Marla Erlenmeyer
September 2015
Marla
Erlenmeyer
,
RN
Confluence Health - Moses Lake Clinic
Confluence Health- WVH & Clinics
Wenatchee
,
WA
United States

 

 

 

R is an elderly patient of Moses Lake Family Medicine. Her only family is her daughter and son-in-law. Recently R's daughter, who was her sole caregiver, passed away, leaving her grieving husband to care for all of R's medical needs. One day R's son-in-law came into the clinic, still grieving the loss of his wife, overwhelmed with all that was involved in the care of his mother-in-law. R had some 20 different medications, and he had no idea what they were for or if she was even still taking them. When he came in, Marla, one of the Family Medicine nurses, sat with him for more than an hour, detailing each medication and coming up with a list for him to take home that would help him understand her medications. Ensuring that he had all that he needed took a significant amount of time, but Marla is an incredibly compassionate nurse.

Since this initial encounter, it has become a priority for Marla to see to it that R's son-in-law and she both have everything they need to care for her health. Marla devotes extra time and attention whenever he and R come in, which has been many times since her daughter's death, and makes sure they understand everything before they leave. As a result of Marla's compassion and diligence, he has become more knowledgeable and confident in R's care.