A bad thing happened at work tonight. There is a man who has been in and out of the hospital for months, and whenever his wife sees me, she really talks up a storm about how he's doing.
At first this was confusing for me since she acted as though everyone on the floor knew about his condition already, which I didn't. I tried hard to pay attention since she seemed to be really nervous about him and also because I think she is a "good" family member--i.e., she has educated herself a little, been involved in his care, and assesses his condition separately from the nursing and medical staff--but, you know, I have work to do and whatnot.
Anyhow, I saw her again tonight and she talked, but I was on my way to get dinner and I was hungry and focused on food. I listened momentarily but I was so "un-present" that I don't even remember how I extricated myself from that conversation. I may have just walked away while she was talking to me!!
That's not a good thing. I must try to stay in the moment more when patients and their family members are involved.
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