Rizza Marie P.
North house

Topic: Health Care: Activity coordinator
Essential Question: What is the most important skill of a successful elder care activity coordinator ?


Thursday, March 29, 2012

Blog # 20: Room Creativity

(1) How do you plan to address the room creativity expectation?
-I plan to make the room designed into what celebration is being celebrated
on the month of presentations ( so maybe memorial day, cinco de mayo, or mother's day)
then I will try to match the color motif of one of those celebration on tablecloths. The wall would consist
of pictures, symbols that symbolizes that event/celebration.

(2) What activity ideas do you have for answer 1 or 2? 
-For answer 2, I plan to put the chairs in groups and ask the groups

Friday, March 16, 2012

Blog # 19: Answer 2

EQ =
-What is the most important skill in becoming a successful elderly care activity coordinator.

Answer 2 =
-To provide emotional/physical help in elderly patients, activity coordinator must assess the patients individually.

Evidence =
-Whenever senior patients go inside the activities room we put them in certain groups/tables so we can keep track of who are diabetic, have Alzheimer's, normal, can't stand on their own, got stroke, etc. Then one day, The group that always stand a lot, one of them actually acted as if he was trying to stand up because his holding the arm of the wheel chair. So we all thought it was normal, then one of the volunteers noticed that his other hand was actually holding his chest. Later on, we found out he was having mild stroke. After that incident, we learned our lesson "Always assess each patient and not assume as if they are all the same" because even if they have same conditions, it could always change in any second.
-I also noticed that talking to senior patients as a whole or just by observing them, you won't be able to figure out their needs because most of them looks just fine. Typical senior citizen in wheel chairs. Unless you get to actually talk to them (asking questions) and looking at their medical history. Because they may look fine on the outside but if you get to assess them individually you will realize they're dealing with more serious problem.
-It says on the book " Nursing Skills and Concepts" 9th Ed. by Barbara K. Timby, having one on one assessment with the patient will help nurses to relate on the patient's emotional/physical condition and the nurse will gain trust from the patient. By doing this, it will be easier for the nurse to help the patient get cured or cope up with their illness because the patent will most likely cooperate.

Source = 
- My service learning ( Inland Valley care and rehab facility ). Just by working there every weekends helped me understand and experience what it takes to become a activity coordinator.
- My service learner (Gabriel Olea) and my interview 3 (Maria Navarro). Both of them told me that its very important to get to know more of the patient's case so we can  improve our way of helping them as an individual.
- Book called " Nursing Skills and Concepts" 9th Ed. by Barbara K. Timby. I read on chapter 7 that client-nurse relationship, one on one assessment, helps the nurse keep track of the patient and decide what health related activities can be done to help the patient get cure or if its not curable, help them cope up and accept there new situation.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Blog # 18: The Product

"Being able to treat the senior parents the same manner that I treat my family and friends" is my product. It's because in my service learning, I get to volunteer at an elderly facility (about 4 months ago). At first, I was really distant to the senior patients. I never really cared to them as much as I cared for them now. The way I joked with them and them telling stories to me made me become closer to them. Now, every weekend, I always look forward to going to the facility as if I'm hanging out with my friends.

I can't really take any video or picture showing senior patients because of the privacy issue. T^T"
In that case, I'll just tell a story that happened last weekend as my evidence:

Last weekend, one of the senior patients named "Elena" gave me apple pie as a thank you. She told me helping them with activities such as BINGO, word games, puzzles, and by talking to them lessen her loneliness. I think she misses her family. She told me that they are so busy that they only visits her once or twice a month despite the fact that her relatives also lives in Pomona. I become her friend/companion she said. She was glad that people like me choose to volunteer to the facility because she said most teens won't even care volunteering at all. Those small talks and companionship with them got me moved.  It changed me because now I care for them as if they are my grandma/grandpa. I always try to cheer them when they feel down and listens to their problems/stories.