Hi everyone, I am new to this so apologies if I get this wrong.
I am a student nurse in my final year at university. Caring for people with dementia is something I have been passionate about throughout my 3 years of training.
So with this in mind I am spending the next few months trying to come up with innovative ideas/strategies that will hopefully have a positive impact on the way patients with dementia are cared for in a hospital setting.
I have had both positive and negative experiences whilst working on wards with dementia patients however I have noticed a common pattern throughout them all.......
Communication is often lacking between staff, patients and their family's/carers.
It is common for staff to dismiss a patients aggression, anxiety, and fear and "Behavioural Problems" not taking into consideration the consequences of dementia
Staff are often unaware of which patients on the ward have dementia.
"hospital passports", "this is me" or "all about me" documents are often not completed and pushed to one side.
This is not an exhaustive list and I could share many wore experiences, including positive, however the above issues are avoidable and shouldn't be happening in practice.
I have had an idea which I think could have a positive impact on patients and their family's journey of care, something that can improve communication, raise awareness and avoid causing any unnecessary distress.
I would love to hear other peoples experiences of care also as this will help me understand the scale of the issues.
Many thanks,
Sally
I am a student nurse in my final year at university. Caring for people with dementia is something I have been passionate about throughout my 3 years of training.
So with this in mind I am spending the next few months trying to come up with innovative ideas/strategies that will hopefully have a positive impact on the way patients with dementia are cared for in a hospital setting.
I have had both positive and negative experiences whilst working on wards with dementia patients however I have noticed a common pattern throughout them all.......
Communication is often lacking between staff, patients and their family's/carers.
It is common for staff to dismiss a patients aggression, anxiety, and fear and "Behavioural Problems" not taking into consideration the consequences of dementia
Staff are often unaware of which patients on the ward have dementia.
"hospital passports", "this is me" or "all about me" documents are often not completed and pushed to one side.
This is not an exhaustive list and I could share many wore experiences, including positive, however the above issues are avoidable and shouldn't be happening in practice.
I have had an idea which I think could have a positive impact on patients and their family's journey of care, something that can improve communication, raise awareness and avoid causing any unnecessary distress.
I would love to hear other peoples experiences of care also as this will help me understand the scale of the issues.
Many thanks,
Sally
