I have finished my gerentology placement, and on my last day, knowing that my next placement was in neurology, my supervisor arranged a neuro patient for me to assess. The patient was 97 years old, had a stroke a few years ago, and had been in a nursing home since then, until recently moving back to her home!! The patient is wheelchair bound and her home is in a retirment village, having good wheel chair access and all other modifications and assistive equipment in place. The patient also has a carer 24/7. The patient is able to pull to stand , and can stand for a long while and do squats while holding on, and also walks, with a gutter frame 3 x a week, with the physio (~50m).
After assessing this patient I established that she is reliant on 24/7 care, and will be for the remainder of her life. However, this patient had no cognitive impairments, and her determination to continue to live at home and continue rebab was truly inspirational. She insisted that she could increase her walking indurance, and would like to improve her standing, a she beleives that she is getting stronger.
I have seen patients in nursing homes that have reached a plateau, but are still cognitively there and have an extrodinary will to live. It is unfortunate that they no longer receive rehab, as in the long term they may still improve, and at least improve their quality of life. I understand though that there are limited resources, but I beleive that if someone is determined enough, it is possible (look at this amazing 97 patient of mine).
This experience has made me realise that with particular patients, you shouldn't just have an end goal to work towards, one which when the patient reaches, results in the patient being discharged. Some patients will need ongoing rehab, for years, so explaining this to the patient and fighting for them to recieve ongoing physio is what I will endeavour to do.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I felt the same when I was on my gerontology placement. Most patients who comes from home would refuse going into residential care facilities. On this prac, I also learnt the importance of having some basic understanding of Australia's aged care system and to be familiar with the options available for our discharge plan such as the restorative unit, transition care, rehab in the home, other community care packages and physiotherapy services in order to help the older people who require assistance to meet their needs and also achieve functional independence at home.
Post a Comment