My 86 year old grandmother was a patient on 3S with a broken spine. Limited with what pain medications she could take and trying to get her alert enough to complete PT, she was only prescribed Tylenol for pain. It is horrible watching someone you love in agony. Someone who has endured many hardships through her life and is, hands down, the strongest person I know. I will never be able to put into words what Amanda did for us that day. We had spent hours watching Grams in agony. When Amanda came in she recognized the caregiver burn out in my parents, aunts, and uncles, and the pain my grandma was in and jumped into action. My grandma was trying to get into a position where she was comfortable so she was trying to pull herself up toward the rail to find relief. Amanda sat in the bed with her for over an hour holding her in a position to alleviate some of her pain. It was the first time she had stopped crying all day. While Amanda did this she talked to my dad and his sisters and brothers to help calm their stress, she gave advice and listened to them when they told her how hard this was on all of us. Amanda was so empathetic and caring. She became a member of our family that day. As Amanda took the time to listen she was also thinking of ways to help. She suggested we talk to the physician about the possibility of a fentanyl patch at a low dose to relieve the pain and still allow her to be awake for PT. Her ability to troubleshoot and think outside the box worked and within hours the patch was on and providing some relief.
Amanda went above and beyond for my grams and our family. She realized that this mother of 7, grandmother of 12, and great grandmother of 11 was more than just another patient. The caring nature of everyone on 3S was amazing. At her suggestion, we started rotating who was staying at the hospital at night to give everyone time away to de-stress and regroup. Every night that I stayed we had world-class care. Amanda would take the time and go over everything with me from the previous day and explain in a way, that this non-clinical minded person would understand. I know she was busy, with a full unit and in the middle of a Joint Commission Survey, but if I hadn't been an employee you would have never known. You would have thought my Grams was the only patient they had. I will never be able to repay her kindness and generosity, but I will be forever grateful for Amanda and the staff on 3S. They were truly blessings tour family. Amanda is an Extraordinary Nurse and her kindness and compassion make her remarkable.