My mom was a patient with hospice -she had dementia and was a patient in a nursing home. I went to see her the morning before and found her more confused than usual and in pain. The nursing home didn’t seem to know how to manage her pain, but they were able to get her to take a dose of medication in applesauce, and she calmed down and slept. We had to reach out to the provider on call for the nursing home who didn’t know her. This person, who lived out of state, was reluctant to make changes in her pain medication but finally decided to increase the dose of her fentanyl patch. Unfortunately, they never sent the order to the pharmacy. My mom began to awaken and moan and finally scream in pain as the medication wore off – it was too early for the nurse at the facility to give her another dose, and she didn’t know what to do. I called the Hospice Clinical Manager at home on her day off. She started making phone calls - contacting the hospice provider, and later sent Ashley to the nursing home.

Ashley came in and immediately took charge, getting orders to increase the oral pain medication and getting a dose administered. My mom was able to take the medication but continued to be restless and in pain. Ashley sat with mom and talked with me and my sister, reassuring us while waiting to see if the pain medication would take effect. She offered to contact the hospice PA to discuss moving my mother to Shenandoah House for general inpatient care. My mom had become very reclusive in the last years of her life, not wanting to go out of her own house, and then didn’t even like having to leave her room at the nursing home. She had refused many times in the past to go to the hospital when she was having medical issues. I dreaded the thought of her being moved, thinking it wasn’t something she would ever want. I asked Ashley what she would do in my place. She was so kind and supportive and helped me understand that moving her to the Shenandoah House would be the fastest way for her to get the medication she needed to get her pain under control. Once the decision was made, Ashley quickly got transportation involved and made the move happen. Mom was moved to Shenandoah House, where an IV was started and medication given that eased her pain and allowed her to rest. She passed away peacefully soon after. Everyone we dealt with from Hospice and the Shenandoah House was kind and compassionate, but Ashley Cline was Mom’s Angel.