At the beginning of the evening tour, one of our newer patients on the hospice unit had pressed the call bell. Ms. Kerstetter went back to his room to see what he needed. He was sitting at the side of his bed and both his posture and facial expressions indicated he was feeling distressed. When asked if he was okay, he shook his head "no" as he repeatedly asked where he was and stated that he "wasn't supposed to be here".
Ms. Kerstetter immediately took a seat on the bed across from him, took his hand and gently attempted to orient him. She recounted with him some of the activities that he had participated in over the last few days since he had been admitted. She watched him struggle to make sense of what he was being told. He continued to question where he was and why he was here instead of at home. It became apparent that at this moment in time, he just wasn't going to be able to remember any of the events of the past few days. Ms. Kerstetter understood that it was time to switch the focus from trying to reorient him to his surroundings to trying to make him feel safe and secure in this strange and unfamiliar place.
She asked him if he was feeling afraid and knew that he was here and that we were nurses whose job it was to keep him comfortable and safe. Patiently, she sat with him looking at old photographs that his family had brought in. As she sat next to him reminiscing, I could see the furrowing of his brow relax as his recent worries were being replaced by comforting images of a well lived life.
These are the invaluable skills of an experienced and compassionate nurse. I watched with respect, a good nurse that intuitively seemed to know the right thing to say and do at just the right time to best serve this Veteran.