Theory of Caring PDF

Theory of Caring Kristen M. Swanson Theory of Caring “Caring is a nurturing way of relating to a valued other toward whom one feels a personal sense of commitment and responsibility.” Major Concepts and Definition Caring is a nurturing way Knowing is striving to of relating...

Theory of Caring Kristen M. Swanson Theory of Caring “Caring is a nurturing way of relating to a valued other toward whom one feels a personal sense of commitment and responsibility.” Major Concepts and Definition Caring is a nurturing way Knowing is striving to of relating to a valued understand the meaning other toward whom one of an event in the life of feels a personal sense of the other, avoiding assumptions, focusing on commitment and the person cared for, responsibility seeking cues, assessing meticulously, and engaging both the one caring and the one cared for in the process of knowing  Being with means being Doing for means to do emotionally present to the for others what one would other. It includes being do for self if at all there in person, conveying possible, including availability, and sharing anticipating needs, feelings without burdening comforting, performing the one cared for skillfully and competently, and protecting the one cared for while preserving his or her dignity  Enabling is facilitating Maintaining belief is the other’s passage sustaining faith in the other’s through life transitions capacity to get through an event or transition and face a and unfamiliar events by future with meaning, believing focusing on the event, in other’s capacity and holding informing, explaining, him or her in high esteem, supporting, validating maintaining a hope filled feelings, generating attitude, offering realistic alternatives, thinking optimism, helping to find meaning, and standing by the things through, and giving one cared for no matter what feedback the situation MAJOR ASSUMPTIONS Nursing Person Swanson (1991, 1993) defines Swanson (1993) defines nursing as informed caring for persons as “unique beings the well-being of others. She who are in the midst of asserts that the nursing becoming and whose discipline is informed by wholeness is made manifest in empirical knowledge from thoughts, feelings, and nursing and related disciplines, behaviors” (p. 352). She posits as well as “ethical, personal and that the life experiences aesthetic knowledge derived individuals are influenced by from the humanities, clinical are a complex interplay of experience, and personal and societal values and “genetic heritage, spiritual expectations” endowment and the capacity to exercise free will”  Health Environment According to Swanson, to experience Swanson (1993) defines health and well-being is: environment as situational. She maintains that for nursing it is “any “to live the subjective, meaning- context that influences or is filled experience of wholeness. influenced by the designated Wholeness involves a sense of client” states there are many integration and becoming wherein influences on environment, such as all facets of being are free to be the cultural, social, biophysical, expressed. The facets of being political, and economic realms, to include the many selve that make us name only a few. According to a human: our spirituality, thoughts, Swanson (1993), the terms feelings intelligence, creativity, environment and person-client in relatedness, femininity, masculinity, nursing may be viewed and sexuality, to name just a few.” interchangeably