My husband was in the MICU and passed away. With three years of hospitalizations and lots of good nurses, Michelle Anderson was head and shoulders above any of the others that cared for my husband. This says a lot because I was very happy with all of the nurses he had during his illness. The entire staff at Riverside Pavilion were very kind and considerate to my husband and my family.
Michelle had a calm, reassuring, compassionate manner that put my family and me at peace. She gave each of us a hug and expressed her sorrow that we were having to go through this situation. I was very overwhelmed by her compassion and caring. She was very attentive to my husband and made sure that he was as comfortable as she could make him. I felt like he had the best care possible for his situation.
She answered any and all questions that I had with the patience of a saint, in terms that I could understand. I felt informed. She came to get me twice when she thought that he was slipping away so that I would be with him at the time of his passing. I felt very thankful. She explained what the next steps were once my husband passed so that I would know what to expect, (being examined by the doctor and pronounced dead) and gave us privacy and all the time we needed to say goodbye.
When Michelle came to talk to me about signing the paperwork for the hospital and funeral home, she was very compassionate and understanding and even though I had just lost my husband I felt like I was in good hands with her. She even went out of her way to contact housekeeping to see if my husband's chain had gotten caught up in the laundry from his room. I can't express how much I appreciated that extra step that she took to recover the chain for me.
Again, when I was leaving the hospital, Michelle hugged me tight and expressed her sorrow for my loss. All of these things made me know she really cared...not just doing her job.