we as nurses need to be acutely aware of. An excessive emphasis on labelling our patients negatively as needy or problematic does nothing to enhance their sense of pride and engagement with past, present and future. Indeed this approach could be argued as disempowering and disabling for individuals. Practice Point 6; when we deal with patients they are often outside of what is familiar to them and their life has been interrupted sometimes dramatically. We need to acknowledge and value their concerns and help them to adapt.
Sense of place versus Dislocation. To be human is to come from a particular place; a sense of home and place is not just a collection of objects or experiences, it offers us security, comfort and familiarity. In addition we also need to recognise that spaces can potentially provide an environment for bonds and connections between people to flourish (Hemingway & Stevens 2011); such as day rooms or social areas where patient can engage with each other or nature. It has been argued that insufficient attention has been paid to the quality of space within our homes and communities in relation to our eating and exercising habits which has been articulated as the `obesenogenic environment` (Egger & Swinburn 1997), and as such contributes to an unhealthily lifestyles which is impacting upon our physical health as a nation. Wellbeing cannot be separated from the `place`, the atmosphere and `rhythms` created by the `built` and natural environment, in all its varied manifestations. The independent effect of place and residence on health cannot be ignored and arguably the only way to intervene successfully is to be ready to listen to what makes up a sense of home and place for individuals. Indeed some researchers (Martinsen 2006) have articulated the importance of space and architecture as preservers of human dignity particularly within caring contexts. This could be achieved through maintaining privacy, giving time to find out objects or tasks that give an individual comfort or flexibility about visiting times. Practice Point 7; health care environments can be frightening and depressing places as such we need to ensure we do the best we can to mitigate against this and through our care of the environment and of our patients we reduce this sense of dislocation.
Embodiment versus Reductionist view of the body. We experience the world through our bodies in a positive or negative way. An underpinning assumption of the term embodiment is that an individual’s biology cannot be understood without considering the psychological, social and socio-cultural aspects of development. An example of this is discrimination which provides evidence for embodiment whereby the adverse effects of being discriminated against can get “under the skin” of the individual and result in poor health. Embodiment relates to how we experience the world and this includes our perceptions of our context and its possibilities, or limits. It may be impacted upon by our experiences of illness, changes in our body image or abilities to live our lives. Therefore an excessive emphasis on physiology and tests whilst not recognising the individual within their wider social context, limits our ability to respond to another human being in a caring and dignified way. Practice point 8; every person is equally unique and valuable and through our behaviour we need to ensure that we treat everyone with respect and dignity.