Alzheimer's Care. 11(2). 83-99
Question Two
The majority of the desired results for my study rest on excellence of the nursing staff. Whereas in normal nursing home environments patients are constantly over stimulated, sleep is disturbed and patients are transferred (Gould, 2010). With regard to dementia patients, all of these nursing-related areas increase the chances of confusion and difficulty with the patient.
Instead, my innovation would be to set up an inn facility where each patient would have consistency above all else. The day staff would keep the patients on a regimented schedule for all meals, bathroom breaks and activities. The room would be decorated with calendars, clocks and other features to help the patient avoid disorientation. The night staff would be limited to only intervening and entering rooms...
Additionally, nurses must document observations of the patient's behavior, both for the better and for the worse. The goal is to determine whether the steady conditions improve the patient's behavior and help the patient avoid outbreaks requiring interventions such as sedatives.
Should a nurse fail to follow the daily routine, their tracking of behavior will aid in determining whether the routine was effective or whether it was simply coincidental behavior.
Gould, E., Cox, T. & Johnson, M.A. (2010). Best practices-dementia care training in nursing homes and assisted living settings. Alzheimer's Care Today. 11(2). 134-138
