A nurse at Intermountain Medical Center is offering families of deceased patients gifts for a lifetime.
A simple scroll through the Pinterest app inspired registered nurse Lisa Beglarian to create mementos for families grieving the loss of loved ones in the Murray, Utah, hospital's respiratory intensive-care unit. The mementos include a copy of an EKG tape showing the loved one's final heartbeats along with a thoughtful message in lab tubes.
“It's to try and put a positive spin on their stay and to let them know we care about the patients, too. It's a nice gesture for the families to try to give them at least one positive memory of their experience in our ICU,” Beglarian said.
When she first shared the idea with her colleagues, Beglarian received immense support. A fellow RN came up with the message in the tubes—“May my heartbeat be a gentle reminder of the love I have for you.” Now, Beglarian and her colleagues collaborate on the mementos regularly.
“Sometimes we're always in nurse mode, but this gives us a chance to kind of let our guard down and show we care about our patients and we care about their families as well,” Beglarian said.
Some family members have gotten tattoos of their loved one's heartbeat patterns.
“I'd like to see other units pick up on the idea. I think that families really appreciate it,” she said.
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