LETTERS G A R D E N I N G W I T H C A N E

OR WALKER This is a fan letter: the editorial ( " G N ' s Sparkl ing Older Authors , " M a y / J u n e , p. 153) and the fine es- says of prize winning a n d other au- thoi's who wrote on " W h a t I Expect f rom the Nurse". (p. 154) are de- lightful and full of wit and wisdom.

There isn't much new here at Foulkeways (a life care re t i rement c o m m u n i t y ) . Certa inly my war on slugs is not new, but that I have a few flowers despite slugs and beetles is new. Very nice jonquils now over. I ' m putt ing in impatiens and petu- nias and learning to do so while es- tablishing my balance with walker or cane. I can now use spray, trowel, and shovel for short periods.

I sold a painting! MARGERY OVERHOLSER, RN, PA

Editor ' s Note: Readers will recall Ms. Overholser as a coauthor o f "'Putting Down Roots in Retire- ment" (July/Aug. 1980, p. 114). Now 86, she has made a fine recov- ery after fracturing a hip in 1982.

HIGH PRAISE F R O M S C O T L A N D M a y I compl iment you on the pro- duction of an excellent journal . Ger- iatric Nursing must be regarded as making a major contribution to the l i terature in this subject area. I t is a distinct pleasure to read so .many ar-

ticles which inspire opt imism, demons t ra te geriatr ic nursing excel- lence, have an impor tant applied emphasis , and present the care of the elderly as a challenging and reward- ing specialty.

Your contr ibutors are to be con- gra tula ted for articles that reflect in- novative and insightful nursing ap- proaches. GN is taking an obvious leadership position in the develop- ment and provision of high quali ty care for the elderly.

I also find N E ' ~ W A T C H most informative and s t imula t ing ; i t re- flects the journal ' s role as advocate of the elderly. I look forward to m a k - ing full use of GN in my teaching, research, and clinical work.

DESMOND CORMACK, RN Dundee, Scotland

I N V A S I O N O F P R I V A C Y ? Janice Bergman ' s "Men ta l ly II1 in Nurs ing Homes? Yes, I f . . . . " ( M a r . / A p r . , p. 100) is a good article but is spoiled by the photograph s in- cluded in it.

These photographs provide no use- ful information and they include the full names, ages, and diagnoses of the people pictured. There is no indi- cation that these are pseudonyms, so I assume these people consented to full identification in a national jour- nal. To me this seems like an inva- sion of privacy and an insult to their dignity.

This type of photograph seems to perpetuate the notion that people with psychiatr ic diagnoses look dif- ferent f rom others and gives the arti- cle a " f r eak show" appeal. Use of such explicit captions as these seems to me in very questionable taste and un-nurse-like.

HEDY HAAS-DAVID, RN, NY

Janice Bergman replies: Obviously, this reader and I saw something very different in the photographs. The intent o f the photos was to ver- ify the compatibility and genuine caring that occur between our ger- iatric and psychiatric residents. It does jus t that. Look again. The psychiatric residents do not "'look

different f rom others.'" Ms. Haas- David's response reinforces my be- l ie f that some nurses and other caregivers are the ones who stereo- type the mentally ill and think they should be hidden. To me, it is a giant step forward when a resident can be as comfortable saying, "'1 have schizophrenia'" as one saying, '7 have a fractured hip.'" This is our goal at Crestview Manor, and my article and the photographs demonstrate that.

It's exciting when psychiatric residents come forward to be iden- tified and treated like other people. It's discouraging when a nurse construes this as "an insult to their dignity" and views their photos as a f reak show. It seems to me this reader is insulting their dignity, considers them less than others, and prefers to keep them out o f sight.

My hope is that nurses will take a leadership role in an effort to eradicate negative attitudes and stereotypes about mentally ill per- sons. I f they continue to be treated differently by health professionals, there is little hope for their accep- tance by society.

T I M E L Y A R T I C L E S , C O M P R E H E N S I B L E T O O The M a r c h / A p r i l 1983 issue is the first copy of Geriatric Nursing that I 've had the pleasure of reading. I know that it is, for me, the beginning of a long:t ime, informative reading pleasure, one that I will look forward to with each succeeding issue.

Three articles were of par t icular interest: " E n t r y Into a Nurs ing H o m e as a Status Passage" (Chen- itz, p. 92), "'The Benefits of a Drug Hol iday" (Keenan and others, p. 63), and "Focus on Wellness" (Dunn /Abe l , p. 111).

As a medical secretary in a 515- bed geriatr ic nursing home, I found them to be t ime ly and appropr ia te ly focused as well as easily comprehen-

• sible to a lay person. I hope that you and your staff keep

.up the very fine quali ty of GN. LOUISE BROWN, .NY