I have recently experienced several examples of the power of hope with our residents here at the Kensington. I would like to discuss this power which is within the reach of all to help guide through infirmity and recovery to independence.
As a nurse, I trust in the power of science and in medicine as a means of regaining health or quelling the symptoms of disease. I trust in the abilities of nurses and physicians to assist in treatment choices and to utilize these choices to maintain health and to recover from an acute process. The power of hope conversely, is not purely scientific, it is an intangible source of healing and comfort that can be found within and fostered by nursing.
Hope can provide the strength to move forward with physical therapy, painful treatments or the side effects of medication. Hope allows the resident and nursing to reach for goals that pure science may see as impossible. Hope can foster direction and create opportunities for advancement and resilience when strength and patience are tested. I have witnessed the power of hope in our residents and have taken joy in each accomplishment that has been achieved.
The road to recovery, health and independence may be bumpy but I have witnessed our residents strive for goals with a spirit and an energy that only hope provides. Hope then, is a powerful tool which should be utilized freely, acknowledged for its power and never discounted; it is a source of strength, courage and achieves results that medicine alone can’t attain.
-MaryAnn Durso, Director of Nursing
