Every nurse you have ever loved is probably tired this week. National Nurses Week kicks off May 6 and runs through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. It is a full week set aside for the people who hold healthcare together, and honestly, it never feels like enough time.
I want to use this post to do two things. First, to say thank you to every nurse in Southwest Florida (the ones in hospitals, the ones in homes, the ones in schools, and the ones who supervise our caregivers). Second, to give families a few real ways to honor the nurse who is helping look after someone they love.
“Almost every family I work with can name the nurse who got them through the worst week. The discharge nurse who sat at the kitchen table after her shift ended and walked through every medication twice. The hospice nurse who came on a Sunday because she said the family shouldn’t be alone. The home health RN who caught a tiny pressure sore before it became a hospital trip. None of them think they did anything special. All of them did.”
— Brandi, Founder
What National Nurses Week Actually Is
The week is set by the American Nurses Association and runs the same dates every year:
The week was first observed nationally in 1974. It became a permanent week-long observance in 1991. So this is not a Hallmark holiday, it is a fifty-plus year tradition.
The Nurses You Don’t Always See
When most people think of nurses they picture a hospital floor. That is fair, hospital nurses do extraordinary work. But a lot of nursing happens far from a hospital, and those nurses are the ones who often touch families like ours the most.
Think about who has shown up in your life:
- Home health nurses who came after a hospital discharge to manage wound care, IV antibiotics, or post-surgery rehab.
- Hospice nurses who walked alongside a family through the hardest weeks of their lives, with steadiness and grace.
- Skilled nursing facility nurses at the rehab centers many seniors pass through after a fall or surgery (the place a lot of families end up comparing against home care).
- School nurses who quietly catch the things parents miss.
- Clinic and physician office nurses who do most of the talking, teaching, and triage that the doctor never has time for.
- RN supervisors at licensed home care agencies like ours who oversee care plans and make sure caregivers are doing things the right way.
Every one of these roles matters. And every one of them is in short supply. The nurses still doing this work are doing more, with less, for longer hours. (For our veteran clients, that shortage hits twice, since VA care depends on the same shrinking workforce.)
Where Home Care and Nursing Meet
Here is something a lot of families do not realize. Home care and home health are different services, but they almost always work together.
Home care is what we provide. Personal care, companion care, dementia care, respite care, and 24-hour coverage. Our caregivers help with bathing, dressing, meals, mobility, medication reminders, and the daily life things that keep someone safe at home. We are licensed by Florida AHCA, and like every licensed home care agency in the state, we work under nursing supervision.
Home health is the skilled clinical piece. RNs and LPNs delivering wound care, injections, tube feeds, post-op recovery, and the kinds of treatments a doctor orders. Home health is usually short-term and Medicare-covered after a hospital stay.
The handoff between a home health nurse and our caregiver is where good outcomes happen. The nurse running it is usually the quiet hero of the recovery.
The two together are how a lot of seniors stay home after a hospitalization. The home health nurse comes a few times a week to manage clinical needs. Our caregiver is there the rest of the time so the rest of life keeps moving. (If you are weighing whether your parent needs this kind of help, we wrote up 10 signs your aging parent may need in-home care and a plain-English breakdown of what home care costs in Florida.)
Six Real Ways to Thank a Nurse This Week
If a nurse has helped someone you love this year, here are some ways to mark the week that go past a generic card. Nurses are notoriously bad at accepting praise, so these are quiet, real, and won’t put them on the spot.
1. Write a specific thank-you, not a generic one
A short note that names what they did is worth more than a fruit basket. “You stayed an extra fifteen minutes after your shift to teach me how to change Mom’s dressing. I think about it every time I do it.” That kind of detail is what nurses keep.
2. Send food to the unit, not the individual
Most hospitals do not let staff accept individual gifts, but a tray of sandwiches, pastries, or a coffee delivery for the whole unit is almost always welcome. Call the unit clerk first to ask about timing and any allergies. Nurses on a 12-hour shift will not forget you.
3. Tell their boss
A two-line email to the nurse manager naming the nurse and what they did goes into a personnel file. It can mean a raise, a promotion, or a softer landing on a hard day. This is the highest leverage thank-you there is, and it costs nothing.
4. Submit a DAISY Award nomination
The DAISY Foundation honors nurses who have gone above and beyond. Most major Southwest Florida hospital systems (Lee Health, NCH, Sarasota Memorial, HCA, AdventHealth) participate. You can nominate online at daisyfoundation.org. Nurses cherish these awards.
5. Give a Google review
If a home health agency, hospice, or rehab nurse made a difference for your family, leave a public review and use their first name. Reviews carry real weight in healthcare and make sure the right people get noticed. (If a caregiver from our team has helped your family, you can see what other families have shared too.)
6. Donate or volunteer at a nursing school
Florida is short on nursing faculty too, which is one reason the shortage is so persistent. Florida SouthWestern, FGCU, USF, State College of Florida (Manatee-Sarasota), and Hillsborough Community College all run nursing programs that welcome scholarship donations and clinical site partnerships. Investing in the next generation is the longest version of “thank you.” (And if you know an HHA, CNA, or nursing student who would love working with seniors, we are hiring caregivers across Southwest Florida.)
From Our Team to Every Nurse Reading This
Most of our caregivers have worked alongside nurses for decades. A few are nurses themselves, taking on caregiving shifts on top of clinical work. They have the same things to say that I do, just put more plainly.
You see things at 3am that other people will never see. You catch the small change in a patient that ends up saving a life. You explain the same thing to the same family for the fifth time without making them feel small. You show up for shift after shift with the same patience, even when the staffing is short and the system is hard.
Thank you. We see it. Our families see it. And the people we look after every day in their homes are getting older and getting better in part because somewhere in their care team there has been a nurse paying attention.
Happy National Nurses Week 2026. We hope it includes a real day off, a real meal eaten sitting down, and at least one moment where someone says thank you and means it.
FAQs About National Nurses Week
When is Nurses Week 2026?
National Nurses Week 2026 runs from Wednesday, May 6 through Tuesday, May 12. The dates are the same every year. May 6 is National Nurses Day, May 8 is National Student Nurses Day, and May 12 is International Nurses Day, the birthday of Florence Nightingale.
What is the difference between National Nurses Day and National Nurses Week?
National Nurses Day is May 6, the single-day kickoff to the larger observance. National Nurses Week is the full seven-day celebration that runs May 6 through 12. Most hospitals plan their biggest staff appreciation events on May 6, but small celebrations happen all week.
How can families thank a hospice nurse specifically?
Hospice nurses rarely hear from families after the death of a loved one, which is exactly when a thank you means the most. A handwritten card mailed to the hospice agency four to six weeks after the loss, naming the nurse and one specific moment, is a gift they will keep forever. Many hospices also accept memorial donations in a nurse’s name.
How do I become a caregiver in Southwest Florida?
A Perfect Choice Home Care hires HHAs, CNAs, and entry-level caregivers across all 22 communities we serve from Fort Myers to Tampa. We provide ongoing training, RN supervision, and flexible shifts. See open caregiver positions and apply here.
More on home care, nursing, and Southwest Florida seniors
Care at home, with nursing oversight
A Perfect Choice Home Care provides personal care, companion care, dementia care, and respite care across 22 communities in Southwest Florida. RN-supervised, HHA licensed, with caregivers who work hand in hand with your loved one’s medical team.