My Dream For Nursing

I have been a nurse for thirteen years, working in the Alzheimer/Dementia field. I have had experience in other areas,but primarily AD.

I have continually been dismayed by the ineffectual hierarchy that is embedded in the nursing field. Do we have  to have to have HHA, CNA, LPN, and RN, instead of just nurse? The result of this is that some LPNs and RNs  will not do hands on care. They want to keep their distance from the patients and tell the CNAs to do all the "hands on."

I have seen LPNs and RNs go to great lengths to avoid having to do the "dirty work" that is the real nursing.

After all, what is nursing? Is it not giving care to sick people? Care can not be given from a distance.

I used to work at a facility that required everyone to do "care" for a shift once or twice a month.  That facility had a higher standard of care as a result.

The CNA is relegated to the bathing, incontinent changing, and feeding of patients; the LPN to administering medications, changing dressings and solving problems with staff and patients; the RN to supervising and calling the doctor.  The LPN can and does call the doctor, but can not supervise.  Where I work, LPNs  can do the same thing under the name of ''team leader". Of course the LPN can bathe, change and feed, but this is where the conflict arises.  Many do not want to and indeed will not. This allows for lower morale among the CNAs and the fostering of a "better than thou" attitude. I have never seen an RN bathe, change or feed a patient.  I am not saying there are not RNs that do that , only that I have never seen it. Everything seems to fall on the CNA, the least educated and the lowest paid.

Legislation is the only way to change this situation. But there is little chance of it because now the young people going into nursing are getting BSNs and going on to an MSN, so they can teach or be DONs or work in offices and never see a patient.

  

Seraphine Louis

Seraphine Louis, for whom this site is named, was a 20th century French painter in the naive style. She painted vivid flowers, fruits and leaves that seemed to be alive, with eyes and lips, about to move or speak. Some believed that to view her paintings was to glimpse into her mind.

She was at one with nature, " We who paint see the world through different eyes."

She worked by day as a housekeeper and painted in secret at night by candlelight, using paints she made from the flora and fauna of the region of Senlis.  The colors are as vibrant and bright today as the day she created them.  Her canvasses were pieces of wood until German art critic William Uhde discovered her and became her patron.  Ironic, that, because they were both outcasts.  He exhibited her work and she enjoyed new found financial success, which she was unable to handle.

Unfortunately this partnership was short lived because of the Great War.  Uhde was made to feel quite unwelcome in France in 1914, and returned to Germany.  Seraphine eked out a meager existence in Uhde's absence, but continued to paint, remaining removed and distant from WWI, except reacting to how it made her life more difficult.

Seraphine lived to paint; "My guardian angel told me I must paint".  The locals found her to be quite eccentric.
She was self taught and inspired by religious art, living in that gray area between genius and madness.

Seraphine and Uhde were reunited in 1927.  During their separation Seraphine had worked feverishly and developed her own unmistakable style to Uhde's delight.  Again Uhde's patronage ended abruptly because of the effects of the world wide depression.  Few had money for fine art.  Seraphine was once again quite poor and had little understanding of why this was happening, for she was not of this world.

She was committed to a psychiatric ward at Clermont and died in a hospital annex, alone and without friends or family.

After her death Uhde continued to exhibit her works in Paris, Zurich and New York.  In 1945 a solo exhibition was held in Paris.  An exhibition of her work was held in Paris as recently as 2008.  Seraphine de Senlis' paintings are alive and well in museums in Paris, Nice and Senlis.

In 2009 the French film Seraphine  won seven Cesar awards.  Yolande Moreau won best actress for her portrayal of Seraphine.

What Happened to Liberte'?

On April 11, 2011 France banned the Burqa, the head to toe garment with a mesh screen to look through and the niqab, the face curtain with slits for the eyes to see where one is going.  Of course these are two wearing apparel items worn by some Muslim women.  Women who continue to wear these items can be arrested and fined 150 Euros.  No jail.  This applies to visitors as well.  There are five million Muslims (give or take) in France and reportedly between 350 and 2000 women might be affected by this new burqa, niqab law.  It is somewhat surprising that most French women who cover their faces for religious reasons in France are young and many are converts to Islam.  Even more are second, third or fourth generation French citizens. They love France and have no intention of moving.  People who force a woman to cover her face are subject to one year in prison and a 30,000 Euro fine. How ironic.  Now a body of mostly men and most probably white ones are trying to force a dress code on women who are all of a certain religion.  Is there a fine for that? No, I did not think so. Public opinion in Paris is mixed on this unusual law.  There is an organization, a French one, that is offering to pay the fines for anyone who chooses to cover her face. That is if she is arrested by gendarmes who I would think have much better things to do, than to harass women who are not hurting anyone or anything. The Qu'ran does not speak of face coverings as part of Islam.
So what is Sarkozy afraid of? Terrorism, Immigrants and Islam, that's what. But this is no way to fight back.
He is being ridiculed  by many in other parts of the world.  The head scarf, or hijab has already been banned in schools some years back. Whether one agrees or not is irrelevant.  An individual has the right to dress as he or she sees fit unless it impedes the rights of others. Sarkozy says that this law protects French society.  From what?  To me it is just a another way to say 'we do not like Muslims', just the way we did not like the Roma, and we are not going to accept them into French society.
Spain and Holland are considering following suit in this law.
Syria has banned the veil in public universities.
I  think this law will cause more trouble than Sarkozy ever dreamed of.

Anniversary of First Human in Space

Remember Yuri Gagarin?

He was the first human to orbit the earth.  The U.S.S.R. successfully sent Mr. Gagarin into space for 108 minutes fifty years ago.The United States was somewhat shocked when it heard this news.  We thought that a country that could not manufacture television sets for its populace, would never be capable of putting someone in space. This Russian achievement really catapulted the space program in America.  John F. Kennedy was president at the time and started a program to put a man on the moon.  Thus began the space race, in the confines of the Cold War, between the U.S.S.R. and the United States.

Sadly Gagarin died in a flight test crash  in 1968 at the age of thirty four. However his memory is kept very much alive in Russia. Russians are very proud of him.  He is a sort of hero.  A statue of him is in a very visible spot in Moscow.  To mark the anniversary of his space flight, there were special programs in Russian schools, and television programs dedicated to space flight and in particular Mr. Gagarin's.  Now there is a movie made entirely in space from the International Space Station of Mr. Gagarin's odyssey and what he saw.  This cosmonaut must have been made of steel because there was no provision for the re-entry of hisVostok I.
He had to eject himself out at four miles from earth and open a parachute to return home.  Busy!

Commemorating the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

This year marks the centennial observation of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the worst tragedy in New York City history until September 11, 2001.  The Triangle Fire burned for thirty minutes, starting on the eighth  floor of the Asch Building, located on the northwest corner of Greene and Washington in Greenwich Village, on a Saturday afternoon on March 25, 1911, killing 146 people. The majority of those who perished were young immigrant women, most still in their teens and twenties. One young woman, an immigrant from Russia, was working at Triangle for only two days when the fire started. Those who jumped out  the windows to escape the flames rather than burn alive, died when they hit the sidewalk.  The doors were locked from the outside, so access to the stairs was impossible.  The only way out were the elevators, which were overloaded and insufficient. The elevator operators made three trips up and down to get people out before the intense heat bent the metal mechanisms of the shaft, and rendered it useless.  Some panicked and jumped down the elevator shaft into flames.  These brave women, who were trying to organize, worked , some say nine, some say fourteen hours a day with one half hour break for lunch. The lighting was poor, it was hot in the summer, cold in the winter, (as in all sweatshops) their every move was watched and they were charged for the thread and needles they used. For working in these horrible conditions they were paid the princely sum of two dollars a week.  But that was not bad enough.  The doors were locked so no one could leave five minutes early, or sneak a piece of cloth or finished blouse under her arm on their way out. I saw a PBS documentary on this fire and it affected me deeply.  I will never forget it.  I think of those young women every day.  Their lives had to have been unbearable to make the difficult journey to America and they must have had hopes and dreams for their future.

After the Triangle tragedy, many labor reforms were enacted  with penalty if not obeyed. The owners of The Triangle were not charged with anything at the trial that ensued, because they had broken no laws.  But  later they were indicted for manslaugter, but only fined a paltry sum instead. In 1913, one of the owners was fined twenty dollars for locking the doors on his new factory.

Today the building is known as the Brown Building, a National Historic Landmark, and a New York City Landmark.

Six heretofore unidentified victims were identified this year and honored with headstones at their gravesite.

All week there are to be commemorations public and private in New York City.

In Honor Of Mohamed Bouazizi

You have been called the man who toppled Tunisia, the man who ignited the spark that set the Arab world on fire.  It is the first time the leadership of an Arab country changed because the people demanded it, rather than handing it over to the next in line relative. The first time ever. You set yourself on fire on 12/17/10, died on 1/04/11,and Ben Ali, who visited you in hospital, fled the country on 1/14/11.  I think about you every day. Remember you and your life.  How difficult it must have been.  You never had a fair opportunity, only hardship. I think of  your mother.  She misses you terribly, but she is proud of you.  I am proud of you too.  Now there are posters of you all over Tunisia.  Your friends and compatriots miss you.  They consider you a martyr.

In the United States self immolation is generally considered insanity.  In fact many had not even been aware of the practice until our involvement in the Viet Nam War.

On January 6, 2011, two days after you died, a 17 year-old high school student, Al Hamdi, a set himself alight in the principal's office for being barred from organizing a protest march to coincide with your funeral.  Five thousand mourners marched in your procession chanting,  "We weep for you today, we will make those who caused your death weep tomorrow. "

Although the seeds of revolution had already been sown, your deed was the catalyst for change.  No one was intimidated any longer.  Nothing could stop those who had been mistreated for so long.

You did not die in vain.  We will always remember you.

No Fly Zone

Our involvement with the "No Fly Zone" over Libya makes me very uncomfortable.  Secretary Gates stated that this was a bad idea before it started, because among other logistical reasons, it meant that we would have to declare war on Libya. President Obama has reiterated that there will be no "boots on the ground" in Libya.  Once the camel gets its nose under the tent how long before the rest follows?  Now NATO is in charge of the operations.  I do not know who Obama is listening to.  Recently, I thought I wish he would listen to his mother,or what he thought his mother would think and say. From what I know of her, she sounded incredible and raised quite a remarkable son.  I know we are signatories to the doctrines of NATO,but I would be proud for the United States to provide humanitarian services: food, water and medicine. After all is this not a humanitarian effort?  I am disappointed about the military jets dropping bombs. The French,or I should say Sarkozy, is enthused about enforcing a no fly zone, and so are the Brits.  Norway is contributing jets. So is Belgium. Is that not enough?  We can not afford this sort of folly.  We who voted for Obama are war weary.  We do not want it. If we continue to save lives, and Qaddafi prevails, then what?

My next task is to write to Obama to tell him to listen to his own voice, because it is a good one, and to Michelle's, his daughters, his mother-in-law and of course his mother's.  I'll let you know how that works out.