Fear is a very influential and powerful emotion. For all people fear can both be a motivator or an inhibiter. Facing fears can drive you to achieve things you would have never thought possible. Fear can also paralyze us and hold us back.
Fear as a motivation
Fear can be helpful at times. It is important for us to listen and understand what our patients are feeling. Sometimes fear can be a great motivator for someone in short term rehab. These fears can be in a whole range of aspects. It could be fear of not getting better. Or it could be fear of not seeing family. Or maybe fear of missing out on a vacation or planned family gathering.
if we are truely listening to our patients this fear can be used to help motivate. It can help our patients push through bad days or the days of “I don’t feel like it”. It can be a reminder of what they are shooting for. Make it a goal for them to achieve whatever they are afraid of.
Fear as a hindrance
Sometimes fear can hold us back and we need to be more encouraging to push beyond that fear. You might be working with someone that had a fall and is so afraid of doing it again it takes more and more motivation to push past that fear. We need to be positive and encouraging to help alleviate that fear and reassure them that we will do everything we can to keep them safe. This can be a very challenging time and is not always easy to get by. Some people never get over the fear and will stop progressing. We need to try and encourage them past that.
At times a lack of fear can be dangerous
There are instances where a lack of fear can be a very bad thing. Some patients, especially with dementia, have gotten to the point of cognitive decline that there is no fear. They don’t remember that they need help and the lack of fear will feed into increased poor decision making and safety awareness. This is the hardest to deal with as a therapist. Unfortunately we have to remember the best we can do is to make them as strong as possible and improve their balance as much as possible to give them a chance.
Our own fears can affect our treatments
Not only do we have to pay attention to our patient’s fears, but also our own fears. If we are afraid to try something with someone we cannot push them to what they are capable of. We need to not be afraid of failure and keep pushing. If we give into our own fears we are not giving our patients the greatest chance to achieve the best they can. We need to have the strength of character to start letting go of them when walking or transferring. They need to feel this to achieve their goals. We need to develop the “feel” for when it’s time to give freedom and realize that sometimes we will fail. It is not a bad thing to fail. Every failure teaches you something and sometimes you cannot control every variable.
Take fear for what it is
Go and deal with fear through the day. Use it where you needed it. Quash it when you don’t. And never give up. Life without fear is a life not lived.
Jon, this is EXCELLENT! A lot of this I transfer to dogs and cats with my sitters. A lot of this I have to deal with for myself in my own life, both physical and personal. I think I might have needed to hear this today, thank you!
Linda Edwards