AAFCN newsletter

Faith Community Nurses and Men’s Health: Support, Improvement, and Impact June is Men’s Health month. Let’s turn back the clock and consider a commercial which started with a woman standing in her home and then the camera panned to a man sitting in a comfortable, tufted reclining lounge chair in the living room. Then the camera pans to two big strong men picking up the sitting man and putting him in the chair into the back of a truck and then driving off to take the man to a physician care visit. It was to take your [...]

Stress: What's it all about? Stress has been defined as a condition that is brought about by a physiological, psychological, or emotional situation that produces strain on the body (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). According to early researchers of stress (Kanner et al., 1981; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Neuman, 1989; Selye, 1974), there are situations, events, or transactions, known as stressors, that impact the body, and the results are often harmful health outcomes. The continual experience of stress is known as a chronic experience (Selye, 1974) and chronic stress can lead to the development of chronic illness (Holmes [...]

Working Together As the new president of AAFCN, I look forward to working with each of you. Our journey together reminds me of the paralyzed man who was carried on a mat to Jesus—not only for physical healing but for spiritual healing as well (Mark 2:1-12). Just as it took teamwork to bring this man to Jesus, it will take teamwork to strengthen and grow the Faith Community Nursing ministry and AAFCN.  There are several key lessons we can learn from this powerful story:  Supporting Each Other: Regardless of the paralyzed man’s past, the men who carried [...]

Agape Love In Action What is agape love? Who needs it? Where can one find it?   Agape love is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a Greek word that means “brotherly love or charity”.  It’s a term used in Christianity to describe the love between God and humans, and between humans and God.  It is considered the highest form of Christian Love.  Every human being on this earth needs or deserves to experience what is termed “Agape Love.” Nursing care is grounded in the belief that every person, regardless of race creed or color or circumstance, bears [...]

Implications of the Heart: The Heart Matters The heart is muscular and is responsible for pumping life-sustaining blood to every organ and cell in the body. The heart is a strong and solid organ in that it is made up of three different layers, the pericardium, myocardium, and endocardium. The muscular portion of the heart is responsible for cardiac contractions or the pumping action. The intricate makeup of the heart involves cells, electrical excitation, and the movement of electrolytes that are transported from one compartment to another compartment to produce the heart beat (Ripa et al., 2025).  [...]

Finding Peace in Hospice and Palliative Care  I will keep them in perfect peace whose minds are stayed on thee (emphasis supplied).  Isaiah 26:3  When we think of Hospice and Palliative care our minds immediately revert to fear, worry, anxiety and hopelessness.  This is true, however, there are some unique individuals and unique situations that transcend circumstances such as the one described in the following story:   I once encountered a man who had brain cancer.  He was placed on hospice care, but refused to lie down in bed and wait for death.  He instead was up [...]

Peace In the Night Season It’s almost Christmas. The daylight hours have shortened, and the nights have grown longer.  Here in North America, darkness now absorbs more than half of the 24 hours that comprise our day.     One dark evening last week I was visiting my son and his family.  My son asked his 7-year-old and almost-4-year-old to escort their little friend back to his house, which was two doors down.  The three children set out.  Not one minute later, the front door flies open and little Everett, my almost 4-year-old grandson runs in red-faced [...]

Peace with Diabetes Self-Management During the Holidays Each year the month of November is designated as National Diabetes Month. Individuals with diabetes, however, often struggle to manage this condition every month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ([CDC], n. d. [b]), approximately one in every ten persons has diabetes, and type 2 diabetes is the most common type. For the 38 million plus individuals with diabetes, it is a challenge to manage this condition, especially during holiday season.   Stress is a normal part of life that occurs on a daily basis. However, the [...]