the weekly Tahoe unit interdisciplinary team meetings. She consistently assures the veterans' pain, emotional, psychosocial needs are addressed and acts as a resource to assist those veterans and their family and other support persons to understand and navigate through the Veteran's Affairs Health Care System.
Leslie provided ongoing emotional support to a female middle-aged veteran who sustained a stroke shortly after relocating to the Bay Area. This veteran has limited financial reserves and was dealing with being homeless and without family and friend support.
Leslie interacts with veterans who have dementia and/or challenging behaviors to assist them in feeling safe in the CLC/CREC care setting, by trying to engage them in meaningful activities to enhance their quality of life, minimize their elopement risk and to reduce the risk of risky or dangerous behaviors. She assists one-on-one companions, through the demonstration of effective communication and interactions to better care for veterans who are at risk for elopement or exhibiting behavioral outbursts and risky behaviors. She initiated a room change, on a busy evening shift, at the request of the veteran who was exhibiting high anxiety as he was in a room without direct visual access to the hallway. This action required a concerted team effort and time by many nursing staff to move all of his bariatric equipment, including a special overhead lift, special bed, wheelchair, and his personal property.