Ellen took care of my husband on the Fifth Floor West at Swedish Edmonds for 6 days. He had been admitted into ER for a psychiatric evaluation after punching a caregiver in his Memory Care facility. My husband has late-stage Alzheimer’s, is very hard of hearing, and is almost non-communicative. He also has almost total lack of insight as to his condition. So, from this point of view, has no idea why he is in the hospital. He also doesn't follow directions, doesn't understand hospital procedures, thinks everyone is trying to kill him, the list goes on and on. After 4 days in ER, because there really wasn't anywhere else to put him, (there was no way his Memory Care facility was going to take him back), he was finally admitted to the hospital to the 5th floor West.

Ellen was the first person who was able to see someone other than a danger and really started to think through what might be going on with him. Obviously, the medications were not working. The behaviors were escalating. He is strong, and he swings when startled or touched in a way he doesn't understand or approve of. Ellen demonstrated excellence in being able to see that he was in a cycle of spitting out meds, meds not working, behavior escalating. When Haldol was administered it caused more trauma. She was also able to see that he was comforted and responsive to me. Ellen took it on as her private project to make sure he got as much of his meds as possible, even in the face of spitting and refusing and pushing away. She didn't give up. She didn't just bring in the meds and walk away. She kept trying to figure out a method that would work, so the Haldol could stop. It was her goal to get him through an entire shift incident-free. It took several days, but she was able to do it! Once he got all his meds in at the appropriate times, the Haldol ceased. He has not gone 48 hours without Haldol but is still exhibiting some aggressive behaviors. It is still very difficult to get medications into him.

The time Ellen was caring for him has been the highlight and most productive time of his stay. Not only did Ellen connect with my husband on a medical level, but she suggested I bring photos to help comfort him. She got involved in the photos and the stories and engaged him with them. She connected with me at a very scary time. Ellen has a gift for connecting with people, following up, and executing them over an extended period. She has a special interest in Alzheimer’s. She is also a leader in her group and works to influence others to achieve better performance and not settle for the issues that are part of everyday care in a hospital. I am very grateful she was part of his care team.