the power of words

Q: Where does a librocubicularist read?

A: From the original Trivial Pursuit game, arts and leisure category- In bed.

The above was a warm up for today's post about how important words are to someone who is daily involved with communicating about health conditions and decisions. I enjoyed this post in A Chronic Dose about language and the patient experience a great deal and it highlighted one of the most challenging aspects of consumer health librarianship: timing.

Notice in the post and in the comments that the writers perceptions about the terms used to describe their conditions evolve. Words that in the beginning are scary and hard to accept become words used in everyday conversation and may even become a comfort. I try to listen carefully and use the same words the patient uses, being very cautious abut new terms and assigning words to a patient instead of talking about them in general terms. Words are part of the journey and can create powerful emotions, positive and negative. I am glad they can be playful as well!