obituaries

nrw350 · May 25, 2002

How many of you have had a patient that you cared for dearly, and when they died you felt like (or did) attending their memorial or funeral?

Nick

MPHkatie · May 25, 2002

I don't regularly read obits, but I do check on the hospital computer system to check up on pts that got admitted.

We had a ptient once who spent montns in the intensive care unit, with a very attentive family. When she died, the family sent us a ridiculously enormous fruit basket to thank the nurses, and also requested that any of us attend the funeral and wake. Several did, not me in this case. Recnetly we also had a frequent flyer to our ER die, he had few friends and many of us (including me) attended his memorial service, his Mom was very comforted by our prescence.... Our manager encouraged it in both occasions, though I know in many places it would be frowned upon.

nell · May 25, 2002

As a NICU nurse, I never read the obits - until I did a short stint in Home Health where not only did I do the Peds patients, but also the hard-IV-stick elderlys. I started reading them then and have continued for some reason or other even though I've been back in NICU for 4 years!

nrw350 · May 25, 2002

Why exactly would it be frowned upon? I mean if they were a good patient, and they enjoyed your company, I would see it as almost an obligation of needing to pay one's respects to the deceased. Also, I think that your presence would almost always make the family members of the deceased feel better too. Because they know that they are not the only ones who cared about that individual.

Nick

P_RN, ADN, RN · May 25, 2002

I read them all too. I feel that each person there had something to give, and I want to "know" them.

nrw350 · May 25, 2002

P_RN, I like the quote you have there about what people remember, that is extremely true. And that memory of what the way you made them feel often times is more powerful and more important than anything that is spoken.

Nick

Zee_RN, BSN, RN · May 25, 2002

Yep, I read the obits. Sometimes that's the only way you know when you can safely mention the name of a frequent flyer...

Sable's mom · May 25, 2002

I work in a small town OB dept - I don't read the obits - I read the "police and fire column" to see which of my patients have been picked up for drunk driving, shoplifting, smugglin (we're in a border city) or fights in the local bar/paking lots.

live4today, RN · May 25, 2002

Can't recall the last time I read a newspaper for anything! I find them way too depressing. It's bad enough to watch the evening news for thirty to sixty minutes.

Sleepyeyes · May 25, 2002

Yep, I read the obits. (Yes, Hubby thinks it's morbid :chuckle .)

In the first nursing home I worked at, they actually had the wake in the downstairs chapel. It was a chance to pray and say goodbye. I was amazed at how much younger and at peace these elderly folks appeared.

Cindy_A · May 25, 2002

Yep, I do it too! Because I've worked in LTC, there are many older folks. Since I'm not working in some of those places ( I used to work agency) you wonder what happens to them. It's also interesting to read about their lives, since you don't know that much about them when you worked there.

ERNurse752, RN · May 26, 2002

I read them sometimes...but they tend to drive me a little nuts, b/c I always want to know what they died of, especially the younger ones, and most of them don't have any clues...