When my husband was admitted to the hospital in the wee hours of a November morning, he was suffering from vascular dementia and withdrawal from an antipsychotic drug. He was disoriented and extremely agitated. It was necessary to restrain him for his own safety, but Charles realized he wasn't a danger to others; instead, he was extremely confused and frightened. Despite the fact that there was another patient in the adjoining room who required a great deal of attention, Charles recognized J's need to be able to move about. At first, he found a spirometer and gave it to him telling him he thought it was broken and asked if my husband might be able to repair it for him. That kept J occupied for quite some time. He then told J he could use some help "driving his computer" as he made his rounds. He allowed J to walk beside him with a walker. When Charles became more occupied with other patients on the floor he called for a "sitter" to come and walk the hall with my husband. The interaction calmed him, and the exercise lessened the anxiety.
In addition to his amazing care of my husband, Charles spoke with me and counseled me when I was incredibly distraught, confused and sad about my husband's recent outbursts and actions. Charles explained the disease and assured me he would be better with the correct care. He shared personal experiences he had with his own family members and how he had dealt with them. He lovingly treated J as if he were one of his own family who was suffering, not just a crazy old man who was making his job more difficult.
When I looked up the definition of a nurse I found the following: "Across the entire patient experience, and where ever there is someone in need of care, nurses work tirelessly to identify and protect the needs of the individual. At its heart lies a fundamental respect for human dignity and intuition for a patient's needs" Charles Buckhannon is the purest example of a nurse. If anyone ever deserved an award for performing the duties of a nurse, it is Charles! I thank God he has chosen to serve those who are unable to help themselves.