Letter of the Week: Exemplary nursing care

Best nursing care

At a Kansas City area nursing home, a nurse manager encouraged her staff “to be extra kind and to look beyond the residents’ present circumstances when caring for the elderly because we do not know all the good that they have done in their lives.”

I have known many families and friends who have led extraordinary lives. Their accomplishments range from leaving their native countries and coming to the United States to build better lives for their families, to parents working endless hours to provide the basics for their children, to military veterans who have honorably served this great nation, to those who have reached out to strangers in their times of need.

In our modern, fast-paced world, we still have the opportunity to slow down and learn about the good that others have done during their lifetimes. Showing kindness and learning about an individual’s back story can go a long way toward building trust and connections.

Janet Griffiths of Lenexa was born and raised in the Kansas City area. She received a bachelor of arts degree in French at the University of Kansas, worked for a few years in New York and then received an associates of applied science in nursing degree from Marymount College in Arlington, Va. She is a retired nurse. She and her husband, Larry, have been married 33 years and have a 27-year-old son, Lucas. She enjoys spending time with her family and dog, Chloe.

This story was originally published May 22, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Letter of the Week: Exemplary nursing care."