Loneliness is a feeling of sadness or distress about being by yourself or feeling disconnected from the people that love you. This is the case for an elderly patient who was admitted to our unit for the management of Pneumonia. Furthermore, with the outbreak of COVID-19, the restrictions on family presence in the hospital setting have created a fertile ground for this patient to feel isolated and secluded. She is not shy about the need for companionship and being sequestered in a single occupancy room as she manifests her loneliness by continually questioning and yearning for the familiar support person who cannot visit and be with her at the bedside.
Having assessed this patient's dynamics and extraordinarily cognizant of geriatric patient care, Danielle started to plan an approach that will decrease the patient's exposure to the feeling of loneliness as this will impact her psychological well-being. She did notice the patient getting in and out of disorientation during the few shifts she was assigned to the patient. To address this, she immediately devised a care plan to hinder further patient deterioration. At the onset, she made herself available for the patient. She has been at the bedside multiple times to re-orient the patient when the patient drifts off into disorientation. She made herself available to the patient on multiple occasions to calm her, answer her questions, and reassure her. This includes holding the patient's hands when a high negative emotional level starts to build up, and anxiety sets in. The use of a calm and soft voice seems to ease the patient's anxiety.
Danielle is aware that managing separation from loved ones contributes to the feeling of isolation and increasing confusion, as such, the nurse made multiple attempts to connect with the patient's daughter but was only able to leave voice mail messages at that time. Nevertheless, the news of communication attempts with her daughter seems to lift the patient's spirit as she lights up and becomes overly conversant.
At one point, when the patient was lucid, she pointed out that the courtyard that she sees outside of her hospital room reminds her of home. At this point, it is clear that the patient has been yearning for the things that she was accustomed to and wanted for some familiarity. This brought to the discussion of things that matters to her. She mentioned that she had a stuffed dog with some black spots on it. Realizing the importance of the patient's request to her recuperation, Danielle made all efforts to find a toy dog that she could give to the patient. With some initiative and persistence, the nurse was able to ascertain that a toy dog was available for sale in the gift shop. She immediately bought the stuffed animal and happily announced the surprise present to the patient. The patient was ecstatic and overwhelmed by the gesture. The patient even verbalized that the unit has slowly become a home for her. She was complimentary of the courtyard's view, with the brick wall and her stuffed dog watching her as she recuperated from her sickness.
Such is the power of compassionate care. Danielle's capacity to look past the patient's physical symptoms and be creative in addressing the patient's psychological distress speaks volumes on how small gestures and actions can change the patient's disposition. On the discharge date, the patient was back to her baseline. She hugged her stuffed dog tightly as she was wheeled out of the hospital doors back to the waiting embrace of her family members. She only has great things to say about the care she received from her care providers, but particular words of thanks were given to the nurse who made extraordinary accommodations for her during her stay in the hospital, Danielle.