Working in senior care is more than just a job—it’s a lifestyle choice. As a senior care professional, you are more than a well-trained professional, but you also possess the heart, passion, and compassion required to work with seniors. While the rewards are many, and are often fulfilling on a personal level, some days can be a challenge. When you’re in need of inspiration, motivation, or a quick pick-me-up, read our thoughts and favorite quotes below:
 
Angles on Earth
 
As a nurse, CNA, or valued senior care professional, you’re often referred to as an angel. While your hands may not be calloused, as in the meditation below, your job can certainly be physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging—but you can do it, because you’re an angel on earth!
 
“I have learned that real angels don’t have gossamer white robes and Cherubic skin, they have calloused hands and smell of the days’ sweat.” Richard Evans
 
Aging with Grace
 
For those of you beginning to feel as though you have more and more in common with your seniors—because you, too, are near retirement years—here’s a friendly reminder that age has little to do with aging. Don’t forget to remind your seniors of the same.

“Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.” Helena Rubinstein
 
That Little Something Extra
 
When you graduated from nursing school—or finally obtained your medical certification—you certainly weren’t the only one in your class to do so. You all mastered the skills required for working in healthcare, but to succeed, you needed that little something extra. Your success in senior care is because you possess that rare mix of hard work, dedication, humility, and determination. 
 
“Talent means nothing, while experience, acquired in humility and with hard work, means everything.” Patrick Suskind
 
Patience
 
Patience is not only a job requirement, but something that must come naturally for you in order to succeed with your seniors. Keep in mind that the resistance you’ll face with some of your patients may not be an accurate representation of the man or woman they once lived their life as. In fact, the loss of independence, limited mobility, cognitive decline, or the pain and discomfort that often comes with aging can leave your senior trying your patience as they struggle to cope. While some seniors will never allow you in, most will at some point—even if only on occasion.
 
“If you try and lose then it isn’t your fault. But if you don’t try and we lose, then it’s all your fault.” Orson Scott Card

“Patience can be bitter but her fruit is always sweet.” Habeeb Akande
 
The Joy of Your Sometimes Thankless Work

The connection you share with your seniors is often a loving connection to humanity. While the “thank you’s” are sometimes few and far between, your connection to humanity is one that does not require words.

“It is only in the act of nursing that a woman realizes her motherhood in visible and tangible fashion; it is a jo of every moment” Honore de Balzac

When the light at the end of the tunnel is hard to find, allow the meditational quotes above to lift your spirits!

There’s a reason retirement is referred to as our “Golden Years.” Yes, you’ll experience changes in everything from your health, to your mobility, and even your appearance—but aging with grace is simply a matter of perspective. In fact, there’s a freedom that comes with aging, if only you live honestly and openly in the now. Turn to the meditations below to regain perspective when need be.

What it Means to “Grow Old”

Age has far less to do with actual age, and far more to do with how you live your life. If you allow your age to keep you from living, from appreciating the joy in life, or from trying something new—then you’ll “grow old” far before you retire. Even if people want to treat you like you are old, prove them wrong with your enthusiasm for life.

“You don't stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.” George Bernard Shaw

“It’s not how old you are, it’s how you are old.” Jules Renard

The Beauty in Aging

It’s not a bad thing that we live in a society that celebrates the beauty of youth, but we must not forget to appreciate the beauty in aging. This goes beyond the concept of beauty coming from the inside out, to the fact that there is beauty in those wrinkles. Wrinkles are a visible testament to the life you’ve lived.

“Your face is marked with lines of life, put there by love and laughter, suffering and tears. It's beautiful.” Lynsay Sands

Maintaining a Youthful Perspective

One of the many things we all have in common is that time moves at the same rate for everyone. In fact, if you really think about it, even with the challenges you may face with aging, there are many ways in which life is more rewarding in your senior years. No more sweating the small stuff, no more wasting time trying to impress others, and more time being precisely who you are.

“Just because you’re grown up and then some doesn’t mean settling into the doldrums of predictability. Surprise people. Surprise yourself.” Victoria Moran 

“When someone says they feel old, I always want to ask them why they feel old. Time passes for everyone. No one is exempt.” Donna Lynn Hope

The Freedom in Passing Time

As we age, there will always be those who fail to see beyond the surface, but there are far more who are able to see the value of the person within—and that is the true essence of beauty.

“I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point.” Susan Sarandon

Don’t let the years that have passed define the days of your life, but instead celebrate each new day ahead.