Haley Springer
January 2023
Haley
Springer
,
RN
Emergency Department
Mercy Hospital South
St. Louis
,
MO
United States
Haley called me to ask if I could sit with the patient because she was nearing death and Haley was concerned that she might need to be away from the patient to care for others. She did not want the patient to be alone when she died.
We had an 83-year-old patient brought into the emergency room who was very ill, and her prognosis was poor. Unfortunately, the only two people in her life were her daughter and a best friend. The daughter lives out of state and could not come to St. Louis because she is the sole caregiver for a disabled family member. Her friend was ill with a bad cold and could not take the chance on coming to the hospital.
The daughter shared that she and her mother had both talked about death, and her mother was ready to go home. She wanted to be reunited with her deceased husband and all of her pets who had passed away. In fact, she shared that this patient was looking forward to it. Haley cared for this patient throughout her entire shift. The patient told them that she was worried about her cat, so one of the nurses phoned the facility where the patient lived and asked if someone could look after the cat. Eventually, Haley called me to ask if I could sit with the patient because she was nearing death and Haley was concerned that she might need to be away from the patient to care for others. She did not want the patient to be alone when she died.
I was able to come down to the room where I witnessed Haley and her aide giving the best care to this patient. Stroking her hair back from her face, comforting her with kind words, and all the while keeping up with what comes next with a comfort measure patient. They shared with me that they had little experience in this area because the norm isn’t that patients are comfort measures in the emergency department. Because they had little expertise in the area, they made phone calls to confer with others who were more knowledgeable to make absolutely certain that this patient was kept comfortable in her final moments.
This patient had told me earlier in the day that she did not need prayers or anything religious. She shared that she ‘did her own thing.’ In her final moments, we played Billie Holliday singing ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ and she closed her eyes and slipped away. These two nurses gave this patient the utmost care at the end of her life because others were unable to. It brings tears to my eyes as I recall how gentle they were with her.
The daughter shared that she and her mother had both talked about death, and her mother was ready to go home. She wanted to be reunited with her deceased husband and all of her pets who had passed away. In fact, she shared that this patient was looking forward to it. Haley cared for this patient throughout her entire shift. The patient told them that she was worried about her cat, so one of the nurses phoned the facility where the patient lived and asked if someone could look after the cat. Eventually, Haley called me to ask if I could sit with the patient because she was nearing death and Haley was concerned that she might need to be away from the patient to care for others. She did not want the patient to be alone when she died.
I was able to come down to the room where I witnessed Haley and her aide giving the best care to this patient. Stroking her hair back from her face, comforting her with kind words, and all the while keeping up with what comes next with a comfort measure patient. They shared with me that they had little experience in this area because the norm isn’t that patients are comfort measures in the emergency department. Because they had little expertise in the area, they made phone calls to confer with others who were more knowledgeable to make absolutely certain that this patient was kept comfortable in her final moments.
This patient had told me earlier in the day that she did not need prayers or anything religious. She shared that she ‘did her own thing.’ In her final moments, we played Billie Holliday singing ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ and she closed her eyes and slipped away. These two nurses gave this patient the utmost care at the end of her life because others were unable to. It brings tears to my eyes as I recall how gentle they were with her.