We’re celebrating National Nurses Week at Senior Lifestyle and we hope you’ll join us in honoring the men and women for whom caring is as much a calling as a profession. Nursing team members at each Senior Lifestyle community form a bond with residents, families and fellow team members that not only creates trust, but also fosters independence and encourages fulfilling lifestyles for those we serve. Nurses across America provide compassion as well as care and are often the first encounter for those entering a healthcare setting. Additionally, for the past 16 years, nursing has been rated by the public as the most honest and ethical profession.
National Nurses Week starts on May 6th and ends on May 12th, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, known as the founder of modern nursing. This week of recognition was designated by the American Nurses Association’s Board of Directors in 1993 as a permanent observance and includes special recognition for student nurses as well as school nurses. While the first National Nurses Week was celebrated in 1954, commemorating the 1ooth anniversary of nurse Florence Nightingale’s mission during the Crimean War, national recognition did not occur until 1982, when President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation declaring May 6th “National Recognition Day for Nurses”.
The “Florence Nightingale Pledge” embodies the spirit of nursing. This modified “Hippocratic Oath” was composed in 1893 by Mrs. Lystra E. Gretter and a Committee for the Farrand Training School for Nurses in Detroit, MI. It was called the Florence Nightingale Pledge as a token of esteem for the founder of modern nursing.
I SOLEMNLY PLEDGE MYSELF BEFORE GOD AND IN THE PRESENCE OF THIS ASSEMBLY, TO PASS MY LIFE IN PURITY AND TO PRACTICE MY PROFESSION FAITHFULLY. I WILL ABSTAIN FROM WHATEVER IS DELETERIOUS AND MISCHIEVOUS, AND WILL NOT TAKE OR KNOWINGLY ADMINISTER ANY HARMFUL DRUG. I WILL DO ALL IN MY POWER TO MAINTAIN AND ELEVATE THE STANDARD OF MY PROFESSION, AND WILL HOLD IN CONFIDENCE ALL PERSONAL MATTERS COMMITTED TO MY KEEPING AND ALL FAMILY AFFAIRS COMING TO MY KNOWLEDGE IN THE PRACTICE OF MY CALLING. WITH LOYALTY WILL I ENDEAVOR TO AID THE PHYSICIAN IN HIS WORK, AND DEVOTE MYSELF TO THE WELFARE OF THOSE COMMITTED TO MY CARE.
At Senior Lifestyle, we understand the importance of creating an environment of trust and compassion and we know that our nurses are a vital part of that environment. Whitney Lane, a Senior Lifestyle Divisional Director of Health and Wellness, notes, “We could not care for our residents without our nurses. The nurses are the heart of the community. The nurses care for other’s loved ones from the beginning of their journey into senior living until the end of their journey. The residents and families put all of their trust in our nurses during their stay with us. The nurses become an extension of their family. They impact the lives of so many.” We hope you’ll join us at Senior Lifestyle in celebrating nurses and all they do to help those we serve live fulfilling lives. For more information about National Nurses Week and the lifestyle available in a community near you, please visit our website at www.seniorlifestyle.com.