Photo by RDNE Stock project
Learning to empower patients is necessary if you are simply a healthcare provider or someone on their way to a beautiful journey of caring for a loved one.
Becoming so ill, and perhaps incapacitated, that you need someone to take care of you daily can be dreadful. Just think about it: you’re lying on your bed all day with only the four walls and maybe a window around you. If you need assistance, you have to wait for someone to come in and help you. Some people exist in that very world for many years. It is hard for the person in need of help and for those who provide assistance.
This is because people are very willful creatures. We want to be independent. We want to be free. If we would fly through space, we would! Yet, sometimes sickness, age, and the general limitations of simply living life fall on us, and we have to have someone come in and take care of us and help us make decisions at times. Caregivers are in a position to empower patients to recover, be independent and to live as full a life as possible.
That’s a part of this wonderful journey of caring for a loved one. If you want to help a patient truly recover, then you have to find ways to alleviate their worries and soothe their pains. While there, your patient is–in many ways–still dependent on you; and you, as the caregiver, should strive to let them regain their independence as much as possible. That is, of course, without placing them at higher risk of anything and in situations that are safe for them to act on their own.
Coming Out of the Woods
As someone who’s had some experience with taking care of a loved one, I believe the most rewarding outcome was seeing them grow and learn again, becoming empowered and teaching themselves, slowly, to become independent in the ways that they could. It brings tears to my eyes every time I recall the memories. For hospice patients, coming to a point where you can’t do much without the assistance of someone else is a very low point. Some on social media might fantasize about such a life. Being cared for every day and having your life depend upon someone else should not be a life goal.
Simply looking at a loved one who is regaining their spirit and liveliness is gratifying. It fills my heart always to remember that there is no such thing as staying at rock bottom. Anyone can rise up no matter their circumstances, but that requires a caregiver who has the skills to to empower patients, loved ones, and everyone in between.
Learning to Empower Patients
As a caregiver, the key to empower patients is to understand that patient’s capacity. This means that you should assess their current abilities and then identify how and where they need the most support. Where it is possible for them to be independent, allow such skill sets. Otherwise, develop an empowerment plan and assist them to become independent. The goal should always be to empower patients to take control of their health and well-being. This also reduces the burden that caregivers and healthcare providers have.
A key to successfully empowering patients to regain their independence is to be patient and empathetic with your loved ones. As a healthcare provider, it’s important to encourage and be supportive of your patient. Celebrate the small victories with them.
As we grow sick and older, many aspects of life become more and more troublesome to keep up with, and that means delegating some of those important tasks to people who can help you with them.
But it is also critical that we, as healthcare providers and caregivers, don’t take away total independence.
So, always strive to empower patients to be self-sufficient, independent to live a more satisfying life.
Oliver’s Twist 