My husband had a heart attack. Both of us were shocked and a little confused about how that could happen. I know my husband was feeling a little depressed that his body had "let him down" in this way. Without even having to ask, our nurse Brianne sat down with us and calmly went over all the risk factors for heart attack and helped us see that his family history was probably a big contributor. She just knew what we needed to talk about and led us through it in such a reassuring way. I know she made me feel better, and I think she helped my husband a lot too.
Later, she had to assist my husband get his socks on and walk to the bathroom. She could sense that he felt uneasy about needing so much help, and she said "You are vulnerable right now, and I'm helping you. It's not humiliating." Again, it was just what we needed to hear. Many nurses give excellent medical care, but Brianne's ability to help us emotionally with this traumatic event was really above and beyond.