You are Loved…

When Debbie, Director of Business Development for Integrity Healthcare of Anna walked into the hospital room for Mrs. Wood, she should not have been surprised to see one of the nursing home staff members in her room. Andy, a nurse who had cared for Mrs. Woods for over two years was standing guard at the foot of her bed.

Mrs. Wood’s physician came in the room, greeted Debbie and Andy and ask who they were.  Debbie replied, “We are from her home; Andy is her nurse, and we are here because we love her.”  The doctor seemed a little startled, but finally replied, “Wow.”

Wow is a good way to describe this scene. Mrs. Wood was a lovely woman who had spent hours every day teasing the nursing staff by pretending that she needed something, only to respond that she was just testing them to see if they were listening, when they reached out to help her.   Mrs. Wood was astute, alert and capable of entertaining conversations.  Mrs. Wood ate her meals, took her medicine and treated other residents and the staff respectfully.  Now, she lay quietly, still capable of communicating with her eyes, but unable to speak.

Mrs. Wood left this life a few days later.  The picture in her obituary was not the woman we had known, but the description of this beautiful member of the community, this mother … grandmother and great-grandmother was certainly our Mrs. Wood.  She left us behind, but she left us with an appreciation for her wisdom and humor. We made certain that when she left us, she knew she was loved.

We are Integrity.  We are Care You Can Trust.