“To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always”
Dehumanization is not exclusive to the health sector. Every part of society faces crises related to losing sight of the human being: mass processes and the rush of daily life turn us into objects and make us forget the person. It is the society we live in, and of which we are part, that forgets its own essence and loses sight of the human being in front of it. In our case, each older adult sitting in a wheelchair or wandering with their mind lost in the infinite cannot be seen as just another patient from family X. They have their own story; they lived, they smiled, and at some point they were the pillar of that family.
When we are sick, we want the best care, because we hope to be received with affection, to have our essence taken into account, to have our struggle understood, and to be recognized as the whole human beings we are, not simply as a condition, a number or a test to be run. But where is humanization when we are not the ones who are sick?
When we talk about humanization, we are talking about an ethical matter that invites us to practice human values, to understand where we are and, at the same time, to realize that when you visit, you must necessarily show solidarity with others. It means being aware that the older adult you see shouting, distressed, drowsy, aggressive or perhaps unsettled is not that way by choice: their body and mind no longer respond.
You humanize your visit when you are prudent, thoughtful in your comments, tolerant of your neighbor’s illness, respectful of other people’s pain and, above all, a builder of healthy coexistence.
You are a humanized visitor when you know how to honor the trust you have been given, when you listen and allow yourself to be heard, and when you offer positive comments that help improve the care we all need so much. “A HUMANIZED SERVICE AND A HUMANIZED VISIT.”
