The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, England, and other allies. It has been called the first “modern war.” As Americans, we remember it vaguely, but for Europe, it was a major turning point as industrial-age technology was first displayed on the battlefield. Using outdated Napoleonic-era tactics, soldiers on both sides were ordered to charge directly into the newly developed modern rifles and cannons.
This new level of lethality led to massive casualties, and sanitation techniques were still in their infancy. Death rates in hospitals were often higher than on the battlefield due to contaminated water, sewage problems, overcrowding, poor nutrition, and almost no infection control.
Enter Florence Nightingale, a British nurse.
During the Crimean War, she became known for quietly walking hospital wards at night with a small lamp, checking on wounded soldiers long after others had gone to sleep. Soldiers later wrote that simply seeing her light brought comfort and hope. Her focus on common-sense — but not widely practiced — things like infection control, ventilation, fresh linens, clean water, and handwashing saved countless lives.
After the war, she founded the Nightingale School in London, which revolutionized the practice of nursing with so many things we now take as a given — patient-centered care, clinical observation, and standards of conduct, to name a few.
What made her extraordinary was not only her boundless energy and compassion but also her consistency. She understood that healing and dignity are built through countless acts of care repeated every single day with clinical rigor as well as compassion.
Every day and night at Pegasus Senior Living and other senior living communities across the country, we have our own Ladies and Gentlemen of the Lamp, walking the halls, offering comfort and care, and displaying professional rigor and a relentless advocacy for each resident.
So thank you, nurses! Your calm presence and professional demeanor offer a constant comforting presence. You notice what others miss. You protect dignity and bring humanity to every engagement during stressful times.
Thank you for carrying the lamp for our residents and families every day.
Happy National Nurses Week!
Chris Hollister, Chair and CEO