Nubia Oliviera was nominated for helping a patient at the end of life reconnect with their loved ones.
As a key member of our Palliative Care Services team, Nubia works with patients at the end of life and their families to ensure they are comfortable in their final days.
Recently, Nubia worked with a patient who had received a diagnosis that they only had a few days left to live. The patient had lost his wife to cancer just two years prior and had become estranged from his son soon after.
“He was in excruciating pain, but he said that his physical pain didn’t matter as much as that of his soul,” the nominator wrote. “For him not to have his son and newly born grandson in his life was a much greater pain.”
After learning this, Nubia encouraged the patient to ask for a video of his grandson so he could stay connected. To comfort him, she told him about the traditions of indigenous peoples and how they keep personal belongings and favorite foods around a person at the end of their life. This encouraged the patient to reach out to his family to get a photo of his grandson to keep at his bedside in the hospital.
The day before his passing, the team held a family meeting and the patient’s son was able to attend. Unfortunately, the patient had already become comatose, but Nubia shared that hearing is the last sense to be lost and encouraged him to talk to his father anyway. The patient passed peacefully with his son at his bedside.
“There was a strong sense that seeing his father at the end gave him comfort and closure,” the nominator wrote. “This moment would not have been possible without Nubia and her care and compassion.”
Thank you, Nubia, for your passion and dedication to caring for our patients in their final moments. We are so proud to have you on Team Saint Agnes!