CAMC’s Open Heart Progressive Care Unit received an elderly patient from a small hospital’s emergency room after being found unresponsive by his landlord.
He was barely able to speak and there was no family noted in his chart.
The patient was admitted on his 81st birthday. Several staff took it upon themselves to get a banner for his room, birthday hat, sang happy birthday to him and ordered a small cake. These kind gestures brought him smiles and tears.
Staff also began working to find an emergency contact because he was losing his speech and body movement.
They called phone numbers that were in his cell phone, but received no response.
They searched his chart, called the hospital he came from, called his family doctor listed, his pharmacy, his landlord but still couldn’t find an emergency contact for him.
The patient needed someone to make decisions on his behalf.
After days of searching, staff found someone with the same last name in his phone and searched online to find a picture of the person.
Showing the patient the picture, he confirmed it was his brother. The two men had lost contact with each other over 30 years ago.
Thank you to everyone who was not only there for the patient for his care and birthday but never gave up connecting him with a family member.