There was a patient in SCU who is normally cared for at another hospital. Because there were no beds at that facility, the patient came to PBMC. This patient suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was 17 which left him in a vegetative state. He had been cared for at home by his mother for over 25 years. Occasionally, he suffered infections that required hospitalization.
During report, the SCU nurses were told that the patient's mother was extremely difficult and hard to please. Amy began to create a plan to take care of the patient and his family. She planned to use the mother as a resource for the patient's care and to provide the care the same way the patient's mother did. At one point, when Amy was trying to include the mother, the mother asked her, "Don't you even know how to do that?" Amy patiently explained that it was her desire to do it the way it was done at home.
Even though the patient's condition did not require 1:1 care, the demands of the mother could not be met any other way. Amy struggled to provide the best possible care to this patient. Despite several frustrating episodes, some of them so upsetting they induced her to tears, Amy, like the prize fighter she is, kept going back into the ring for the patient. She cared for him for 2-days until the patient was safely discharged back home.
Not realizing she had made such a difference, Amy was surprised when the patient's mother called a week later. The mother shared that the patient was doing well and the family had chosen to explore Hospice for end-of-life care. She wanted to express her gratitude to all of the nurses for their care, but most especially to Amy for her exemplary care. She offered to bring lunch to the staff as a token of her appreciation. She brought in two big bags of Chinese food that was heartily enjoyed by all.