A SMALL THING

Fifty-four year old, “Caroline” suffers from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). She was diagnosed eight months ago when she noticed her left thumb and fingers were becoming weak. She has declined rapidly to where now she is totally paralyzed. She spends her days in a hospital bed totally dependent upon others.

Caroline lives with her husband, “Sam”, who is devoted to her. They have no children, but have tremendous support from their families. Between Sam’s five siblings, Caroline’s parents and three brothers, there is always someone around to help out. In addition they have a tremendous network of close friends. There are always at least two people in the home to help out. Sam has a calendar where people sign up for times they are available.

When I went out to meet with the family, Sam answered the front door. He immediately started to vent out his frustrations about “the system”. Caroline’s decline has been so rapid, that by the time certain medical equipment gets delivered, she no longer is able to use what has been ordered.

A physical therapist was to come out this afternoon to instruct family on how to use a Hoyer lift. A Hoyer lift enables one person to transport Caroline from place to place with ease. Right before I arrived, Sam received a call from the physical therapist saying he had to cancel because he worked for home health and with hospice now following, he could not come out.

I told Sam that hospice doesn’t have their own physical therapists and we use home health therapists when needed all the time. I made several phone calls and with help from a hospice nurse, I was able to track down the proper person. Fortunately we were able to re-schedule for another therapist to come out this afternoon. Sam had taken off work and had arranged for several family members to be available so all could be instructed in how to use the Hoyer lift.

Sam was so appreciative of what I was able to accomplish. He couldn’t thank me enough. I told him that this was a perfect example of how hospice can help him. I encouraged him to keep hospice informed of any needs as the hospice team will always advocate for him and his family.

It made me think about how it is the small things that make the biggest difference in this world. Sam was so appreciative and I was so appreciative of the hospice nurse who stopped what she was doing to help me help this family. It does take a village.


A SMALL THING


We all can make a difference
at any moment of any day.
Some we are aware of,
most often we’re not.

He was so frustrated
by the system that let him down.
A system that is made up of people
as strong as the weakest link.

Their lives have dramatically changed
these past eight months.
So much has happened,
it’s been hard for them to keep up.

The moment I stepped into their home,
he immediately vented his frustrations.
Sharing what had just happened.
It was the final straw.

I made a couple of phone calls.
I tracked down the source of the problem.
The issue was resolved rather quickly.
It didn’t take much effort on my part at all.

He was so amazed.
He couldn’t thank me enough.
I really didn’t do that much,
but to him and his family,
this small thing was profound.

I am so blessed to work in a field
where each day I receive thanks.
Being told often that I made a difference
in such a huge way.
But to me, moreover than not,
it usually is such
a small thing.