These poems evolved from my lived experiences and observations. The first, What Do I Want?, came from many days and years of teaching nursing students in nursing home and hospital settings with elderly patients. One day in a nursing home day room where my students were interacting with their assigned residents I observed a very old woman crying "Nurse, nurse, nurse" and reaching out to all who passed by her. Many caregivers walked by her. A few would stop and ask, "What do you want?" before going on to their other tasks. This older resident represents all vulnerable individuals who are not able to act for themselves. She wanted something, but did she know what she needed? Did anyone really listen to her? I tried to answer the question of "What do I want?" for her.
This poem has been shared with many nursing students to help them understand our responsibilities as nurses to speak fro the weak and those who cannot speak for themselves. Our responsibility as nurses is to be present with this older adult and not "distant" as the nurse in the poem.
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