Partnership in dignity

The individual with a spinal cord injury lives in double jeopardy. The patient's mental outlook toward disability resulting from an SCI is affected by his/her age at onset and premorbid personality. This, in turn, will affect his/her own attitude toward maintaining an active lifestyle and living a "normal" life. The nurse is the individual's first exposure to "what people think." The nurse's knowledge of what it takes to successfully adapt and their familiarity with the real world of disability is essential. This "first exposure" determines whether one views oneself as "sick" or changed. Spinal cord injury nurses must learn the difference between facility independence and functional living if they are to ever truly assist in normalizing their clients and preventing a lifetime of illness and physical deterioration. This normalization is essential if clients are going to live a full, productive life. Spinal cord injury does not have to be synonymous with chronic illness. Spinal cord injury is not an illness, but rather an altered means of physical mobility and functioning. This article explores the concept of partnership between SCI nurses and their clients. This partnership is further discussed regarding its relationship to the impact it has upon returning control to the spinal cord injured individual and assisting him/her with experiencing opportunities to increase the return of dignity and self-worth.