During National Nurses Month, we recognize our Ohio’s Hospice Nursing Honor Guard. The Nursing Honor Guard of Ohio’s Hospice honors nurses who are in hospice care with Ohio’s Hospice.

The Nursing Honor Guard is made up of Ohio’s Hospice nurses who conduct a ceremony at the patient’s bedside. Dressed in traditional and historical uniforms comprised of a blue and red cape, white dress and cap, the Nursing Honor Guard recognizes nurses for their commitment to caring and providing compassion to patients.

“Though your nursing tasks are complete, they are not forgotten,” the Nursing Honor Guard tells patients during the ceremony. “It is our honor to express our respect for you as a nurse and our gratitude for the care you have given.” 

The Nursing Honor Guard ceremony highlights a nurse’s career and individual achievements. The ceremony also includes the recitation of the Florence Nightingale Pledge, a statement of the ethics and principles of the nursing profession.

Jena Langford, BSN, RN, BS, CCM, CHPN, was instrumental in forming the Ohio’s Hospice Nursing Honor Guard in 2016. “Nursing is one of the most trusted and honored professions. Nursing is a calling,” she said. “We are honoring our nurses, past and present, who have given one’s self to enhance the lives of others.”

Since its kickoff during National Nurses Week in 2016, the Nursing Honor Guard has performed 170 tributes at the bedside of nurses who are in hospice care at Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton and Ohio’s Hospice of Butler & Warren Counties. Nurses from Ohio’s Hospice volunteer to serve in this program. They travel to wherever the patient calls home to acknowledge a patient’s many years of service as a nurse.

The tributes to nurses in our care have continued during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with modifications. “We have used video chats to perform tributes for nurses in our care during this crisis,” said Rachel Morgan, hospice house team leader. “We also have had family and friends watch from the windows outside the rooms.”

Thank you to nurses everywhere for your care and service and to all the nurses who make up the Ohio’s Hospice Nursing Honor Guard!

If the Ohio’s Hospice Nursing Honor Guard can serve your family, please contact your care manager for more information.

Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, an affiliate of Ohio’s Hospice, is a not-for-profit hospice provider. Since 1978, it has served patients and families in the Dayton region in their homes, extended care and assisted living facilities, and the Hospice House location in Dayton. Grief support services are available to the entire community through the Pathways of Hope Grief Counseling Center. Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton serves more than 1,000 patients and families daily, achieving national recognition for innovative services and outstanding care.