A nurses' cane: Let's decorate one!

Lisa Lobdell, RN 

has Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and

works at the Veterans Hospital in  California. 

She wrote, "my goal was to not have a cane by Christmas 2005. Although I told myself if I was destined to still have it, I would decorate it with red and white ribbon and make it look like I was walking around with a candy cane." (2014, p.118)

Lisa went on to say, "When patients would see my cane they were interested to know what had happened. I think it made them feel more connected to me as they knew I was patient as well as a nurse. By hiring a nurse with a disability, employers are hiring an individual who has experience firsthand in dealing with a disability. The person is an asset to a medical facility, patients and staff." (Lobdell, 2014, p.118)

Reading this inspired me to explore different types of decorative canes. I found canes in a variety of colors; beaded, jeweled and floral prints. They are made from different materials and exotic woods in a wide variety of styles. Handles vary from being shaped like animals to baseballs to Sherlock Holmes.

But, I didn't find a cane for a nurse!

So why not design or decorate a cane for a nurse?

 Paint your paradise. Get out your magic markers, crayons, paints, ribbons or colored pencils. You can even use duct tape as seen here.

Let's do this!

Please share your creations!

With thanks,

Donna 

Lobdell, L.(2014). If you Can't Move to Australia, Find a Group of Australians: Nursing with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (chapter 10). In D.C. Maheady (Ed). The Exceptional Nurse: Tales from the trenches of truly resilient nurses working with disabilities. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform