"Tenderness is for the brave"

From the San Juan de Dios University School of Nursing and Physical Therapy at Comillas Pontifical University comes the new episode of the podcast "Comillas te cuida". On this occasion, Jesús Muñoz, lecturer at the school, interviews Rosa Ruiz Aragoneses, psychologist and Doctor of Theology, to talk about tenderness, "a quality of care", according to the interviewee, who is also the director of the Research Department at the San Camilo Centre for the Humanisation of Health.

This tenth episode is the continuation of this one dedicated to dementia in which the conversation with Jose Luis Tobaruela, geriatrician, gerontologist and writer, revolved around this syndrome characterised by the appearance of a deterioration in memory and in different cognitive areas. It is inevitable, when talking about dementia, to also talk about care. And it is from there that tenderness arises.

"Tenderness is a way of situating ourselves in life", says Ruiz Aragoneses. And that is why "tenderness is for the brave, because it is a way of positioning ourselves from weakness, knowing that we can be hurt". In the field of health and care, "tenderness is a soft, enabling skill, both in professional and non-professional care", she points out.

This episode also discusses this skill, which can be learned and taught as a therapeutic tool and its qualities. As the expert points out, "any gesture or attitude of care is weaving a complex web that sustains life".

Listen to the full episode here.