Recognizing and using the power of hope to cope with illness and help us heal

Episode 15: The Power of Hope

While in the midst of any health challenge, it’s common to feel a sense of grief as we mourn what our illness prevents us from doing or experiencing. It is often difficult to know how to process the sadness we may feel while adjusting to the “new normal” of treatment, medication, and a daily routine drastically different from what we once knew. Our healthcare system emphasizes the importance of treating the physical—but what about these mental and emotional struggles?

It turns out that just as medication can help manage symptoms and pain, so can hope help provide the resilience and mental fortitude needed to carry us through any health challenge. Author, speaker, and hope advocate, Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Clark, specializes in helping people do just that. As a healthcare professional who has worked extensively with individuals facing challenging illnesses, and those struggling with loss and grief, she knows just how necessary hope is to help individuals cope with their own illness or the illness of a loved one.

In this podcast, NOF CEO, Elizabeth Thompson, interviews Dr. Clark to learn how recognizing and using the power of hope can help osteoporosis patients—as well as their loved ones and caregivers—weather the ups and downs of the disease.

Dr. Elizabeth Clark
Author, speaker, and hope advocate, Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Clark is a health care professional who has worked extensively with individuals facing challenging illnesses and those struggling with loss and grief. She is the former CEO of the National Association of Social Workers and the author of Choose Hope (Always Choose Hope), a book to help people recognize and use the power of hope. Her daily messages of hope can be found @mattersofhope.