April 2021
Michelle Nugent, RN, a nurse in the Med-Surg Unit at Sparrow Ionia Hospital, goes above and beyond for her patients and their families, including bringing music to calm a lonely patient.
“Caring for people is not only a calling, it’s a blessing,” says Michelle. “That’s kind of the culture here at Sparrow Ionia. I feel very proud of all the people I work with and how they have modeled great nursing care to me.”
Recently, Michelle had a patient who was in the last stages of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, the progressive neurodegenerative disease. The patient had lost her ability to speak and was facing a night alone at the hospital. Having learned from family earlier in the day that the patient liked listening to music, especially country star Alan Jackson and gospel, Michelle set out to find a CD player to play some music and help comfort her. Michelle decided to use her own phone to play music, helping put the patient at ease – and her family, too.
Michelle stayed with the patient and provided her with extraordinary care during a critical time. That’s one reason why Michelle is this month’s Caregiver Spotlight.