“Hope is the belief that the promised will be fulfilled.”
-Lailah Gifty Akita
Christus Hospice – Alexandria, La.
A few weeks ago, Michelle Maloney, hospice QAPI coordinator, was at Christus Hospice in Alexandria, La., to do a mock survey. When she arrived at the agency on Tuesday it was business as usual for her. However, Amy Hinton, executive director, told her about a patient they had just admitted to hospice. This patient had expressed to Amy that her last wish was to be able to go to the casino one more time. Her husband was hesitant to take her, because he was afraid something would happen and he would not know what to do.
Amy then talked with her IDG team, and Dr. Letsinger, medical director, jumped right in and said, “Let’s make this happen.” So, on that Tuesday night, Michelle was allowed to tag along as Dr. Letsinger and Amy made this patient’s last wish happen. Earlier in the day they had reached out to the patient’s husband to propose the idea that Amy, an RN, and Dr. Letsinger accompany them to the casino. After hearing their idea, he agreed to take his wife to the casino with them that Tuesday evening.
When the patient arrived she had a grin from ear to ear, and did so much better than any of them could imagine. She was able to stay at the casino for a little over two hours. While she was there, her smile never left her face and her enthusiasm was contagious. Michelle felt so privileged be included in this moment. It is something she will cherish, as it reminded her why she chose to be a hospice nurse when she first started working in hospice. The patient recently passed away.
Thanks to Amy and Dr. Letsinger for going above and beyond to not only quickly make this patient’s wish come true, but also providing comfort for her husband. Thanks to Michelle for sharing this very special event.