Giggling. As I listened to handoff report, I finally deciphered the sound coming from one of my patient's rooms. She was giggling. "Curious," I thought, and turned my attention back to my co-worker. I began my rounds and fell into the rhythm of caring for patients. The patient's room from which I had heard the giggling was my last assessment as I started off the afternoon. "Ms. Giggle's/' an elderly lady with Alzheimer's, almost ready for discharge after a flare-up of heart failure, was quiet when I entered the room. As soon as she saw me however, she smiled and the giggling began in earnest. Ms. Giggle's cooperated with my every request, giggling her way through the assessment and providing me with a challenge of listening to heart and lung sounds between giggles. By the time I finished my assessment, I was smiling. Her giggles were contagious.
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