The patient has issues with remaining at the dining table during meals. Leaving means that Mr. Smith is communicating that he is not comfortable with the food due to heartburn which is often associated with people who have dysphagia. His stomach acid may be remaining in his throat, making him agitated by the issue; hence, he decides to leave the table. He is making another communication that his memory loss has not been affected severely, and he needs to be discharged to stay with his family (“Coping strategies for Alzheimer’s disease caregivers”, 2022). The fact that he can remember her daughter who makes him eat at the table means keeping him in the care facility will continue to make his condition worse. Thus, there is a need to get an alternative option for the care to ensure he is fine. I could take action to find his daughter or a family member who can stay around him. Additionally, I would ensure that he changes the environment where he takes his dinner to reduce the negative perception.
Independent Question Answers
When residents do not understand me, I can become more creative by limiting potential distractions to them from my response concerning a given issue. For example, if the client requests to be discharged when it is not yet time, I can offer them activities that will make them stay longer as they wait for treatments (Sitarz, 2020). Additionally, I must train myself to be patient and avoid crossing their nerves during conversations. In this case, active listening would work with brief and concise feedback on a specific issue. If verbal communication fails, the use of gestures will help. For example, holding their hand and smiling at the patients while maintaining eye contact during a conversation would work. The following is necessary to set the tone for people who have mental health challenges.
- Listening to them without making judgments.
- Enquiring what help they might need (Sitarz, 2020).
- Reassure them of practical details about their problems.
- Avoid confrontation with them.
- Dig deeper to ascertain whether they are contented while speaking to them.
- Give necessary feedback when there is a need (Sitarz, 2020).
Bathing Cognitive Impaired Resident
The possible cause of difficulty may be due to the failure of the resident to remember me when bathing them due to memory loss since the person may feel intruded of their privacy. To help them, I should talk to them gently and have a moment of interaction to let them understand the need for the activity (Avan, 2021). Other considerations include wiping them with warm linen around their bodies, which might bring comfort to them.
References
Avan, A. (2021). Stroke and dementia, leading causes of neurological disability and death, have potential for prevention. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 17(S10), 7.
Coping strategies for Alzheimer’s disease caregivers. ucsfhealth.org. (2022).
Sitarz, C. (2020). Without a lifeline: Improving outcomes for patients diagnosed with dementia who do not have caregivers or family involvement in care. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 16(S8), 22-24. Web.