Why Do Patients Undergo Rehabilitation

This week I had the opportunity to attend a talk that the Reverend gives with patients who have had some kind of illness with their lungs and are now having to undergo rehabilitation. He also gives these talks to patients who have had a cardiac related episode and now need rehabilitation. He emphasized how important it was to make sure the patient was in good spirits as they continue their journey because when things like this happen it can take a toll on one’s spirit. A person has to reassess their role in their lives and what contributions they now have for society. He also talked about active living, not in the physical sense but in the mental sense. The patients are at a time in their lives when they often contemplate their life, how they got there, and what is for them in the future. Patients often find themselves to be a burden on their family which can be difficult for them to come to terms with. One point in his talk referenced how when we are younger we often have the perception that “when it’s your time, what are you going to do,” but as we get older we begin to talk about how serious our illness is and whether or not it is the beginning of the end. It is important to keep one’s spirits up in order to combat things like depression and loss of self-worth that many elders experience. The Reverend was able to emphasize this point by mentioning that when a person is “down” other people …show more content…
I believe they would have aided in my learning and would have posed questions that I could have discussed with the Reverend and other hospital personnel. Since I have only taken one religion class thus far I have not been able to relate this internship to what I have learned in regards to my classes. I think it will be beneficial to reflect back on my internship after I have taken the Religion and Public Engagement course and other courses that are incorporated into the