My grandfather was a veteran of World War II. He was wounded in the famous Battle of the Bulge and sent home to the United States afterwards. Despite receiving a medal of honor, my grandfather never considered himself a hero. He was just doing what the American government required from him and from most of the boys his age in the 1940s. But to the Americans who treasure freedom and to the Europeans who were imprisoned and tortured by the Nazis, each and every American soldier who fought in World War II was a hero.

You probably don’t consider yourself a hero either. Aren’t you just doing your job? But when you think about it from the perspective of your patients, you are absolutely a hero. When people become bedridden and dependent on others, a kind word, a gentle hand and a wide smile can make all the difference.In most jobs, it’s OK to have an off-day every once in a while. You can underperform because you are tired or under the weather and it doesn’t really matter. But in a nursing home, each staff member is part of a puzzle, and if one of you doesn’t do your job properly, the whole puzzle falls apart. And each and every day you find yourself going the extra mile for at least one of your patients.

Not everyone is suited for work in a nursing home. You have to be truly dedicated to helping people, day in and day out. Nursing is the type of job which can be extremely difficult if you look at it just as a means to put food on the table. But it becomes a joyful job when you realize how much you have impacted the lives of your patients and of their families.

Heroism exists on and off the battlefield. Nurses and nurses’ aides are often the unsung heroes of nursing homes, but you know the truth – without your hard work and dedication, patients would not receive the care they desperately need. Some of your patients are heroes themselves – of wars or of personal struggles – and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in their later years.

Your devotion to your patients is deeply appreciated by Towne Nursing every day!