“Making a difference as a nurse was a perfect fit to serve and bring back those childhood memories. I soon realized that bringing joy and smiles became more and more difficult in an institutional setting. 

Although the facility had many wonderful, caring nurses, caregivers, and other staff, the fact is, most patients feared being institutionalized and the anger they felt was overwhelming. In many cases, the patient’s anger and loss of hope made it impossible to bring joy to their hearts. I often listened while patients vented in anger about being away from their homes, while on the other hand, there were families who would often be frustrated, even infuriated by the lack of community-based programs available. This would leave the families with no alternative but to move their loved ones from the comfort of their homes and place them in a facility against their wishes.”