How have you helped a patient become more independent?

Dr. Aline Charabaty, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Educating patients about their disease process and therapies empowers them to make the right decision for their care.

Dr. Mariah Robertson, Johns Hopkins Medicine

I’ve worked with my colleagues in home PT and OT to identify implements that assist them in getting around and living their lives more independently!

Dr. Leslie Miller, Johns Hopkins Medicine

We collaboratively identify concrete and manageable steps a patient can undertake. We then celebrate victories on their journey toward independence.

Dr. Avani Prabhakar, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Over past several months the word “independent” has been in my contemplation and my thoughts about it are evolving. It’s a complicated word. I worry about independence taking one away from interdependence. Clinging to independence can break one’s heart; it’s necessary to allow love to flow in and to realize our interdependence with one another.

When my patient who had lived an independent life of healthy eating, exercise, long distance running, weekly tennis, and annual family vacations, realized the impact of rapidly growing cancer on her body, her sense of independence broke in pieces and she became more interdependent with her family.

Dr. Scott Wright, Johns Hopkins Medicine

These suggestions and actions have supported the independence of some of my patients recently: filling out forms that attest to their ability to work, encouraging them to live in a setting where they can flourish, and reminding them that asking for help is a sign of bravery, not failure.