Be a Beacon!
Recovering from surgery can be quite a lonely time. People often have family and friends around them, but the pain, and loss of function is not easily visualised and sometimes men internalise their feelings and suffer in silence.
Once a ‘person’ becomes a ‘patient’ they loose a sense of being in control of their situation and their self-belief begins to suffer. They allow themselves to bob around in the rough waters of their ‘health’ with well meaning practitioners poking at them to get them to move through this rough patch and back towards smoother waters.
As clinicians we are good at analysing data and planning pathways. We are great at dishing out advice, but we often lack in one key area… Encouragement.
Encouragement can provide people with the strength to look ahead, move forward, and strive for the next goal. It’s like infusing them with courage or giving them a paddle so they feel like they can play a more active part in their recovery journey.
To be able to lift someone’s spirits so that they can see over the crest and regain a sight of their goals is a vital part of any rehabilitation process. It can be done in many ways, from a simple smile to loud applause but it is something that is often left out of treatment sessions.
Of course we need to instruct, educate and give feedback to improve performance…it goes without saying that errors need to be corrected. To infuse courage into your patients and to praise their progress will undoubtedly increase compliance and improve outcomes.
Encouragement shines light into patients’ lives. Be a beacon!
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