Tiara Hughes
September 2023
Tiara
Hughes
,
RN
4 Wiser
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Jackson
,
MS
United States
Tiara went to the gift shop, bought a baby, went to the Mother Baby Unit, got a baby blanket, and wrapped the baby up. She asked the patient to babysit for her.
We have a patient on 4Wiser who is 84 and has dementia. She was admitted just for placement. She gets very confused and agitated at times. She loves to walk in the hall and try to leave. She needs a lot of redirecting.
However, she is the sweetest lady when she is calm. Last night she got very agitated and kicked a nurse and they put her in restraints. The first thing Tiara did was get her out of restraints. The patient loves to fold towels and has folded all of her blankets in her room. Tiara went to the gift shop, bought a baby, went to the Mother Baby Unit, got a baby blanket, and wrapped the baby up. She asked the patient to babysit for her. She was in bed holding the baby, and she said she would feed her. Tiara named the baby and put her name on the white board so the patient would not forget it and wrote the time on the board that she needed to feed the baby.
Tiara has been so calm with her. She does not argue with her when the patient says something. You cannot argue with a dementia patient. She goes along with whatever the patient says which is absolutely the best thing. The patient is so happy with her baby doll, and this has made her content. She also bought her a baby bottle and put Kerlix in it to represent milk and the patient feeds the baby. These actions were very creative and she was thinking outside of the box rather than tying a patient to the bed. She was communicating with heart.
This past weekend, she put the patient in a wheelchair and took her outside to the “garden,” and she loved it. There is something about getting that fresh sunshine that comforts you.
Tiara could have easily left her in restraints and not worried about it. Her caring and compassionate heart would not allow her to do that. She wants what is best and that makes a world of difference. Will this patient ever remember what Tiara did for her? Probably not, but that’s not why she did it.
This is the kind of compassionate care that shows that she has put the patient first, and to that, she tailored her care around the mental status of the patient.
However, she is the sweetest lady when she is calm. Last night she got very agitated and kicked a nurse and they put her in restraints. The first thing Tiara did was get her out of restraints. The patient loves to fold towels and has folded all of her blankets in her room. Tiara went to the gift shop, bought a baby, went to the Mother Baby Unit, got a baby blanket, and wrapped the baby up. She asked the patient to babysit for her. She was in bed holding the baby, and she said she would feed her. Tiara named the baby and put her name on the white board so the patient would not forget it and wrote the time on the board that she needed to feed the baby.
Tiara has been so calm with her. She does not argue with her when the patient says something. You cannot argue with a dementia patient. She goes along with whatever the patient says which is absolutely the best thing. The patient is so happy with her baby doll, and this has made her content. She also bought her a baby bottle and put Kerlix in it to represent milk and the patient feeds the baby. These actions were very creative and she was thinking outside of the box rather than tying a patient to the bed. She was communicating with heart.
This past weekend, she put the patient in a wheelchair and took her outside to the “garden,” and she loved it. There is something about getting that fresh sunshine that comforts you.
Tiara could have easily left her in restraints and not worried about it. Her caring and compassionate heart would not allow her to do that. She wants what is best and that makes a world of difference. Will this patient ever remember what Tiara did for her? Probably not, but that’s not why she did it.
This is the kind of compassionate care that shows that she has put the patient first, and to that, she tailored her care around the mental status of the patient.