Heroes

Last week I happened to be near our local hospital when I saw a nurse leaving the building after her shift.  I waved, smiled and said in a loud voice, “Thank you!” The nurse smiled and waved back.

A few days later I was in a Zoom event with individuals who have leadership positions in myriad aging community settings. In an interestingly and somewhat related conversation, one of the participants raised the subject of nursing home care providers being called heroes. He said that this appellation is a burden for hands-on individuals and upsetting to them. These labels put pressure on individuals, he said. “They tell me they are not heroes; they say, in fact, they are afraid many times as they carry out their work in the nursing home.” The implication was that being called a hero laid too heavy a burden for them in their eyes.

My take is a little different as I remember so many news stories paying tribute to a citizen hero. Almost universally, the interviewee denies that label of hero, saying they were just responding to the event at hand. Then there is a neighbor, a young man with a family, who is a police officer in a crime-ridden area of our greater metropolitan area. He absolutely loves his work. When I ask if he is ever afraid, his quick but smiling response is, “Every day.” One can be a hero and still be fearful. It’s probably the norm.

For those caregivers who cannot accept that they are heroes, there are other simple and direct ways to instill in every person on the staff the conviction of the nobility, dignity and sacredness of his/her work especially at this time. Yes, people are supposed to show up every day on time for work.  But is there a special smile or nod to greet the faithful staff who are there? A reminder or pat on the shoulder when we see someone going beyond mere duty to respond to a need? In staff meetings, do we acknowledge the stressful time we are in, and the spirit of generosity and sacrifice that these times call for, and then a thank you to the staff for meeting the mark in all this?  Building the self-image of any staff member, and thus deepening his/her self-confidence, is a great aid in furthering the mission of the community.

Finally, I hope the following is a given: Any compliments or other gestures of recognition must be truthful and must acknowledge actions that are aligned with the standards and values of the community. Otherwise it is fake. And employees can smell it a mile away!