Connection: Simple as Vanilla Ice Cream
In hospital settings, there can be tremendous challenges associated with caring for long-term patients with altered mental status. Often, these patients can become restless, and sometimes don’t remember or understand that they may have mobility limitations. Patients like these require significant supervision for safety and redirection – especially when they test the limits of their independent mobility.
It’s no secret that communication between patients with altered mental status and their caretakers can be difficult. These communication issues can make it extremely difficult to care for, direct, and understand patients’ needs or desires. In situations like these, The National Institute for Aging suggests rephrasing and being direct as possible with patients to improve clarity. This is exactly what Ashley, a VirtuAlly Patient Safety Observer, did with a very active long-term patient to achieve a “sweet” result.
During an extended hospital stay, a patient–we’ll call her Mrs. Smith– was suffering from cognitive impairment that interfered with her day-to-day safety. Often, she would even forget instructions to remain in bed so that she could be kept safe. Ashley, the VirtuAlly PSO assigned to watch over Mrs. Smith, worked with her tirelessly, redirecting Mrs. Smith several times throughout her shift. Throughout this process, Ashley was patient with Mrs. Smith, and tried to dig a little deeper to better understand what was making her so restless.
“It seemed I was reminding her every few minutes that she was unable to get up without assistance. I knew this meant that she really wanted to communicate some sort of want or need.” As Ashley worked with Mrs. Smith using the knowledge from her communication training, she was able to conclude that Mrs. Smith did have an unmet need: ice cream. Mrs. Smith had been missing this simple luxury since she arrived in the hospital several days prior.
Upon decoding Mrs. Smith’s desire, Ashley assured her that she would let the on-site care team know that she wanted some ice cream. As promised, the ice cream arrived, and Mrs. Smith ate it with a sense of peace and joy. For the rest of the evening, she was calm and needed little to no redirection.
While our Patient Safety Observers are primarily focused on keeping patients and hospital staff safe, they also have a special talent for bringing joy and smiles to patients’ faces. Whether it’s having a 1-minute conversation with an elderly patient proud to show them pictures of their grandchildren or helping them enjoy a scoop a vanilla ice cream, this remote observation team truly shows that there are no boundaries that limit the positive power of the human connection.
