A century of caring: the Visiting Nurse Association of Brooklyn

Reading the minutes of the annual meetings of the Brooklyn visiting nurses over the years, one is reminded of the old French proverb Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (The more things change, the more things stay the same). The questions of 1988 are often the same questions the board members struggled with 50, 80, and 100 years ago. Human nature changes very little. Science, it is true, gives us new instruments with which to work, and additional education is at our disposal. But the well-being of the client and the family, and our advocacy role present the same problems for solution. questions about caseloads to be carried, types of care to be given, and cooperation for community betterment appear in the minutes of the Association from the earliest days. The reactions to these problems have been crucial and vital in guiding the direction the service has taken. Recurrent problems have also demonstrated that no solution is permanent. The same questions will appear and reappear for careful thought according to the demands of the period in which we live and the way in which society has shaped the nature of care required. Over the last 100 years, there has been steady growth, with constant enlargement of vision and constant application of newer methods of advancement in client care. The use of leeches and blood letting of 100 years ago may seem absurd by today's standards. One can only imagine the developments in home nursing over the second century of caring.