As a follow-on to the caregiving maxim – The patient is always 100% forgiven – these two maxims boost self-esteem in the patient.
An older person may look shrunken or decrepit; they may seem diminished in size. Older people are not always valued for what they have accomplished in their lives or for their life experiences. Think about what you, the caregiver, have accomplished over the last 25 years and multiply that by 2 or 3. The older person has accomplished much more in his/her life than you have. Value their life experience and value that person as a real person, not just as a patient.
Now, this patient is not so active, cannot accomplish as much with his/her life. This thought may be depressing to them – grouchy – here we come.
No matter how small the task is – applaud and praise the patient. This could be something simple like eating enough for breakfast. Nutrition in the older person is vital to their health. Perhaps, he/she was able to hold his/her toothbrush and brush his/her teeth by themselves. (Have a basin handy for them to rinse into, if reaching the sink is a problem)
Always tell the patient he/she is beautiful!! Don’t you like to hear that someone likes the shirt/blouse you wore that day?? Don’t you like compliments on your haircut? Or, how well you did on your last work project? The same theory applies to the patient. He/She doesn’t feel good in the first place. He/She is not able to be at their best when pain/disease is an issue. The best way to help them feel better is to compliment them. No matter how small the compliment is, the better the patient will feel.
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