Comfy = Caregiving

A caregiver’s job is one of the most complex and challenging roles anyone could encounter. A person doesn’t have specific step by step instructions on how to act around the patient. When one of your family member gets sick, you will have to participate in supporting his or her wellness even if you live miles away from him or her. It is not just physical things that can cure the sick but also the mental things like supporting the patient and being there when he or she needs you. You will be able to help him or her by boosting his or her hope.

Physically or mentally impaired older people need encouragement in many things. Most of our grandparents don’t know the benefits they could get from being a senior citizen and being sick. Some elders are eligible for reduced or frozen rent rates, reduction of transportation costs and/or specialized transportation to help them remain independent.

Caregiving can help the patient be more comfortable and happy. They wouldn’t have to be alone all the time and they will have the feeling of being taken care of.  This is the job of a caregiver, giving the support the patient needs.

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Hmmm...

We were instructed to create questions that starts with what, when, where, why and how, and it should be related to bandaging and dressing and signs and symptoms. Well, here it is:

What are you supposed to do when someone fell and might have broke or sprained his arm?

     First of all, I will not panic. Nothing good will come out if I'm just going to panic and it might fluster other people. An arm has a flexed joint which is the elbow and I should perform the Figure Eight Spiral Bandaging with a bandage (it seems that I was coincidentally walking around with a bandage in my pocket). But if I don't have a bandage, I will assist him or her to a clinic or hospital since the one that is broken is the arm and not the leg or foot.

When should you learn how to give first aid, especially bandaging and dressing?

     As soon as possible. Yeah, that's my answer, straight to the point. We don't know when an accident will happen so we should learn it before something bad will go our way. It's not a good feeling when you see and accident in front of your eyes and the only thing you could do is stare. If you learn first aid, you will not only get rid of the feeling of being useless but also you would be able to help someone who is in dire need.

Where can you apply bandaging and dressing?

     I could actually apply it anywhere where an accident happened. There is actually no specific place where you can apply this, it is, in general, the place where the accident happened. After applying bandaging and dressing, you should bring the patient to the hospital for further examination and treatment.

Why should you know signs and symptoms?

     Signs are what the doctor sees and symptoms are what you feel. It is important because you know what you are going to say and what you really feel. When you consult the doctor, he/she will ask you questions regarding the mnemonic OPPQRST. It stands for complaint, palliative, provocative, quality, radiating, severity, and timing.

How should you apply bandaging and dressing?

     Well, you should always be gentle and calm since the patient is injured and is suffering already. You don't need to add the suffering of the patient and it is also not good to do that. In bandaging, be sure that you know what you are doing and do not guess on what to do. You might mistaken the style of bandaging for another and it might make the injury worse. In dressing, you should look where the wound is first since there are different types of dressing and the materials needed are also different. Just remember to be calm and be quick. 

Those are my questions and answers :)

I hope this will help you in the future :)

Bath and Bed

Making a Bed

1. Why do we need to know how to make an unoccupied and occupied bed?
     When someone at home is sick for a long time and is very weak, he or she would not be able to stand up or just sit. Now, it is better if you know the right process in making an unoccupied bed. You would be able to help others while learning the experience. You won't know when you are going to need this knowledge, you may need it in the future after all.
     For the occupied bed, you should know it, because you have a bed that needs to be made. If you don't know the right instructions to follow, your bed won't look nice and dust (which you can't see) will spread on your bed from your pillow.


2. How does making a bed help in the fast recovery of our patient?
     If my patient will not feel comfortable, he or she will have a hard time to recover. And when the bed have creases on them, it might irritate the patient's back and may lead to sores, itching, and wounds. In order to lessen the patient's condition, you also have to stay alert if there are any unnecessary spills or liquids or even solids on the bed. 

3. As a good home nurse, how will you be able to render your services to your patient through bed making?
     

 Bathing the Patient

1. Why do you need to give a bath to the patient?
     A patient will feel uncomfortable and sticky if he or she will not have a bath. You need to give the patient a bath to make sure he or she is comfortable and dirt will not stick to him o her.

2. What are the materials needed for bed bath or sponge bath?
     You need a pair of big towels and small towels, a rubber sheet, a basin with warm water (make sure that the water will not burn your patient), a soap, and light blanket.

3. What’s the importance of using a urinal or bedpan?
     You don't want the patient to pee on the bed, do you? A urinal is used when your patient is not strong enough to go to the bathroom.  You won't need to carry the patient to the bathroom, you just have to know how to give the patient the urinal.

4. What do you mean by back rub?
     A back rub is like a massage but it doesn't involve hard pressing of your hands. You just need to spread the oil or lotion on the patient's back to relax him or her.

5. How do you differentiate cold compress from hot compress?
      Of course, the cold compress uses cold water and the hot compress uses hot water. Now, what is the real difference between the two? In cold compress, it is used to relieve pain or reduce inflammation or used as a comfort measure while in hot compress, it is used to increase the circulation locally. It can also relieve pain and congestion.

Signs & Symptoms of Illnesses & Diseases

1.  If you are a good home nurse, what are the various home nursing techniques that you need to apply that will make the patient feel comfortable and speed up the recovery?

Always have a cheerful disposition when you are around the patient for him or her to be comfortable and not get nervous. You should also explain what you are doing and what it is for. The patient might get the wrong idea and start flailing or screaming. Maintain your personal hygiene so that bacteria will not be able to go to the patient, especially if the patient has a wound. 

2.  Why should the home nurse monitor the vital signs of the patient?

Vital signs are important for any person. These are the measurements of your body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. Monitoring of vital signs may tell you what is wrong with the patient, and if he or she is recovering.

3.  How do you take the body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure of the patient?

There are different ways of taking those vital signs. In taking the temperature, you need to have a thermometer (it is better if you use an electronic thermometer than the one that has mercury inside of it). There are three routes in which you can take the temperature; the mouth, the anal, and the armpit. Actually, the respiratory rate of a person is taken by the doctor (this is what Google told me and it was not discussed). In taking the pulse rate, use you index and middle finger. You need to press those fingers in line with the thumb. So, you will press it on your wrist. Sphygmomanometer is used to take the blood pressure of a person.

4.  What are some practices that the home nurse must follow that will
           promote comfort to the patient?

A home nurse must understand the feelings and needs of the patient. He or she should always smile with the patient. Be attentive to what the patient says. Also, a home nurse can adjust to the needs of the patient and find means and ways to answer all the needs of the patient. A home nurse should have a system of recording the vital sign, food intake, medicine, and frequency of urination and bowel movement in order to help the doctor assess the health status of the patient.

5.  How will you differentiate signs from symptoms of illnesses and
       diseases?

Illness, although often used to mean disease, can also refer to a person's opinion of their health, regardless of whether they have a disease or not. A person without any disease may feel unhealthy and simply have the opinion of having a disease. Another person may feel healthy with similar views of perfectly good health. Disease can be thought of as the presence of bacteria, which can occur with or without personal feelings of being unwell or social recognition of that state. Illness as the subjective state of "unwellness" and can occur independently of, or in conjunction with, disease or sickness.

6.  If you are the doctor, what will be your basis in giving the diagnosis for your patient?

I will base the diagnosis on what the patient tells me and from his or her past medical records. If he or she lies about his or her feelings, doing tests may help me discover the illness or disease he or she is facing. It may be blood tests, blood pressure tests, or those kinds of things. 

Medicines, medicines, medicines...

     Why must we know how to administer the medicines of our patient? First, when the medicine and it's amount of dosage will be right, the patient will recover faster. Second, when you explain what you are doing, the patient will feel welcomed and won't get angry or anxious about taking the medicine. And third, when you give the patient the medicine at the right time, then it will be more effective. Now, you know what the importance of knowing how to administer the medicines of the patient properly.

     I never really knew that there were many kinds of medicines. There are medicines that are taken by mouth, rectum, skin, muscle or vein, nose, lungs, mouth, outer skin, and eyes, ears nose. Not only are the routes and kinds of medicines different, but also the amount of dosage that should be taken by the patient. When taking care of somebody at home, you should know the important things that you have to remember. These are:

1.      The right medicine
2.      The right amount of dosage
3.      The right approach (don't scare the patient!)
4.      At the right time 
5.      Right route (don't mistaken eye drops for ear drops!)
6.      Right patient (don't mistaken the twins!)

     There are also limitations that you have to take note of. An example is the expiration of the medicine. When a medicine is expired, it may not have any effect, it might poison the patient, or can cause other illnesses. How would you know when the medicine is expired? Just read the list below if you want the answer to that. There are a lot of things to remember, isn't there.

  

     A medicine is expired when...

•      the expiration date cannot be read anymore 
•      the color changes 
•      the appearance will change (transparent to opaque) 
•      the label is unreadable 

Don't worry, you just have to understand it all and you don't have to memorize it word by word.