A review of learning
Introduction
Since I started in my current role as a student paramedic, I have attended dementia patients who have complained of pain on a regular basis. In this review of my learning I will be reflecting on the assessment and management of these patients. I have decided to concentrate on this area as I feel it is an area I felt less confident with before this module and also an area where I can make an improvement in my practise. For this, the model for reflection I will be using is Borton (1970). I feel this is the best model to help me to structure my essay, whilst showing reflection throughout.
What?
McAuliffee (2009) describes that pain is common in older people with dementia. Along with this finding. Zwakhalen (2009) explains that dementia
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Since I started this module on promotion of long term conditions, it has become apparent to me that my management and assessment of pain in dementia patients needed to be improved on vastly. Whilst an understanding of the different techniques, could really improve my skills. So What?
Before I started this module, my feel my assessment and understanding of dementia patients was poor, I feel I was quite dismissive and had the opinion of “let’s get it checked out” and “it’s probably just bruised”. I realise this was very poor practise and could lead to poor decision making along with poor patient care. I didn’t know or have an understanding of different tools and techniques when assessing these type of patients along with the different ways dementia patients can express pain.
The North West Dementia centre (2005) realises that when assessing pain it is important to realise that dementia patients express pain in different ways, such as grimacing, tensing and frowning.
Along with this finding, the North West dementia centre fact sheet (2005) describes that pain is
Management of pain is very important when it comes to palliative care patients, considering that 55-95% of this patient population requires analgesia for pain relief (Creedon & O’Regan, 2010, p. [ 257]). But what is considered pain management? And why does pain continue to be inadequately treated? According to the article on chronic non-cancer pain in older people: evidence for prescribing, in the past few decades significant improvements have been made to the management of pain in palliative care. However, it is universally acknowledged that pain on a global scale remains inadequately treated because of cultural, attitudinal, educational, legal, and systemic reasons (Creedon & O’Regan, 2010, p. ...
DEM201 Dementia awareness Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria Outcome 1 Understand what dementia is The learner can:
Dementia is common among a large population of elderly people. The disease affects not only the individual diagnosed, but also the caregivers that work towards making their life comfortable in the end. Understanding and learning about the disease is crucial in helping those that experience or live with someone who has dementia. The services and support that are currently in affect for elderly people with dementia and the caregivers is poor, and ineffective because of the lack of research and information on the topic.
Rosvik, J., Brooker, D., Mjorud, M. & Kirkevold, O., 2013. What is person-centred care in dementia? Clinical reviews into practice: the development of the VIPS practice model, pp. 155-163, viewed 30 January 2014, < http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.utas.edu.au/docview/1326128887>
A. Chronic pain signifies a developing public health issue of huge magnitudes, mainly in view of aging populations in developed countries (Russo).
Appropiare through assessment is crucial to avoid chroncity but this can take some time due to the constraints of the NHS, once diagnosed prompt referral to other specialists for appropriate care or further investigation.
Pain is not always curable but effects the life of millions of people. This essay examines the Essence of Care 2010: Benchmarks for the Prevention and Management of Pain (DH, 2010). Particularly reflecting on a practical working knowledge of its implementation and its relevance to nursing practice. It is part of the wider ranging Essence of Care policy, that includes all the latest benchmarks developed since it was first launched in 2001.
Institute of Medicine Report from the Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care and Education. (2011). Relieving Pain in America A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education and Research. Retrieved from http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?records_13172
and I recall one patient that would forever change the way I interact with patients. It was
To provide the best care for their elderly patients, nurses must incorporate pain assessment into their daily care of patients. Pain assessment is a key aspect of the nurse’s role. There are many factors to consider when assessing patients’ pain such as if they are verbal or non-verbal, what language they speak, their age and their cultural background. There are many tools that a nurse can use to assess a patient’s pain but one of the most common tools is the 0-10 scale. This tool can be asked verbally by asking what their pain level is on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain they have ever had. You may also use this tool in a visual manner with faces that correlate to the numbers. 0 being a happy face and 10 being a very sad face. Elderly patients from diverse cultural backgrounds are increasing in long term care facilities so it is important to have a 0 – 10 pain scale written in their native language. Some patients are stoic and do not express their pain as much as other people so it is important to understand that a 0 – 10 pain scale might not always be sufficient and could be combined with observing any physical signs that the patient might be in pain such as facial expressions and guarding. Nurses must have a good base of knowledge and attitude towards pain and always take what the patient reports their pain scale to be as truth. If the patient does report pain it would be important to treat the pain or if it is a new occurrence to follow this assessment up with another val...
The human brain is extraordinary organ. It stores our memories, vision, hearing, speech, and capable of executing executive higher reasoning and functions setting us apart from animals. Today we know more about the human brain because of medical advances and the development of technology. These brain disorders have been studied for years and many others would classify dementia as a mental illness because it causes cognitive impairments. The following paragraphs will discuss what dementia is, what the types of dementia are, perspectives of patients with dementia as well as the perspective of a caregiver to a dementia patient.
Over the past year I have grown as both a person and a writer. My writing has improved
Findings. Pain has many different meanings to many people. What is important to know as a nurse or health care provider is that pain is what the patient says it is. It is not the nurse or provider’s place to determine what the patient’s pain is but rather take an in-depth history and assessment. Using this assessment and history can therefore help treat your patient’s pain accordingly. Also pain theories have been proposed and used the implications of nursing practice in regard to pain.
There are different types of pain which may be suffered by an individual with cancer, with some patients suffering only one type of pain, but others experiencing a range of all three types. Identifying the type of pain suffered is the first major step in ensuring effective treatment, as not all respond to different treatments in the same way (De Conno & Caraceni, 1996, p.9).
One of the most common problems in elders is dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association describes dementia as a range of symptoms rather than just one single specific disease. The symptoms of dementia range from memory loss as well as a decline in thinking skills to severe symptoms that lead to the decline of that person’s ability to perform activities of daily living (What