Wendy Wintersgill has a caring and positive attitude and is a great supportive resource. The story I am sharing blends together the leadership, compassion, expertise, and Everytime Behaviors that help to define a DAISY Nurse.
In orthopedics, it is unusual to be caring for terminally ill patients but over the course of several months, the nurses on our unit have had that privilege. The patient had been admitted several times on our unit after having experienced a hip replacement that was non-healing and was experiencing severe pain. The family was a challenge, to say the least. They were experiencing conflicting emotions as the once, strong leader, of the family was now in a critical and debilitated condition leaving them with the challenge of tending to her and ensuring that she was receiving the best care possible. The patient was in severe pain and was experiencing delirium at times. After several admissions, she was discharged to nursing homes in the area and would soon return to the unit for additional needs.
Wendy came into the story at the best time, when the decision to continue or withdraw care were finally being discussed. During this difficult time, Wendy used her expertise, skill, compassion, wisdom, and trustworthiness to connect with the patients two daughters and aid in offering support to help with the difficult decision that needed to be made. Wendy consoled the two daughters who were at very different stages in the process of accepting the condition that their mother was in. She listened and truly heard what the daughters were saying, verbally and emotionally. The family shed many tears with Wendy.
On the first day of the Magnet visit, I was late meeting with the appraisers because I had asked Wendy to join me in providing the patient with a prayer shawl that had been made by a former patient on the unit. I had tended to the needs of the family and patient during the course of the last hospitalization and those previous. I could see the trust that the family felt towards Wendy and I was feeling that having her present to offer the patient this prayer shawl, would really help to ensure that the family members felt our support. We entered the room to find the patient in bed, two daughters at her side, and another member of the family in the room. After I explained why we were here, we shed many tears and the daughters expressed their gratitude for all that we had done for their mother. They were able to express how much better they were feeling knowing that they were helping their mother through one of the most difficult times in her, and their lives. When I laid the prayer shawl on the patient, despite being in a state of delirium, she wept and thanked me. Wendy and I were able to console the family and it appeared to ease their spirits during this challenging time.
A few weeks later, one of the daughters returned to the unit to deliver barbeque to the staff which, according to the daughter, was her mom's favorite meal. She told me, through both of our tears that her mother had passed peacefully after finally being free of pain at the nursing facility. She thanked me immensely for the compassionate, understanding, nonjudgmental care that the nursing staff had provided. I believe that the care and compassion that Wendy showed the family helped to ensure that they were able to make this difficult decision and felt the strength of the LGH nursing team behind them as they entered her into hospice care.
I sent a sympathy card to the family expressing our deepest sympathies and thanking them for allowing us to share in the care of their mother. I feel that the decision to nominate Wendy for the DAISY Award was very simple. To have a new member of our team who went above and beyond to care for the patient and her family during such a difficult time is worthy of recognition. Had the Magnet appraisers been present that day on the unit, they too, would have been able to visualize and feel the presence that Wendy had in the room, caring for this family. Wendy should be honored with the DAISY Award for her excellent nursing care, leadership, and advocacy!