Stories from the Tenth-Floor Clinic

November 15, 2018

Nurses continually encounter situations for which there is little or no formal training. Resourcefulness and the ability to think on one's feet are essential skills in the profession. Geriatric nursing pioneer Crane knows those facts all too well. In her memoir, she reveals what it was like to lead a small health clinic in 1970s suburban Chicago. Treating the residents of a Chicago Housing Authority apartment high-rise, Crane sees how vulnerable her elderly, and oftentimes indigent, patients can be. Frequently finding health conditions to be untreated, the author must also deal with the effects of loneliness, neglect, and abuse among the residents. Through her daily actions, Crane demonstrates not only selfless dedication to her calling but also the importance of committed volunteers. Interesting to note is how the fortitude and confidence that Crane develops at work is constantly challenged and cast into self-doubt through the interactions of her own aging parent at home. Like Christie Watson's The Language of Kindness or Theresa Brown's The Shift, Crane's memoir is written by a natural storyteller. VERDICT Recommended for those who work with indigent or geriatric patients.--Chad Clark, San Jacinto Coll. Dist., Pasadena, TX

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