Nurses are funny creatures. From the moment we meet you or your loved one, we are assessing the situation. We have been taught to do that, so it comes naturally to us. I wanted to talk today about something I am passionate about, that is Holistic Nursing Care.

What is Holistic Nursing Care?
Holistic Nursing Care is defined as “all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as it’s goal” (American Holistic Nurses Association, 1998). I believe in order for the physical being to be healthy, we also need to be healthy emotionally and spiritually. Care Managers are able to take the holistic approach for their clients in most instances. For example, when a Care Manager meets their client for the first time, we view them as parts that make up the whole person: their environment, their support system or lack there of, their emotional well being, their physical health and the factors that affect it, and their openness to change.
Care Manager-Client Relationship
When we are able to gain our client's trust and open dialogue with them, that is when the holistic process can begin, and the healing process as well. Holistic nursing is an attitude towards helping your client be active in their healing process and wanting the client to help themselves and be more self-sufficient. After all, we have to love ourselves before anyone else can. We begin establishing our relationship from the moment we meet our client; communication and understanding are key elements in this process. A Care Manager that is able to understand why a client is in the situation they are dealing with, most of the time will be able to help them heal and create autonomy for them, to some degree.
Holistic nursing, in my opinion, far outweighs the clinical-only approach. As Care Managers, we are not always able to control factors that affect our clients, but we can assist them to explore what those are, good or bad, and allow the client to begin opening their mind to change for a healthier way of life!
We strive to make CAB a holistic approach to aging. Learn more about our Care Management services!
Written By: Care Manager - Melissa Kauffman, RN CCM
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