August 2022
KVH Hospice
at Kittitas Valley Healthcare
Kittitas Valley Healthcare
Ellensburg
,
WA
United States
April Grant
Chad Bearup
Jay McDonald
Sarah Johnson
Tomoko Tanikawa
Cari Knudson
Leicia Hatch
Caitlin Medina
Bridget Wood

 

 

 

A KVH Hospice patient had been cared for by the team for quite a while. He was in extreme pain, but would never take pain medication. The nurses would drain 3000-4000ml out of his peritoneal cavity on every visit to help make him more comfortable. As his disease progressed, they were able to draw off less and less fluid. As he moved closer to death, he knew his time was near the end and he finally agreed to take some pain medication. His family was out of state and would not be around to care for him at the time of his death. The nursing team did not want him to die alone, so they took turns staying with him at night and then worked taking care of other patients too. With no family, he didn't have any clean pajamas, socks, blankets, or sheets for his bed. The nurses went shopping for him and bought him everything that he needed to be comfortable. The nurses were able to administer pain medication to him hourly and stayed with him around the clock so that he didn't die alone. He was very worried about the food in his house going to waste, so the staff loaded it up and took it to a food bank so that small worry was off his mind. He loved his dog and the nurses made sure that his beloved pup was able to snuggle up with him and provide comfort to him at the end of his life. The team really came together to provide peace and loving care to someone alone at the end of life and made his last time on earth as comfortable as possible.