June 2023
Dany
Cervantes
,
BSN, RN
Telemetry - 6 East
Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center
Downey
,
CA
United States
His ability to communicate with my dad in his native language and understand what he was feeling allowed him to quickly look in his records to decide what pain medication to administer.
Being in a hospital is never a pleasant experience and oftentimes, quite scary. My 73-year-old dad, a patient with early onset dementia yet physically very strong, is someone who rarely complains of any aches and pains. On the 4th night of his stay, I was awoken in the middle of the night by his complaints of strong pain. Although told to use the red button to call for his nurse, we know these are simple tasks that my dad’s memory fails to capture. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times that I have seen my dad complain of pain. This was one of them and by the look of his face, I was scared. At the touch of a button and my call for help, Dany was there to assist. His ability to communicate with my dad in his native language and understand what he was feeling allowed him to quickly look in his records to decide what pain medication to administer. My dad has many ailments, and we are always careful of what he is administered. Dany explained to me the reaction he would have to the medication and reassured me it would free him of the extreme discomfort. In just minutes my dad reported feeling a lot better and was fast asleep. Dany had the slightest footsteps but as I regained my sleep, I could see him peek in to check in on my dad. The several nights that Dany helped care for my dad during his hospital stay were nights when we could rest assured that he was in excellent care. My parents commented how proud they were to see young and rising nurses answer to the call of duty. Seeing the wave of elderly patients coming down on us as our 70+ age population rises, our workforce needs to incentivize more young adults to consider healthcare for their career path. We need more individuals like Dany, compassionate, knowledgeable professionals who genuinely appreciate and understand the impact of their work on patients and their families. We are grateful for his work and for going above and beyond to care for and make sure my dad had as much of a comfortable hospital stay as possible.