I saw "Lady in the Van" today. It's the movie with Maggie Smith playing a homeless woman who lives in a van and is helped by a man who lets her and her van park in his London driveway. For 15 years. The story, as it goes, is "mostly true" but is based on a true story written by Alan Bennett.
Throughout the movie, I was reminded of how everyone has a story. Everyone. And when we meet someone at a point in their life, say in their 80's or 90's, there's so much of that story we don't know. Judging them by the way they look or act may not allow us to appreciate that story. And so it went in the movie as Maggie Smith's character evolves.
On Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely 90 year old woman for the first time. I was there to assess her health, meet her family, and talk with her and them about plans for her future. It occurred to me, as it always does when I'm in that situation, that I am taking just a snapshot of this woman's life when there has been a whole long-running video. I talked with her and we laughed about growing up on "Two Street" and meeting her husband and raising her six children. I enjoyed our time together and understood why her six children loved her so much and want to do whatever they can to take care of her.
Each RN on the Guardian Nurses' team is honored to be asked to help patients and their families and we take seriously the role we play as advocates. We understand that everyone has a story and we are grateful to be a part of it.