Patient of our Clinic has no one and nothing for Christmas

Specialties Ambulatory

Published

I know what the answer to this will be but I wanted to discuss with other nurses about it. She has no family and will have no Christmas dinner or Christmas gifts. She is also battling a disease that may become terminal soon. I wonder how I could help her without crossing any lines. I was thinking of giving her name to a local charity that does Christmas baskets but I don't want to offend her or cross any professional lines. If she was not my patient, and say, a lady from my church, I would just buy her some gifts and dinner in a heartbeat and take them to her house. She isn't unable to buy herself things or anything like that, she just is very lonely and I feel badly for her.

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sending her name to local charity might seem to interact with HIPAA or something of privacy wouldn't it? I am not sure of it, but inviting her to family dinner or just inviting her to lunch/dinner to local restaurant seems to suffice. I mean, I don't think she will complain about you to BON over invitation for Christmas dinner...

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I didn't do anything for her although it feels like I should have. I don't know, I just feel bad.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Does your clinic have a social worker or case manager? Social work can facilitate such referrals. Some agencies have similar services for the new year/winter.

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We do have a social worker, but patients wait months to get in with her. And most of the time the patients at our clinic who see the social worker have such serious problems that loneliness feels like wasting an appointment slot.

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