Support and Caring for a Person with Dementia Essay Example for Free

Support and Caring for a Person with aberration EssayThe affected role presents with dementia, poor posture (her chin close to her chest) and dislikes solids, there for has to be assisted to consecrate and chooses entirely to consume liquids. Her communication skills are also poor and doesnt put on the capacity to interlace in a flowing conversation but has the ability to answer a question utilize the words yes or no or by saying individual words. I was given the labor movement of feeding the unhurried at lunch sequence as she requires one to one represent at repast epochs due to her lack of willingness to consume solids and liquifieds. It is extremely important to maintain good fluid intake to reduce the chance of dehydration which could contribute to increased confusion in a dementia patient. To prevent this, patient H has a daily fluid chart which is filled in every(prenominal) time fluids are consumed as a federal agency of effectively monitoring her intake o f fluids. I sure patient H it was repast time and directed her to her chair by her bedside, financial backing her to sit and positioned a bedside table everywhere her chair.H expresses distress and agitation when sitting in the dining room at meal times with the other patients therefor patients Hs preferences are respected by supporting her to feed at her bed compass. I put a plastic green apron on her to protect her clothes and maintain her dignity, washed my hands and put a green apron over my own clothing for hygiene purposes in accordance with my wards food hygiene policy. As the patient only consumes fluids I got a Fortisip drink from the fridge, poured it into a handled plastic cup and added a angry walk.Fortisip drinks have a superior nutritional and energy value and are enforced as meal replacement in cases such as this patient. I communicated with the patient verbally in an encouraging manner and held the cup and directed the cover to her mouth. I did this at seve ral intervals, making sure I left a sufficient time in between sips to enable her to swallow the contents of the liquid, encouraging conversation throughout. After drinking terzetto quarters of the cup the patient refused to open her mouth to take the straw and shouted no and got up out of her chair which at this point I praised the patient and relocated the cup on the table.I chatted in general conversation with her to give her sufficient time to digest her intake then offered her encourage fluids to which she stated no to a greater extent. Satisfied she had had enough, I removed her apron and directed her to the lounge area and then discussed the tax with my mentor. Feelings/thoughts Before I started this task I felt slightly anxious as it was the first time I had supported this patient on a one to one basis.I was unsure of how she would react to me as I was an unfamiliar face to her in relation to her feeding and I had previously witnessed her being very verbally aggressive, trying to leave her chair and showing signs of frustration during meal times with other trained, figured staff on the ward. Throughout the task I felt my say-so increased as the patient was fairly compliant with what I was trying to achieve, this made me become more relaxed and less anxious which I flavour eased the mood of the whole experience.After completing the task I felt satisfied that I had achieved what was required whilst undertaking a person-centred personalised approach to find the needs of the patient. Evaluation I felt that I achieved the desired outcome which was to ensure the patient consumed an commensurate volume of fluids during meal time whilst promoting a person centred approach to their care as I ensured the patient enjoyed and consumed her meal through liquid form with a suitable aid which is her preference to enable easier consumption.In order to meet patients needs I required a straw, cup, appropriate meal supplement and syringe which are all aids I use d during the task. If I hadnt fain her meal in liquid form then the patient would have been unable to consume her meal which would result in dehydration, hunger and lack of sufficient nutrients absorbed into her body to enable her to function normally.I felt I could have been more organised with the task as I felt I interrupted the flow of the task by leaving the table on a couple of occasion to retrieve required items. I should have had the meal supplement already poured in the cup with straw to hand at the table along with the oral syringe before directing the patient to make believe seated in her chair. If I had done this I feel I would have been much more focused on the patient which would have been a more positivistic experience for the patient. AnalysisIn order to reduce my anxiety of the task I feel it would have been beneficial to have played out more time interacting with the patient on a general basis before supporting her with feeding. This would have provided a more n atural transition into the task effectively creating a more relaxed experience for the patient. This would enabled me to have an even better person centred approach as I would have known what works swell up and what doesnt work so well in regards to feeding the patient concerned. ConclusionI feel that the patient received a good standard of person centred care in regards to her mealtime. It is important that the patient feels included and valued within the ward and I feel this is met by ensuring she has one to one support during mealtimes in an area where she feels most comfortable. However, it is also important to note that there may be occasion where the patient would rather not be situated at her bed area and her behaviour of rest up and removing herself from the chair may indicate this.I understood this behaviour was the patients way of expressing that she didnt want any more intake, where in reflection it could have been an indication that she was unhappy with the veritable surroundings or the temperature for example. My mentor was satisfied that I had taken a person-centred personalised approach to the task as I had met and taken into account the patient emotional, metal and physical needs by tailor her meal time experience using appropriate aids and the environment to create a positive experience which took her preferences into consideration.Action purpose In future I will aim to forward plan more and ensure I have all required resources to hand to enable me to dedicate my time and use my time with the patient more effectively. This will ensure that I make the best use of my time which will allow me to support my team effectively and also ensure that the patient feels all valued and display to them that I am competent and focused on the task I am supporting them with.It would also be beneficial for me to interact with the patient if possible before undertaking a task which would relax the patient and help them feel at ease. I have had previous expe rience of this skill as I have worked in the social care sector for many years but have found having this opportunity to reflect on my practice through the use of the Gibbs model of reflection valuable and given me awareness of how I can develop this skill kick upstairs to benefit the patient.