It can manifest as the desire for the menu to never have green Jell-O on it again for the PWA in the hospital. Or, hope may be for a new medication to work. Hope fosters a sense of continuing to struggle. The hope feeds the emotional and psychic energy to continue. Finally, truth is one of the most important needs for people with life threatening illness.
Truth is exactly that- unfiltered information.
But truth is more than just the facts. Truth impacts on the comfort a person feels, on decisions about safer sex and choice of treatment. As the example which began this article shows, the woman felt like the truth was being withheld from her. The truth allows for informed decisions to be made. Do not lie or withhold information- doing so allows for distrust to take root.