Copley at Stoughton recently celebrated National Nurses Appreciation Week (May 6 to 12) here as we do every year. Now that we can schedule visits and accept new residents, we can take a little breath of relief. And while this is a welcomed turn of the corner, I can’t help but reflect on what a difference our nursing staff made during this year of the pandemic.
You’ve all heard that nurses were literally on the front line of the pandemic. And “front line” is such an appropriate phrase here. They put their lives at risk to ensure the health and welfare of our residents. We took every precaution we could to reduce the risk of COVID at Copley. But all of us in healthcare were well aware that this insidious virus can sneak in through any crack. Our nurses lived with this frightening prospect every day. We – and most importantly, when I say “we,” I mean our entire nursing staff – had to be constantly vigilant.
What amazes me most is despite this fear, our nurses remained cheerful and upbeat on the outside, no matter what they might have been feeling on the inside. That, I can tell you, was tremendously uplifting for our residents. Nothing was normal this year. But our nurses were leaders, showing that we could still look on the bright side, no matter how bleak things looked during quarantine. I know many of our residents felt reassured that everything would be okay eventually, based solely on our nurses’ positive attitude and a familiar face to see every day.
That’s how dynamic and invaluable they all are – providing care in a way that goes above and beyond.
I want to give a public “Thank you!” to our entire nursing staff, who bravely, professionally, and with a smile on their faces helped us through the worst healthcare crisis of our time. Next time you’re visiting, please think about giving our nursing staff a special thank you.