I had my stepdad admitted into the Hospice unit. I was familiar with this unit as I had worked there in the past. I was comfortable with the staff and knew many of them during my time there. This nurse is an awesome nurse as I had worked with her when I was there. I have seen Bobbie take very good care of her patients. However, being on the other side as a family member, I can say she is one heck of a nurse with the heart of a saint.

One day, as I did every day, I called to check up on my stepdad to see how he was doing, the day before, he had a rough day. He was becoming agitated and confused. I did mention this to several nurses as I thought his medication may need to be adjusted on that day. When I called to check on him, Bobbie was his nurse for the day. She was very informative (as she always is) about how he was doing. She told me that at the beginning of her shift, he was confused, trying to get out of bed and complaining of his foot hurting. Bobbie jumped into action to make sure he was taken care of. She gave him his first PRN dose of medications that morning because she could see he was in distress. I explained to her what had taken place the night before. He did not receive any PRN medication the day/night before, even though I expressed to the nursing staff that he was agitated and greatly confused. Bobbie also offered to call the doctor to see about increasing his long-acting medication to keep up with his increased pain and discomfort.

I cannot thank Bobbie enough for ensuring he is comfortable and not having to fight through the pain and being confused, as this was a very hard situation to see the night before. Not all nurses are the same. Not all nurses can be hospice nurses, either. She is a compassionate, kind soul with a huge heart, and she is THE HOSPICE nurse! I have no worries when he is in her care. I know without a doubt that he is being taken care of, from basic needs such as checking and changing to addressing all the many wounds and pressure areas he has to ensuring he is comfortable. She is the only one who has gotten him coffee in the six weeks he has been out of his home (in the hospital to rehab to hospice). She is very attentive to his needs, such as having him eat/drink something without him having to ask as he forgets to drink and gets very thirsty. This is what warms my heart. This is how I can be at work every day and not at his bedside overseeing every little thing that goes on. I cannot express the amount of love and gratefulness I have for her - she will never know how much I truly appreciate her for providing exceptional care for my stepdad at the end of his life.

Bobbie is also the one who followed up with me on his DNR. I changed him to a DNRCCA when he was in the hospital. I, however, forgot to change this to a DNR when he arrived at Hospice. When she first was his nurse, she called me to make sure of the end of life care I wanted to have. He had been in hospice for a couple of days, but Bobbie was the one to take the time to follow up to ensure I had the appropriate items that were needed. As I mentioned above, I trust her with the care of him. I do not have to worry about his care when she is his nurse. This is a blessing for my family and me, as it has been a short time since he was diagnosed with cancer. He was independently living by himself in his condo six weeks before coming to hospice. These are just some of the above-and-beyond tasks/ actions Bobbie has displayed in his short stay at hospice.

Just a note: while making our way through the maze to Endo at Bethesda North, no less than three people asked if they could help us find our way! Amazing! The employees there seem to have a genuine interest in people visiting the facility. Good on all of them!