2nd Quarter 2004 National and Division Heroes

National Heroes

RN Category: Deborah Brown—Dogwood Division, Winston-Skilled (WS) Office, Winston-Salem, NC
LPN Category: Dawn Parker—Edelweiss Division, Bethlehem (BET) Office, Bethlehem, PA
HHA Category: Sallie Lipps—Dogwood Division, Winston-Salem (WIN) Office, Winston-Salem, NC

Division Heroes

* denotes National Hero of the Quarter

Deborah Brown, RN, has been offering care through the Winston-Salem Skilled Office for two-and-a-half years. Early on, she accepted the challenge of caring for a long-term pediatric client. She quickly impressed the client’s family as a “beautiful person inside and out.” Deborah’s flexibility in accommodating the family’s needs and her willingness to work long hours as the client’s condition worsened also proved noteworthy. More importantly, may have been Deborah’s ever-positive disposition through it all. The client continually looked forward to her arrival. The mother adds, “She came in ready to work and happy to see [my daughter] each day. She brightened our days and lightened our nights.” Deborah’s skills as a nurse afforded the family peace of mind when they were not around. Though the client’s illness finally took her life in May, her family believes it gained another member in Deborah. The mother proclaims, “Debbie Brown will always be a part of our family. We love you so very much.” Deborah has since taken on the challenge of working for a trach and vent-dependent adult client. Sarah DiGloria, Staff Supervisor, happily reports that Deborah “excelled during the training and is now working full time for another thankful family.” With our National Hero title, Deborah is distinguished as a nurse of highest regard. And like her clients, Bayada Nurses is thankful for her dedication, and hopes she remains a member of its family for years to come.

Dawn Parker, LPN and five-year Bayada veteran, has been a part of the Bethlehem Office’s history since its inception. Lisa Fiore, Nursing Supervisor, and Rebecca Boettger, Staff Supervisor, know her as a “complete, well-rounded nurse—kind, caring, compassionate, empathetic, organized, reliable, and to top it off, excellent nursing skills.” Since her start at Bayada, she has even upgraded her skills to include trach and vent care. Dawn’s clients simply know how she makes them feel—uplifted and empowered. Consumed by depression for about a year, one of Dawn’s clients deemed her as his “favorite nurse” for making him “want to go on living.” Dawn was able to pick up on the therapeutic benefits of music for this client, and subsequently incorporated music into his daily routine. As a result, the client’s temperament has been more relaxed and enjoyable. Knowing what her presence would mean at this client’s 50th birthday celebration, Dawn sacrificed Father’s Day and a family trip out of state to see her daughter’s soccer tournament to share the day with him. Another client was able to reap the benefits of Dawn’s persuasive teaching techniques when he sought medical attention for a problem he previously chose to ignore. Also, after twenty years of having quadriplegia, this client mustered up enough courage to plan a vacation, provided, of course, that Dawn accompanied him. Lisa and Rebecca comment, “He is very excited and feels confident in making this trip due to [Dawn’s] calm nature and her good nursing skills.” With Dawn’s reputation for making good things happen, Bethlehem’s future looks bright.

The eleven-plus years of work that Sallie Lipps, Winston-Salem Home Health Aide, has offered to Bayada Nurses and its clients should leave no doubt that she qualifies as one of our past, present and future heroes. The letters from clients and colleagues in praise of Sallie that number into the double digits, and stuff her personnel file, attest that Bayada Nurses has been very happy to have her stay. For the past two years, Sallie has been committed to the care of an elderly gentleman. Service Director Emily Downs shares, “Sallie used to care for his wife as well, before her needs as an Alzheimer’s patient became too great, and she went to live in a local facility. Sallie has conscientiously cared for her client and taken him to see his wife at that facility—every day.” The successful transition after the family’s difficult decision is attributed to Sallie’s ability to provide peace of mind through her excellent communication skills (especially with the children who all live out of town), her proven reliability, and her tremendous clinical skill. Nursing Supervisors know that Sallie is effective with the most demanding personalities and the most fragile medical conditions. Her keen clinical judgment resulted in having saved two different clients’ lives, according to two different Nursing Supervisors. Emily comments, “In one case, Sallie did so in such a way as to not embarrass an RN from another agency that completely misdiagnosed the patient.” One Nursing Supervisor remarked that Sallie has the “natural instincts to be a great RN.” Indeed, Sallie’s ability to communicate her client’s medical history, to offer unsurpassed bedside care, and to mediate between family, client and hospital staff, even had other medical professionals believing she was a nurse. The future may have a path leading Sallie in that direction, but for now her commitment to her clients and her personal struggles to help her mother through a life-threatening illness will have her remain what Emily has coined, “THE QUINTESSENTIAL Home Health Aide.”