Man Thankful for ICU Staff’s Compassionate Care for Grandmother

When Jacob Potter’s 83-year-old grandmother became sick with pneumonia and was hospitalized, he and his family were understandably worried.

Helen Sewell was admitted to the Phelps Health Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where she had to be intubated (a tube placed down her nose or mouth to help her breathing).

“She received excellent care while in the ICU,” Potter recalled. “The staff truly did everything they could to make her comfortable. I could see that they truly cared about her.”

Potter said what stood out most to him about the ICU nurses and staff were their compassion.

“They [ICU staff] heard me talking about how she always had cold feet, so they were periodically bringing warm blankets to put on her feet -- not because I asked them to, but because they knew it was something that could give her comfort,” Potter said.

In addition, Potter said ICU nurses would turn on TV shows that she would have chosen for herself if she were awake.

“We didn’t know what she could hear or was aware of, but just in case she was cognizant at all, they tried to make the time bearable for her,” Potter said.

When he was not at the hospital because he had to leave for work or visiting hours were over, Potter said he often called for updates on Sewell.

He remembers calling about every two to three hours throughout the night to check on her condition. While he said that may have been excessive, “no one ever made me feel that I was being an annoyance.”

Every time he talked to a nurse over the phone, Potter said the nurse would put his mind at ease, so he could get some rest.

Potter also was pleased to have a familiar doctor caring for his grandmother. Sewell was a previous patient of Tim Martin, MD, FACC, a Phelps Health cardiologist.

“Fittingly, Dr. Martin was also the physician who cared for her during this time she was in the ICU,” Potter said.

While Sewell unfortunately passed away, Potter said he is thankful for the care she received.

“The staff went above and beyond to comfort us and help us through the grieving process,” he recalled.

Potter said he would recommend Phelps Health because of the efforts that staff put into his grandmother’s care.

“Everyone stayed on top of their game during the whole ordeal, which demonstrated the high level of intellect these nurses possess,” he said.

Potter also noted the compassion on display by Phelps Health’s staff was extended to himself and his family as well.

“During what I can say has been one of the hardest times in my life, the staff truly demonstrated a remarkable level of empathy towards us,” he said. “For that, I will forever be grateful.”