Section 111: Pros And Cons Of Entering The Career

As a carer it is important how you come across to a person with dementia, they still have emotions and feelings. Your body language and facial expressions can be picked up on by the individual, if you let out a long sigh or raise your eyebrows or have a nasty look on your face then this will be abusive to them and they won’t trust you. Talk to them in a calm manner, hold their hand and smile at them, this will show the individual that you have a caring attitude and they will be better for it. If there are other people in the room who are maybe shouting or talking and laughing then this could cause a problem communicating with the person with dementia, too much noise will only frustrate the individual as they won’t be able to concentrate on any conversation.

As a nurse, one way to advocate for the seniors in our care, is to know what resources are available in the county, such as, home health, food programs, transportation assistance, along with providing with a name and contact information of a social worker for the department of human resources, or even having a social meet with them and their family before discharge.

Nursing, in my opinion, takes full commitment from someone. One must be knowledgeable, dedicated, and willing to help others at all cost. My mother is the greatest nurse I have ever encountered and has been my inspiration since I can remember. She has been a nurse for over 20 years and I have been captivated ever since. I was born to do this, to advocate and help others that are in need. Being able to apply the knowledge and skills learned in a real hands-on situation has given me the utmost motivation to fulfill my dreams of one day becoming a nurse. I was able to successfully complete my rounds of clinical hours as part of my nursing program at various locations and departments. I was assigned to MD Anderson, Harris County Psychiatric Center, and Silverado Memory Care Community, where I was able to work with many different types of patients and become acclimated to the environment. The duties in which I was able to preform varied location to location but included, head to toe assessments, insertion/removal of Foley catheters, medication administration, tube feedings, trachea suctioning, and numerous care plans just to name a few. I was able to interact with patients one on one as a student which has instilled confidence and reassurance in my future.

working in the care environment we must ensure safe and good practise is provided. We are influenced and have such provides to help us gain knowledge such as national factors such as; codes of practise, national occupational standards, legislations and government initiatives. Working in the care environment it is an legal requirement to have an inspection every now and then, which must meet agreed national standards. If not, to result in the home being shut down. Also, the ways of working are set out in legislation and government papers. Every nursing home will have there own policy and procedures which you are able to read for guidance. Also caring and providing for people it is important we behave in a professional manner.

The use of language is important, when talking to residents you need to keep things simpler than if you were talking to residents without dementia, however if you’re talking to an adult using very simple instructions this may seem patronising, it is important to choose your language carefully.

I have also noticed this is the population who most often isolates themselves from the rest of the residents. They chose to remain in bed, keep to themselves, and not get involved in the activities offered at the facility. It seems they fear being involved in the life of the nursing home means they have accepted their current situation, and they do not want others to think that. I have often heard these residents say things like, “I don’t belong here” or “I don’t want to be around all those old people.”

You have to be compassionate about what you are doing. The training you have depends on where you live. You must be able to work well hands-on. You do not have to be an athlete, but you do have to be physically fit. Your eyesight and color vision has to be good.

Nursing homes are places for those who are elderly or seeking extra assistance, twenty-four hour medical care and a place where people send their loved ones to gain the reassurance that they’re being taken care of professionally and with care. Nursing homes should be mandated in every community and staffed with caring professionals to ensure that elderly community residents receive the care they need, remain healthy and enjoy a fulfilling life.

Many seniors no longer have the support at home that they did when they were younger. Even those with spouses at home find that the care they need is beyond what their spouse can provide. Friends and family may have moved or passed on. While a convalescent home is

With a nursing background, I have conversed with elderly patients a lot, however, this had not prepared me as I had not encountered dementia before and had therefore assumed that most with dementia patients had their long term memory intact. This impacted on the situation as what I normally talk to elderly patients about such as their families, previous career and

Explorehealthcareers.org explains what is needed to be a geriatric nurse. This includes being able to help with their physical and mental health and simply liking older people. Also being able to take care of their various illnesses and being able to set up care plans for them. It talks about the different places that one can work as a geriatric nurse and average salary they may receive.

This program provides information to caregivers about services that can help lighten the financial burden, assistance in accessing those services, counseling and support groups, caregiver training, respite care, and limited supplemental services (Family Caregiver).

What additional skills, credentials, or other taring may be required to advance along this career path?

Going into my placement I was worried about being able to communicate with the residents. I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I had no idea it was going to be completely different then anything I have done before. My great aunt suffered from dementia, and my Grandpa is showing signs of either Dementia or Alzheimer’s, but nothing to the extent of most of the residents who are living in the home. McCarthy (2011) states that “good communication is an ability to adapt your words and approach to the particular person in front of you” (VISP: Individual, para. 1). After spending only two days at the care home I have learned this. Every residence is at a different stage of their memory illness and I need to make sure I adapt to their level of communication. One of the residents hardly talks at all, instead he smiles and laughs. So, when ever I see him I make sure I smile big, then he smiles back and even

* Completion of a two-year apprenticeship program, or a college program in front desk operations or hotel management may be required.