Mrs Patricia Smith who has been admitted to your ward in an acute care hospital with respiratory distress, following several hours overnight in the ED. She has difficulty with breathing and her...

Mrs Patricia Smith who has been admitted to your ward in an acute care hospital with respiratory distress, following several hours overnight in the ED. She has difficulty with breathing and her husband said she has had a ‘bit of a cold’ over the last few weeks. On the previous day he thought she had difficulty breathing and her Doctor told them to go to the ED. Due to her respiratory distress, Patricia has not been able to eat.


Eight months ago Patricia was diagnosed with dementia – no specific type. She has always been a very independent lady, with a focus on helping others and not asking for anything for herself.


After admission you notice that Patricia becomes very agitated and restless while in bed. She constantly calls out and lashes out at you (nursing student) and other staff when they come to check on her observations.


Patricia is 75 years old and lives with her husband Frank. They have 4 adult children, 2 males and 2 females, who all live close to the parents and 4 grandchildren. She has not been a patient in hospital since her last child was born over 40 years ago.



Task


Use Patricia’s scenario to prepare a written proposal for a practice /care improvement for her during her time in hospital, using the headings listed below.
Your proposal should include an introduction and conclusion (400 words). The body of your proposal should include the following 4 sub-headings:


Part 1: ‘Patricia and her family’s experiences of admission to hospital’ (400 words)
From what you have learnt from Module 2 on Experiences of Dementia, write how you imagine Patricia and her family are experiencing her admission into hospital, including what you think might be the most difficult aspect of this experience for them.

Part 2: ‘Person Centred Care (PCC)’ (400 words)
From what you have learnt from Module 3 on Person Centred Care write how a PCC approach would be used in providing care to Patricia in the acute care setting.

Part 3: ‘Caring for Patricia’s BPSDs’ (400 words)
From what you have learnt from Module 4 on Communicating with People with Dementia and Module 5 on Managing Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia, write on how you might prevent or minimise her BPSDs.



Part 4: ‘Nursing care of Patricia in an acute hospital’ (400 words)
From what you have learnt from Module 6 on Managing other acute care issues for people with dementia write on how you might improve other relevant aspects of Patricia’s care while she is in hospital. Include at least 2 assessment tools that should be used and describe why.