Calling her "an angel sent from heaven," a Hospice patient praised nurse Tina Hasbrouck's caring commitment.
Tina is a registered nurse for Peace Hospice's Outpatient Services, where she provides home care to the patient. She is the latest person at Benefis Health System to win the DAISY Award, an international recognition of extraordinary nurses.
"Tina is an angel sent from heaven and is always available by text or phone and has been by my side as medical problems or other things pop up," the patient said in his nomination.
"I don't know what the future holds. I have no energy and can barely get up and move, but I know Nurse Tina will be there for me, and that makes a world of difference when you don't know day to day how much longer you have to live," he wrote. "I don't know what I would have done without her support. She is just a marvelous person who has made this end-of-life experience in a way comforting."
Tina aims to be "positive, energetic, and confident" on home visits so she leaves her patients and their loved ones confident, too. She helps manage their expectations, and she wants to give them the most time she can and her best attention.
"They are looking to me to make that visit the best it can be," she said. "I'm their advocate and their teacher. My role is to be informative and to instill courage."
Tina works with patient in a regionthat includes The Grandview at Benefis, Eastview and Westview senior care centers, some assisted living and Beehive houses, and areas toward Havre, and she has other home patients as needed.
"I just have the best patients, but we all say that," she said. "I just love them."
The shortest time she's had a patient is two hours, and the longest is two years, but the average time with her is a couple of months. Most patients are elderly and make peace with the direction they know they are moving in, though she's also had patients as young as 16. It's hard not to see her daughter in them, and she sees how they struggle with their diagnosis.
"I've learned so much as a hospice nurse. The main thing I love is the people I've met and the strength they give me. They are the strongest people, and it's made me a stronger person to know them," she said. "It's made me appreciate life more. Things can change in the blink of an eye."
Tina also does hospice volunteer education to share the nursing side of hospice, from admitting to symptom management to support.
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization recognizing nurses and the incredible care they provide. The foundation was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 from an autoimmune disease. More than 4,500 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing present DAISY Awards.
Benefis presents the DAISY Award quarterly.
To nominate a Benefis nurse who has touched your life for a DAISY Award, visit Benefis.org/DAISYAward
Meet our other DAISY winners: