Page 204 - alligood 8th edition_Neat

CHAPTER 11 Katie Eriksson 185

horizons, the sacrifice of the caregiver is con- we often recognize the importance of teaching the
stantly available. patient to be able to mourn disappointments and
We work with people who often have the feeling affirm the possibilities of forgiveness in the move-
that they do not deserve the love they encounter ment of reconciliation.
and who, in various ways, try to convince us care- We also try to bring about the open invitation to
givers of this. We experience patients’ disappoint- the suffering human being to join a communion
ment in their destructive acts, and we constantly with the help of myths, legends, and tales con-
have to remember that it may be broken promises cerned with human questions about evil versus
that produce such dynamics. Sometimes, it may be good and about eternity and infinity. Reading aloud
difficult to recognize that suffering expressed in this with common reflective periods often provides us
way in an abstract sense seeks an embrace that does caregivers a possibility of getting closer to patients
not give way but is strong enough to give shelter to without getting too close, and opens the door for
this suffering, in a way that makes a becoming the suffering the patient bears.
movement possible. In recognizing what is bad and In the act of caring, we strive for openness with
what is difficult, horizons in the field of force are regard to the patient’s face and a confirmative attitude
expanded, and the possibility of bringing in a ray of that responds to the appeal that we can recognize that
light and hope is opened. the patient directs to us. When we as caregivers
As caregivers, we constantly ask ourselves respond to the patient’s appeal for charity, we are
whether the words, the language we use, bring faced with the task of confirming the holiness of the
promise, and how we can create linguistic foot- other as a human being. Our constant effort is to
holds in the void by means of images and sym- make it possible for the patient to reestablish his or
bols. In our effort to nourish and cleanse, that her dignity, accomplish his or her human mission,
which constitutes the basic movement of tending, and enter true communion.

CRITICAL THINKING ACTIVITIES
1. Reflect on the meaning of caritas as the ethos of 3. How have you recognized the elements of
caring. caring—faith, hope, love and tending, playing,
a. How is caritas culture formed in a care setting? and learning—in a concrete caring situation?
b. How do caritative elements appear in caring? Give examples.
c. What is the nature of nursing ethics based on 4. Suffering as a consequence of lack of caritative
caritas? caring is a violation of a human being’s dignity.
2. Health and suffering are each other’s preconditions. Think about a situation in which you saw this
Think of what this meant in the life of a patient occur, and consider what can be done to prevent
you cared for recently. suffering related to care.

POINTS FOR FURTHER STUDY
n Eriksson, K. (2007). Becoming through suffering— n Eriksson, K. (2010). Concept determination as
The path to health and holiness. International Jour- part of the development of knowledge in caring
nal for Human Caring, 11(2), 8–16. science. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences,
n Eriksson, K. (2007). The theory of caritative caring: 24, 2–11.
A vision. Nursing Science Quarterly, 20(3), 201–202. n Eriksson, K. (2010). Evidence—To see or not to
n Eriksson, K. (2006). The suffering human being. see. Nursing Science Quarterly, 23(4), 275–279.
Chicago: Nordic Studies Press. [English transla- n For further literature and information visit
tion of Den Lidande Människan. Stockholm: Liber our website at: http://www.abo.fi/institution/
Förlag, 1994.] vardvetenskap