Finding small ways to bring comfort when patients need it most
When Mandy Kubler walked into a patient’s room near the end of her shift, she saw more than a behavioral health flag or a transfer order. She saw someone who felt alone.
Kubler, a nurse in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, had cared for the patient for only a couple of hours. During that time, she sat down, listened and tried to understand what mattered most to him. What she learned stayed with her long after her shift ended.
The patient was confused and struggling. He faced challenges during his stay and had little support outside the hospital. As Kubler talked with him, she learned his birthday was the next day. He was worried about practical things too, including the fact that he could not charge his phone and no longer had a shirt of his own.
“I try to find out what is good for the mind, body and spirit of each patient,” Kubler said. “My job is to provide medical care. But I believe you also have to find out what will make them happy to give them the strength to heal.”
Although she normally keeps a bag of extra phone chargers and cables for patients, she didn’t have the charging device the patient needed. After leaving work, Kubler stopped at a nearby store and assembled a care package. She filled it with a birthday card, a balloon, toiletries, gum and sugar-free drink packets that fit the patient’s dietary needs.
Rather than deliver it herself, she asked a member of the security team to bring it to the patient. She hoped the gesture would help build trust between the patient and the security staff who had interacted with him during his stay. Staff later told Kubler the birthday surprise brought a smile to the patient’s face during a difficult time.
For Kubler, the gesture was simply an extension of how she approaches nursing.
As a child, she accompanied her parents on weekly visits to nursing homes, where they spent time talking with residents and lifting their spirits.
“We would sit with them, talk to them and try to cheer them up,” Kubler said.
Those early experiences helped shape the nurse she would become. Today, she continues to look for small ways to bring comfort and connection to patients.
Sometimes that means helping solve a practical problem. Other times, it means playing music or encouraging patients to dance when they need motivation to get moving.
“You will fill your own cup by bringing patients small joys,” Kubler said.
That mindset continues to inspire her work today. Kubler and a group of other nurses are exploring ways to keep clothing available for patients who may not have anything to wear when they leave the hospital.
For Kubler, extraordinary care is often found in simple moments, and each shift is an opportunity to look beyond a diagnosis and see the person behind it. Sometimes, helping someone feel seen is just as important as helping them heal.