VNA’S Back Story
This was a watershed moment for me: I was working as a new Kaiser Permanente Home Health Nurse in 1999’. I was providing in-home skilled nursing care to a patient who was battling a hormonal related cancer, she was also receiving chemo therapy. This patient was a Mother, Wife and she was still working. I remember my patient reporting to me that she had trouble falling asleep. The prescribed sleep-aids did not work for her. With my patient’s input we developed a plan for my patient to get the much-needed rest that was required, so she could fight her cancer and continue with her life in-spite of her diagnosis and rigorous treatment regimen.
In 2008’ a very close family member dies from a suicide. I know for a fact that this family member was taking a prescription sleep-aid, and one of the known side-effects unfortunately is suicidal ideation. This proved to be another watershed and a completely heart-breaking time for me.
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