Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring science

The aim of this empirically grounded philosophical paper is to explore the notion of holistic care with the intention to expand it into a notion of ecological care and in such a way revisit the original ideas of caring science. The philosophical analysis, driven by lifeworld theory and especially Me...

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Main Authors: Helena Dahlberg, Albertine Ranheim, Karin Dahlberg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2016-11-01
Series:International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ijqhw.net/index.php/qhw/article/view/33344/50248
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author Helena Dahlberg
Albertine Ranheim
Karin Dahlberg
author_facet Helena Dahlberg
Albertine Ranheim
Karin Dahlberg
author_sort Helena Dahlberg
collection DOAJ
description The aim of this empirically grounded philosophical paper is to explore the notion of holistic care with the intention to expand it into a notion of ecological care and in such a way revisit the original ideas of caring science. The philosophical analysis, driven by lifeworld theory and especially Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, is firmly rooted in contemporary clinical care. We used interview data from patients in a study at an anthroposophic clinic in Sweden, which forms part of an ecological community with, for example, ecological agriculture. The empirical study is analysed according to reflective lifeworld research. Starting from the fact that illness can be defined as a loss of homelikeness in the body and in the familiar world, our findings illustrate how ecological care helps the patient to once again find one's place in a world that is characterized by interconnectedness. The task of ecological care is thus not only to see the patient within a world of relationships but to help the patient find his/her place again, to understand himself/herself and the world anew. Ecological care is not only about fighting an illness, but also recognizes a patient from inside a world that s/he is affected by and affects, that s/he is understood and understands from. Such care tries to restore this connection by making possible the rhythmical movement as well as the space in-between activity and rest, between being cared for and actively involving oneself in one's recovery and between closing oneself off from the world and once again going out into it.
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spelling doaj.art-f998bcb08d7b4cc6af77c2076a105a9d2022-12-22T00:57:59ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being1748-26312016-11-0111011010.3402/qhw.v11.3334433344Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring scienceHelena Dahlberg0Albertine Ranheim1Karin Dahlberg2 Institute of Health and Care Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Sektionen för omvårdnad, Institute for neurobiology, care science and society, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden Previously at Institute of Caring Sciences and Social Work, Växjö University (now Linnaeus University), Växjö, SwedenThe aim of this empirically grounded philosophical paper is to explore the notion of holistic care with the intention to expand it into a notion of ecological care and in such a way revisit the original ideas of caring science. The philosophical analysis, driven by lifeworld theory and especially Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, is firmly rooted in contemporary clinical care. We used interview data from patients in a study at an anthroposophic clinic in Sweden, which forms part of an ecological community with, for example, ecological agriculture. The empirical study is analysed according to reflective lifeworld research. Starting from the fact that illness can be defined as a loss of homelikeness in the body and in the familiar world, our findings illustrate how ecological care helps the patient to once again find one's place in a world that is characterized by interconnectedness. The task of ecological care is thus not only to see the patient within a world of relationships but to help the patient find his/her place again, to understand himself/herself and the world anew. Ecological care is not only about fighting an illness, but also recognizes a patient from inside a world that s/he is affected by and affects, that s/he is understood and understands from. Such care tries to restore this connection by making possible the rhythmical movement as well as the space in-between activity and rest, between being cared for and actively involving oneself in one's recovery and between closing oneself off from the world and once again going out into it.http://www.ijqhw.net/index.php/qhw/article/view/33344/50248Ecological careecology and health carephenomenologyMerleau-Pontylifeworld-led care
spellingShingle Helena Dahlberg
Albertine Ranheim
Karin Dahlberg
Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring science
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being
Ecological care
ecology and health care
phenomenology
Merleau-Ponty
lifeworld-led care
title Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring science
title_full Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring science
title_fullStr Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring science
title_full_unstemmed Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring science
title_short Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring science
title_sort ecological caring revisiting the original ideas of caring science
topic Ecological care
ecology and health care
phenomenology
Merleau-Ponty
lifeworld-led care
url http://www.ijqhw.net/index.php/qhw/article/view/33344/50248
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