Talk About Your Feel Good Experiences!

[kilgorern]

I have been in HH for almost 3 months. I have no other HH experience, but if the past 2 1/2 months are any indication, I will NEVER go back to the hospital. With Christmas coming, our behavioral health department has been sending out mini-inservices on seasonal depression with HH pts and the elderly. OK, enough about that! I wanted to start this thread, due to an experience that you can't have in any other form of nursing!

While visiting a pt for the very first time, she started to explain to me that her dog had died last year and was thinking of getting another dog, but that all the ones she saw in the newspaper were out of town. She bagan to become red in the face and tear up. She asked if a year was long enough to wait before getting another dog and (too cute) if "Sampson" (previous dog) would be ok with it? This sweet precious elderly lady lives alone with no family for 30 miles. I asked her if she wanted another dog and her face just lit up. She began to list "qualifications." Female, Spayed, Housebroken, and "not as old as I am." After we got through laughing, I told her I would talk to my supervisor and see what we can do. I couldn't get this off my mind! I called the town shelter, the officer said he had two chiuahuas. They were cute but a little hyper for my pt. I went inside and found the most precious and loving poodle ever. Not intending to to leave with a dog, I did. Long story short! The 5 nurses at our office raised $60 for vet, grooming, toys, bed, food and blanket. All 5 of us piled into one vehicle and took over "MiMi". The owner of our company is paying to have her spayed for christmas. My heart swells everytime I think of what a gift this one simple thing did for my pt. This was an experience that I could have never imagined working in the hospital. MiMi is getting adjusted to her new human companion and Mrs. R just loves her. I checked on both of them Wed before Thanksgiving, Mrs. R was taking MiMi to her daughters for the holiday. Mrs. R has such a smile on her face and is so thankful for her "angels."

Please tell about anyother Heart warming experiences you have!:redbeathe

[~MIA~, ASN, RN]

Great story! Thanks for sharing! I'm a dog lover...

[nurseby07]

I know that a lot of people will read your story and think about how that wasn't exactly the right thing to do. I disagree. Your story is why I love HH nursing.

The fact is, three out of 4 or 5 patients a day leave me feeling like this. I just told someone that HH makes me feel like a "real" nurse.

I had to go out to a patient's house the day before Thanksgiving and I had read all of the notes about what a difficult patient he was ( he's a nurse) I went there very unwillingly after reading all of the slander. When I got there, the two of us hit it off and talked and talked and talked. I nursed, he recepted, it was such an awesome feeling.

Again, it's Sunday and I don't dread going to work tomorrow. I would rather stay home, but, if you have to work,this is the job I love "having" to do.

[HmarieD]

I experienced the most amazing coincidence of my life working in home health.

I was sent to admit a patient with terminal end-stage lung CA. There was discussion in the office prior to the visit that the pt probably should be in hospice, and I anticipated that I would talk to the pt and family about that option.

When we reached the point in the visit to discuss this, my pt stated that she had considered hospice and hadn't ruled it out but just had a gut feeling that she needed to try home health care first.

As we continued to talk, she began to ask questions about my family, as many pts do in our small town. It is rare to meet someone that you don't have a common connection with in some way, maybe mutual friends, or they go to church with your grandparents, etc. I gave her the name of my mother and stepfather. For some reason, I told her something I had NEVER discussed with a pt or many other people, for that matter. I explained that my parents had divorced when I was 2 and I didn't really know my Dad or his family. I knew that he had 12 siblings and half-siblings spread over the southern part of our state but didn't know any of their names, or anything about my grandparents. She told me she was interested in geneology and asked my father's name. When I told her she burst into tears and started saying "I knew there was a reason and you must be it!"

Needless to say, I was confused. She started crying and said I just had to see something. From her desk she produced a thick stack of papers and lots of photographs.

She was my father's half-sister; my aunt. They had not been raised together but because of her work tracing the family tree, she knew who he was but had never been able to contact him. She showed me pictures of my grandfather - I have his eyes and mouth. We hugged and cried. Luckily, she was my last visit of the day so I stayed with her for a long time looking at pictures and talking about relatives I never knew I had.

Two days later I met another aunt, an uncle, and several cousins. They had discussed the possibility of going to hospice. She decided that she had been guided to try home health so that we could meet, and that now she was ready for hospice. Arrangements were made and she passed away less than a week later.

Sorry this was so long but this was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life.