Humane Care: Seeing the Person Behind the Patient—A Case Study

This article is about the importance of retaining a focus on the humanity of older adults while rendering care to them through community and long-term care services. It is written from my experience as a director of a community service (Adult Day Health Care [ADHC] program), a program officer at a foundation devoted to improving health care for older Americans, a researcher who spent years conducting interviews with staff workers in long-term care services, and from the perspective of a professional and personal caregiver and friend to many elders living in the community—in their own homes and in nursing homes. From these diverse professional and personal roles and perspectives, I have learned that the formation of authentic human relationships, which go beyond the routine medical, nursing, and social work approach to care, can play a vital role in healing and addressing loneliness in elders—and transform the lives of their personal and professional caregivers as well. A focus on humanity need not cost money or place a heavy demand on the worker. In fact, it can be one of the most cost-effective approaches to improving quality in health care, attracting workers to the field of long-term care, and boosting the morale of both caregivers and care recipients.