Arica Brenner - RN at Ohio living Home Health & Hospice
When we walk in to surprise the monthly winner of the Hospice Caregiver Award and the room is filled with colleagues and co-workers, we know this person truly deserves to be recognized. The support from staff is incredibly heartwarming, beyond what was written in the nomination.
That is what we experienced when we arrived at the Ohio Living Home Health & Hospice corporate offices to surprise Arica Brenner. Her nominator, Courtney Merce, was eagerly awaiting our arrival and ushered us in to a large conference room filled with Arica’s colleagues and co-workers. She was surprised, humbled, and delighted all at the same time.
Here is what Courtney had to say about Arica:
"I have had the honor of working closely with Arica this past year. Arica has shown me just how much she cares for her patients and wants their end of life experience to be the best that it can be. We are only given one chance to do it right at the end, and what I have witnessed is her compassion and care while supporting and honoring our patients at their most vulnerable time. Even in times of her own losses, this past year Arica has shown nothing but grace, compassion and support to all who work with her. A specific story that stands out to me is a husband who has cared for his wife for almost 15 years with dementia. Arica has worked so well with this husband that when he got scared he called 911 and had his wife taken to the hospital. After that hospitalization, Arica went out to the home to provide support to him. It did not matter if he signed his wife back on for hospice - she wanted to support him in such a difficult time. I went to visit a few days later and our patient’s husband was tearful when talking about his wife’s decline. He then looked at me and said, “You have no idea the stress that Arica has taken off my shoulders. I know that I can call her and she will help me. I have been caring for my wife for so long and have not allowed anyone else to help. It takes a lot for me to trust and Arica has gained that trust”. This is what it is about – it is about having those difficult conversations with families and patients and meeting them where they are. We cannot force anyone to be ready for a loss if they are not yet accepting it. With time, our patient’s husband has grown to see us as a helper not a stressor. I know without a doubt that because of Arica’s passion for hospice and love for people that when it is time, our patient will go in peace and her husband will be right by her side like he always has been. Thank you for this opportunity to nominate my coworker Arica Brenner - my hospice angel."
Congratulations Arica. You truly exemplify what it means to be a Hospice Caregiver.
If you know someone like Arica who deserves recognition as an amazing caregiver, please nominate them here on our website. It takes just a few minutes to tell their story.