Gay Reynolds
November 2021
Gay
Reynolds
,
RN
Neuro ICU
Centra
Lynchburg
,
VA
United States

 

 

 

My father told me that my mother's nurse, Gay, had brought her to visit him the previous night and had stayed there so they could visit with each other.
I would like to recognize Gay Reynolds for the exceptional care of my mother after a serious MVA when she was in the Neuro ICU for 2 days. When I arrived, Gay was concerned that my mother hadn't eaten breakfast. Gay eagerly ordered what I requested and took notes of my mother's food preferences. I noticed my mother speaking ‘word salad” and observed her coughing weakly when eating and drinking, I requested the charge nurse to order a speech therapy consult for a swallowing study to prevent possible aspiration pneumonia. When I arrived the next morning my mother was sitting in the recliner. Gay was pleased that my mother had eaten breakfast and some of what Gay had ordered the prior evening. Gay assisted my mother during each meal to ensure she ate something. I didn't inquire whether a speech therapist had evaluated my mother because I was busy running between my mother's and father's rooms. The charge nurse told me that a speech therapist would not be seeing my mother until after she evaluated patients who could not eat or drink. When I relayed the elevated WBC count, the fact that my mother was still speaking “word salad”, was weakly coughing when eating and drinking, and reiterated my concern for aspiration pneumonia, Gay informed me that she had done a bedside swallowing study earlier with water and ice chips and that my mother didn't cough during either. Gay had also gotten my mother out of bed, assisted her to the recliner, and stayed with her during breakfast that morning because my mother was incapable of feeding herself. When I arrived Monday morning my father told me that my mother's nurse had brought her to visit him the previous night and had stayed there so they could visit with each other. I learned that Gay sacrificed her time, proactively learned where my father's room was, and without being asked instinctively knew how much a blessing it would be for each of them to see each other after the serious car crash that separated them. That evening was the last time they spent any time together until my mother was discharged to my home from rehab.