Please acknowledge the 'family' caregivers. Look them in the eye, greet them, address them by name when possible, solicit their input, and ask them how they are coping at an appropriate time. The post Acknowledging Family Caregivers first appeared on Donna Cardillo, RN ..read more

Jan came from a highly dysfunctional family. One day at age 14, after a physical altercation with her drug-addicted mother and years of abuse and neglect, she decided to take her own life by swallowing downers she had accumulated from her mother’s stash and a bottle of gin. She was found unconscious in the girls’ … Jan’s Story Read More » The post Jan’s Story first appeared on Donna Cardillo, RN ..read more

I recently stayed in a hotel out of state the night before a speaking engagement. I decided to walk to a local market to buy some food rather than go out to eat. It was raining lightly, but enough to need an umbrella. I noticed a pickup truck with a passenger cab in the parking … Witnessing Homelessness: A Story of Compassion and Gratitude. Read More » The post Witnessing Homelessness: A Story of Compassion and Gratitude. first appeared on Donna Cardillo, RN ..read more

By Donna Cardillo The inevitable had happened. My mother-in-law, three months shy of her 100th birthday, passed away. I knew it would be my responsibility to empty her apartment and pack up or dispose of her belongings. Why me, the daughter-in-law? Because I was her primary caregiver. Both of her sons were ill or disabled … The Daughter-in-Law Read More » The post The Daughter-in-Law first appeared on Donna Cardillo, RN ..read more

Recently while traveling, I enjoyed breakfast at a chain restaurant. Several tables were occupied, and I noticed only one server doing all the front-end work: taking orders and processing payments. Other customers slowly trickled in, and she seemed to keep up with it all with grace, style, and even humor. When she brought my food, I told her I noticed that she was managing the floor entirely by herself and doing it like a champ. I thanked her for working. She was startled and got the biggest smile on her face. She said hesitantly, “Well, thank you … and thank you for saying thank you!” She loo ..read more

The older we get, the more risk-averse we become. Our fears magnify and we have a tendency to pull back from life. But pulling back and avoiding things we’re afraid of only magnifies our fears and makes our world smaller. Instead, try stepping forward boldly. Take a risk, even a small one. Try something new even if it seems scary. Do something you’ve never done before even if it’s just going out to lunch by yourself. Cultivate friendships with new people, especially those younger than yourself. Keep it interesting. Keep it exciting. Keep it alive. © Donna Cardillo. All rights reserved. The pos ..read more

The summer before my senior year of RN nursing school, I worked as an LPN (we were allowed to take LPN boards then after 2 years of RN education) in a county-run long-term chronic psychiatric facility. Most of the patients had been there for years and years long ago, abandoned by their families. It was very much like the ward scenes in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. These men were otherwise ignored, neglected, and sometimes abused by staff members. I was 19 years old, altruistic, naïve, and inexperienced. The stories I could tell you about my short time there, including being threatened whe ..read more

I arrived home late yesterday afternoon from a business trip. So I decided to order takeout dinner for the family and have it delivered. The bill came to $48.45. I handed the delivery person $60 and told him to keep the change. He stood there stunned for a moment and then in the most sincere imaginable voice said, “Oh my God thank you so much!” It was not a huge expenditure on my part but obviously meant so much to this young man. Many years ago, when I had fallen on hard times, I was cocktail waitressing to make some extra money. One evening a group left me a $20 tip. I felt just as that y ..read more

A few years back during a loss of power after a storm, I went to a convenience store that had electricity to get coffee and ice… essentials during a power failure! A customer (a man in his 40s) saw me trying to juggle several bags of ice and picked one up to help me out to the car. A woman who works there and apparently knows him says, “Leave it to a Marine to help!” On our way to my car, I said, “Thanks so much for your help. That was very kind of you.” Him: Just pay it forward. Me: I always do. I’m a nurse! Him: (Throws his hands up in the air and smiles) Why didn’t you say so? (Nurses, law ..read more

I often talk about the value and the need for transitions in our life—those in-between times when we go from one thing to another—whether it’s a job, relationship, or other major life event. I want to share with you one of my own experiences of a big transition that was so pivotal in my life. For many years, I worked in the healthcare field in a variety of very interesting positions. One day, while I was working as a registered nurse, I felt the need to take a break from my career—one that I had worked so hard to get into to. I didn’t want to be responsible for anybody else’s life for a while ..read more