AIDS: toward a compassionate response
Peloquin, S.M.
American Journal of Occupational Therapy Official Publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association 44(3): 271-278
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0272-9490 PMID: 2316617 Document Number: 352240
AIDS evokes powerful feelings, often manifestations of fear, among health care providers. To effectively treat patients with AIDS, occupational therapists must acknowledge and reconcile their personal feelings. One way to formulate a compassionate response to patients is to understand the meanings that we give to AIDS, meanings that shape our interpersonal behaviors. Restricted meanings--that the disease constitutes death, sin, crime, war, or community division--place the person with AIDS at risk for compromised care. Recognizing the limitations of these meanings can free therapists to find other meanings that inspire compassion.