"How Can You Stand It?"

Well done. I dearly hope that my dear grandpa had an angel like you caring for him in his final days.

:heartbeatBless you! I am sure you make a positive difference in the lives of your residents. Hopefully, when I'm at the end of my days, I'll be fortunate enough to have someone like you to care for me.

The way I look at it, SOMEBODY has got to care about these people---the government sees them as numbers, the medical establishment largely ignores and under-treats them, and the corporations that own and operate nursing facilities view them only in terms of dollars and cents. And one day in the not-too-terribly-distant future, it'll be my own generation filling these buildings..........in fact, it's already happening, as some residents are only a few years older than I am! Someone far wiser than I already said this, and I believe it to be true: you have to BE the change you want to see in the world. This is my way of being that change. What is yours?

great post. i worked in an nursing home for a while, and once i got past the smells and sadness, i realized how much love i had for these people. that is someone's loved one. and the ones who had the worst cases were often the most loving, caring, nicest, and most positive people i'd ever met. how can you not want to help give them the best life possible?i also think you have to have a good sense of humor to work in a nursing home; sometimes it's the only way i got through...

Intermittently I have been called upon to care for elderly family members which involved frequent visits to nusing homes, hospitals, and hospice care. I always wanted to stay longer and never minded caring for my aged relatives. At 56, I am facing a forced return to work due to economic circumstances. My choice is to return to my profession as a laboratory technologist which has become automated and remote from the healing process. I have seriously contemplated re-education as an RN because I hope that it will take me closer to the job of healing and helping. Specifically, I have wondered if I would be suitable as a geriatric nurse. Were my feelings and joy of taking care of my elderly relatives based on my history with them or could it be transferred to strangers?You have answered my question with your passionate essay in which every word rang true. I am printing out your words and posting them close to my heart.

Quote from novacinIntermittently I have been called upon to care for elderly family members which involved frequent visits to nusing homes, hospitals, and hospice care. I always wanted to stay longer and never minded caring for my aged relatives. At 56, I am facing a forced return to work due to economic circumstances. My choice is to return to my profession as a laboratory technologist which has become automated and remote from the healing process. I have seriously contemplated re-education as an RN because I hope that it will take me closer to the job of healing and helping. Specifically, I have wondered if I would be suitable as a geriatric nurse. Were my feelings and joy of taking care of my elderly relatives based on my history with them or could it be transferred to strangers?You have answered my question with your passionate essay in which every word rang true. I am printing out your words and posting them close to my heart.

Wonderful, Viva! I spent some time last year volunteering and then working in a nursing home, and you captured many of my thoughts too. My teacher for Human Growth & Dev required us to do volunteer work at the facility of our choice and the nursing home was mine. We then had to write an essay about our experience. I hope to post that on the site somewhere later today.

What a wonderful summation of working in LTC. I also worked in LTC and miss it. I found my clinical skills in critical care, but I really found my soul in LTC. I had moments like that, too, and am thinking about going back. I miss working with elders. It is more challenging and rewarding than people think it is. Thank you so much for writing such a beautiful post. It was a shot in the arm for me!

I also work in a LTC facility and have since getting my LPN license 4 years ago. It was supposed to be a "job" until I was able to find something "better". I enjoy working with my residents. Many of them have no family, or have family that don't visit. They look forward to having me there, I too tell corny jokes and sing off tune, but they appreciate the attention that I give them. IDK why people look down on us, b/c like u said someone has to care for them!!!

There's a lot of misconception about what we LTC nurses do, I think the main myth being that we 'lose our skills'. I don't know, it seems to me that when you're working with IVs, wound vacs, central venous catheters, dialysis fistulas, tracheostomies, feeding tubes of all kinds, ostomies, and nephrostomy tubes---to mention just a few---staying current on 'skills' is a no-brainer. Just the other night, I had one of my dialysis pts come back home after his shunt malfunctioned and he had to get it replaced, this time in the internal jugular vein. He started bleeding out shortly after being settled into bed; I applied pressure, alerted staff to call 9-1-1, and was still standing there applying pressure when the EMTs got there ten minutes later. They actually complimented me on stopping the bleeding! Like they expected me to not know a simple first-aid maneuver, just because I'm a nursing-home nurse.:icon_roll

Wow, VivaLasViejas , that was probably the most valuable writing I have yet read regarding nursing. Over 25 years ago I worked in a Skilled Nursing Facility in Key West Florida. From the residents I learned the complete history of an island way of life that included Harry Truman, sponge fishing, the military, starvation, Henry Flagler and even Auschwitz and the Titanic. I remember this time of my life as some of my most rewarding nursing. Thanks for bringing back that memory. I admire you so much becasue of your altruism.

:imbar Your post has rendered me speechless (for once), so........Thank you!!