Shelitha was nominated by her Nurse Manager: As I was rounding on patients one morning, she walked into a patient room that had an elder woman in the bed and gentleman stretched out on the couch. The manager was taken aback because she was expecting a gentleman as the patient. As she continued in the room, she was greeted by the gentleman on the couch; he was also connected to an IV infusion. He stated, "It's me that you're looking for. That is my wife; she has dementia."
He could see the confusion on my face and began to explain that he had driven himself to the ED the previous night for shortness of breath. After identifying that he needed to be admitted for atrial fibrillation, he only agreed if his wife could stay the night in the room with him. His wife had advanced dementia and was bound to a wheelchair. Upon arrival to the unit, the patient assisted his wife into the bed. He saw the looks on the faces of the nurses and he again stated that he would only stay if his wife could stay in the room. He wanted her to be comfortable and not agitated. He was the only care giver for her and did not have the help of children, family or neighbors.
Shelitha jumped right into his care. She did whatever it took to make the husband and his wife comfortable. She knew this was the only way the patient would stay. Above and beyond is an understatement for Shelitha. She noticed that the patient's wife had soiled herself while in her wheelchair. She cleaned her up and covered her up in the bed for the patient. She did not want him to exert himself and cause additional heart rhythm issues. She did this without the patient asking. When asked about her actions, her response was "I could not just walk away knowing she was soiled and he had no help". She took the initiative without hesitation. The patient expressed his deepest thanks for Shelitha. He stated "I don't know what I would have done without her last night. This is the best she has slept in a while. I truly appreciate the attention Shelitha gave my wife. It was like she had two patients in one room."
Shelitha is truly an angel in his eyes! He was able to have his procedure the following day and he hired a sitter service to sit with his wife while he was gone from the room.