Happy holidays

LETTERS NURSING IMAGE my colleagues. It would show nurs The public is being misled. Real life ing in a new perspective and nurses nurses bear no resemblance to the as they really are: educated decision scatterbrained individuals who pa- makers who devote their energies to rade through the soap operas, come- the health care needs of their comdies, and TV dramas that shape the munities. EDWINA AUDETTE, RN, MA . average viewer's perception of the highly professional field of nursing. My colleagues and I are educated, dedicated, capable members of the WANTED: ADVICE FOR health care team. We do not have BOWEL PROGRAMS the IQs of crustaceans nor do we lust after men in white jackets who carry Elizabeth Mager-O'Connor's artistethoscopes. After studying to ac- cle, "How to Identify and Remove quire knowledge, practicing to ac- Fecal Impactions" (May/June, p. quire skills, and passing a difficult li- 158) was an excellent overview of censure exam, nurses deserve to be this distressing dilemma . I thank her taken seriously and portrayed accu- for shedding light on this universal rately. Any woman who resembles problem. What. further advice can readers the media stereotype would be . offer the person who is a paraplegic weeded out at an early stage of her .' or quad, or the person with a neuroeducation. Nurses presented by the media are logical disease that causes a notably all female, blond, full figured, and sluggish bowel? What kind of bowel mainly interested in marriage with training program would be most suitable? physicians. SYLVIA T. JOSEPH, RN, CA. Reality is somewhat different. As a registered nurse, I am one of many individuals who provide health care services in an ever-expanding field. HAPPY HOLIDAYS My work experience is typical of the I am writing in response to "The steps in many nurses' careers: Meaning of Holidays in a Nursing • nurse's aide experience leading Home" (Jan./Feb., p. 43). I agree to certification that holidays often don't hold the • graduation from a three-year same meaning for the elderly in nursing homes as they had in the nursing program • state board exam; licensure as a past. However, it is possible for residents to be the main planners and registered nurse • three years' experience in inten- participate in holiday festivities. Our sive care and coronary care nursing residents certainly are! at a community hospital Residents help with the Swedish • 2 years as a float nurse at a met- Christmas Tea (held in mid-Decemropol itan hospital, caring for criti- ber), the Christmas Eve Smorgasbord, and all three meals on Christcally ill pat ients mas. They work on invitations; make • supervision of critical care. Now, as a supervisor in a long- decorations, favors, and placemats; term care facility, I work with staff bake and decorate cookies; prepare nurses, and teach certification vegetables, fruit, meatballs, and courses for nurses' aides, cardiopul- cheese for the Smorgasbord and monary resuscitation, and continu- Christmas dinner; and squeeze fresh ing education. These responsibilities, juice for Christmas breakfast. plus being a wife, mother, student, One resident takes charge of and active member of two nurses' as- stringing the lights on the tree, othsociation's and two nursing educa- ers hang the ornaments. (These tree tion committees, leave no time or in- decorators often prefer not to particclination for chasing men in white ipate in our usual activities.) Occasionally a resident becomes coats. I challenge any media representa- upset because "Christmas just isn't tive to spend a day with me or one of like it used to be." When this hap350 Geriatric Nursing November/December 1984

pens, we don 't try to minimize the person's feelings, but we also encourage getting involved with any of the holiday preparations that are meaningful. Some folks say they feel bad about receiving so many gifts without having opportunities to give as they used to. We encourage those who are able to go out shopping, to make gifts by hand, and exchange presents with another local nursing home. On Christmas Eve, spirits are especially high. Some residents go out with their families on Christmas Day, but most stayhere. "Why worry about taking me out?" one woman asked her relative. "There's always plenty to do here." Christmas dinner, served family style, is a joyful meal. Residents choose what they like to eat, including any (or all) of three desserts. The room rings with laughter. More positive interaction is observed among staff and residents and this spirit carries over into the long winter months as residents prepare for a New Year's Eve party, a Hawaiian Luau in January, and valentines and Mard i Gras celebrations. DEBRA DIEGOLI, VT.