The purpose of this paper is to discuss the movie Tuesdays with Morrie (Forte, Winfrey, & Jackson, 1999), the heartwarming story about retired sociology professor - Morrie, who was diagnosed with the incurable disease, and his old student - Mitch. In this paper, I will explain my emotional reaction to the movie and how it made me feel. Throughout the paper, I will talk about the importance of touch and intimacy and how can nurses amplify touch for the elderly. Furthermore, I will discuss what I can do to help an older individual find essence and point in his/her life. Explaining some of the quotes from the video will conclude this paper.
Initial Reaction
Watching the movie was very emotional and sad for me and it brought many tears to my eyes. …show more content…
He may have as a young child from his father, but in his older age, it seemed he was always surrounded by people. He had a loving wife and children, the nurse that deeply cared for him, and, later on, he had Mitch. In the movie, we saw that Morrie was a person who had no issues with touch and intimacy. However, Mitch was uncomfortable giving hugs n the begging, but Morrie taught him how to give and receive hugs and hold hands without feeling awkward. Even in the parts where it was showing that he was receiving a massage, the touch was portrayed as therapeutic.
As we live in a society where the focus is on trying to stop the aging course and is an obsession for so many people. Many people do not see elderly as needing intimacy and touch and the elderly may be perceived as a burden for so many. With this being said, I do believe that majority of the older people long for touch and intimacy.
Touch has been affiliated with healing for a long time. While some healthcare workers are using it and some do not, it is uncertain why (Harrison, Jones & Huws, 2012). It could be that some people are more comfortable with touch and intimacy while others are not. Maybe some people are afraid how their touch will be perceived by the other person. According to Harrison, Jones and Huws (2012), when patients are asked how they feel about touch and intimacy from healthcare workers they say that it provides support, manifests empathy, and …show more content…
When an individual is facing the end of life, the meaning of life and existence is questioned. In the order to be able to help our patients at the end of life, we as nurses need to be comfortable with our own beliefs, spiritual views, and uneasiness of the end of the life process (Stephenson & Berry, 2014). As nurses we can help our patients by listening and encouraging them to talk, so we can find out what their fears are so we can help them better. Letting them know that they are not alone, that we are there for them is helpful. Depending on their religion, asking if they would like a chaplain to visit them can be a source of comfort as
Initial Reaction
Watching the movie was very emotional and sad for me and it brought many tears to my eyes. …show more content…
He may have as a young child from his father, but in his older age, it seemed he was always surrounded by people. He had a loving wife and children, the nurse that deeply cared for him, and, later on, he had Mitch. In the movie, we saw that Morrie was a person who had no issues with touch and intimacy. However, Mitch was uncomfortable giving hugs n the begging, but Morrie taught him how to give and receive hugs and hold hands without feeling awkward. Even in the parts where it was showing that he was receiving a massage, the touch was portrayed as therapeutic.
As we live in a society where the focus is on trying to stop the aging course and is an obsession for so many people. Many people do not see elderly as needing intimacy and touch and the elderly may be perceived as a burden for so many. With this being said, I do believe that majority of the older people long for touch and intimacy.
Touch has been affiliated with healing for a long time. While some healthcare workers are using it and some do not, it is uncertain why (Harrison, Jones & Huws, 2012). It could be that some people are more comfortable with touch and intimacy while others are not. Maybe some people are afraid how their touch will be perceived by the other person. According to Harrison, Jones and Huws (2012), when patients are asked how they feel about touch and intimacy from healthcare workers they say that it provides support, manifests empathy, and …show more content…
When an individual is facing the end of life, the meaning of life and existence is questioned. In the order to be able to help our patients at the end of life, we as nurses need to be comfortable with our own beliefs, spiritual views, and uneasiness of the end of the life process (Stephenson & Berry, 2014). As nurses we can help our patients by listening and encouraging them to talk, so we can find out what their fears are so we can help them better. Letting them know that they are not alone, that we are there for them is helpful. Depending on their religion, asking if they would like a chaplain to visit them can be a source of comfort as