Gabrielle Perinet Lacroix is TidalHealth Peninsula
Regional’s December Daisy Award Recipient
Gabby Perinet Lacroix, RN, is TidalHealth Peninsula Regional’s December Daisy Award recipient.
SALISBURY – Gabrielle (Gabby) Perinet Lacroix, RN, of TidalHealth Peninsula Regional’s 5 East patient care unit, has been selected as the November 2023 recipient of the Daisy Award for her care and special attention.
Her nomination, below, was written by a peer who observed the nurse provide extraordinary care to a patient with special needs.
“I would like to nominate Gabrielle (Gabby) Perinet Lacroix, a registered nurse (RN) on 5 East, for her innovative idea and delivery of excellent patient care. Thinking creatively allowed Gabby to deliver comfort to a 77-year-old patient with severe dementia and anxiety who would regularly become anxious and agitated.
His son was the only person with the ability to calm his father, but he could not be at the bedside around the clock. Gabby thought a mannequin in the room in the image of the patient’s son might provide comfort and allow the man to stay calm and rest.
She stuffed an isolation gown for the body, a pillowcase for the head, and attached a life-sized photo of the son’s head to it. She placed the mannequin in a chair in a reclined position and covered it with a blanket.
It worked amazingly well.
The patient, when the son could not be in the room, would look over at the chair and talk to the mannequin. The entire nursing staff assisted by addressing both the mannequin and the patient each time they would enter the room, saying hello, goodnight, and is there anything you need? During the evening, a mask was placed on the mannequin to simulate sleep, which also helped the patient to rest.
Gabby’s patient-centered approach targeted this patient’s specific health needs, resulting in the desired outcome of decreased anxiety and a better patient care experience for the duration of his stay.”
Gabby Perinet Lacroix was recently honored with the Daisy Award in a ceremony before her colleagues. She received certificates commending her for being an extraordinary nurse, and a sculpture called A Healer's Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon autoimmune disease.
The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.
