Compiling Journal Writing - Essay Example

? Compiling Journal Writing and Assignment is due: Week one: Care giving is not an easy task, and whoever chooses to venture in the field must just be prepared for the challenges and difficulties that are associated with it (Felder, 2009). Before finally going to the field and start my provision of services to the clients, I first had to prepare myself physiologically and physically. The task involves several challenges that can easily disturb the mind and only requires perseverance, as well as a lot of physical works since the clients are normally people that are stationary and most of them cannot even move or even do anything. They are to be served from wherever they are. That is why I had to do a lot of preparation so as to be aware and ready for the possible challenges. During the first week of my externship, I visited the homes of elderly clients. I visited a total of five homes, whereby I spent two hours with each client. I provided them with counseling as well as applying for meals-on-wheels. I found this job interesting and also moving after seeing the experiences that these people go through. Home care business has become common all over the world and even the whole world due to the growing demand of people wishing to get special services while at their own homes. It refers to a care that works in favor of people with special needs such as disabilities as they get a chance of being served while staying in their own home. The care may also cover individuals who are getting older, recovering from surgery or even chronically ill. In most cases, the kind of care that is provided is the informal one whereby people’s daughters find themselves offering care to the elderly for free, and some of the duties that they perform range from light home duties to intensive ones. However, professional home care offers in-home care together with support services to the individuals who need them. The services might include activities such as washing the person’s hair or getting him or her dressed, and helping with bath; home making like laundry, yard work and cleaning; delivering meals or cooking, and health care like having a home care helper come to the individual’s home. I did not just find the job as easy as many could think. In the business of home care which deals with the provision of services, particularly matters that deal with health, I found things to be a little bit different as what is important was building the trust between the care receive and I . For instance, it is not always easy just for someone to accept anybody to his or her home to take care of him or her without having the mutual understanding and trust (Hareven, 2008). This is what gave me a hard task because it appears like some of the clients that I had visited were hesitant to welcome me or cooperate. However, that did not dampen my spirit as I continued showing them compassion and serving them with humility which steadily built their confidence in me. What actually made them trust me even more was the fact that the counseling that I gave them appeared to make a lot of sense to them and helped them a lot. Week Two: During my second week in the field, my duty was to try and complete the application for public transportation for the elderly clients. When I went to their houses, I found that they had a very big problem of transportation when they wanted to move from one place to another. Most of the homes of the clients that I visited were found in the sparsely populated areas. However, in those areas, I found that the option of travelling by private means was limited to a public means of transportation with very few alternatives. The clients had not much experience of traveling by the public means of transport and in general, they did not regard the public means of transport as an optional means. Most of the clients who were not able to drive any longer, or even did not possess the driving license, were referred to the special means of transport, however, they were able to manage some travelling by the means of public transport; that is if actually it was a sensible option. I had to first discuss with the clients regarding their attitude regarding the public means of transport before I could actually help them in the process of application. I found that almost all of them had no problem with the special public transport because they deemed it as comfortable and accommodated their special needs. I went to look for the public transport agencies that offered the best services that I thought could well serve the clients. Then I applied for all of them and ensured that the process was complete. Moreover, I also helped them in the process of application for the medical insurance. It is very unfortunate that I found most of them did not know about the importance of having the insurance cover, and some of those who knew it did not have the capability of obtaining it. I really felt for them because the rising cost of health is becoming a great concern for them. In fact, we find that most of them presently find it very difficult to be in a position of getting the most appropriate health insurance coverage, which makes them go without the proper medical care, thus putting their lives and health in danger. There are several companies that provide insurance cover for the elderly, and I had to look for those that were around and obtain the documents for the applications. I brought them back and sat with the clients, whereby I helped them to understand the requirements for the process. I asked them the necessary details and filled them in the respective places, and then took then back for completion of the process. After finishing the application process, I advised them on the process that they were supposed to follow in ensuring that the insurance cover that they had just applied for helped them in the event that need arose, or when necessitated. Week Three: During my fourth week in the field, I provided counseling to the clients with regards to emotional concerns. In my course, I have always learned that the older people usually have emotional distress thus the need to help them. In doing so, my main objective was to help them through their loneliness. While talking to them, I mainly stressed on their strengths and ignoring their weaknesses. I purposely did this so that they could have that sense of being and not just seeing themselves as weak people. I told them about independence so as to reduce dependence; that is I told them the importance of independence, thinking that acting independently. However, this is not a very easy task and I had to prepare well for it because it was my responsibility to try and change the way of thinking of the clients to a manner that they felt important. My externship agency was very supportive of me as I was provided with all the necessary support that I needed in the project. I was first advised on how to play with the psychology of the elderly so that they could have trust in me and believe whatever I was saying. I was very pleased with the feedback that I was receiving from the clientele as they thanked me frequently on helping them to overcome their emotional despair. In fact, some of them did not even want me to leave because they were happy with what I was telling them and wanted to hear them ever and ever again. However, being that my job was timed and had some other purposes, I had to leave but promising them to come back some other time to continue with the discussions. I also accompanied some of the clients to their respective medical appointments so that I could help them where necessary. Some of them were on wheelchairs and I had to help them reach the places of receiving the medical attention. I gave them the necessary assistance in the following of procedures until they are attended to. The whole process was a tough one and full of challenges but I was just equal to the task as I had been advised before to prepare for it. Some of them were very helpless, and I had to do almost everything for them. However, it is encouraging that my efforts did not go unnoticed as I received positive feedbacks from the clients that I dealt with; whereby they claimed that I was kind and hospitable. They really appreciated my work and even wished that they could be with me all the time to continue helping as well as giving them encouragement. I really loved the experience even though it was difficult and also very challenging. Week Four: During my fourth week of externship, I had already matured into the field; that is I have gained sufficient experience in the field of home care provision, and any other challenges that I could face were just to be normal and part of my job. During this period in the course of my externship, I decided to go and talk with the clients regarding some other placement options which included going to the assisted living or even residential care home. I explained to them what each of the options means and the advantages as well as the disadvantages of each. Most of them were very happy with the suggestions that I gave them and said they would even consider some of them. I told them in detail the kind of treatments that they would receive when they go to particular assisted living or residential home cares. To give them hope and confidence in whatever I was telling them, I decided to use examples whereby I mentioned to them some of the residential home cares that I know and some of the people that have gone there, and the kind of treatment they received, or were receiving. While some of them said that they would consider moving to the assistance living sometimes later, others did not even have the time of thinking about the issue and decided immediately that I would direct them on how they would join the homes cares. It was really a nice feeling for me because I felt like my efforts had done some changes in the lives of the people that had problems. In addition, I also discussed with them and even provided the supplemental insurance choices apart from having a primary insurance. I found that most of them did not know about the existence of the supplemental insurance covers, and this was the first time they were hearing about it. So I have a very difficult time in trying to explain from the start what they were and also how they worked. I gave them the best choices of the supplemental insurance covers that were available and where they were found. However, in explaining to them the benefits that they would get in applying for them, one advantage that mostly attracted most of them was the fact that they were cheaper as compared to the primary insurance. Some of them were very pleased and even wanted me to assist them in applying for the supplemental insurance. Nevertheless, since it was my responsibility, and the time that I had allocated for that particular day had not elapsed, I then decided to go to the insurance companies and obtained the application forms for them. I then took them through the whole process of application whereby I assisted them in filling the necessary information. It was not an easy task as it apparent that dealing with older people is normally very difficult. The difficulty that I had is that some of them did not even know their details and I had to look for them because I had to do it. Anyway, the challenges made me strong as they prepared me for the difficult tasks ahead in the field. Week Five: During my fifth week of externship, I took two hours of one on one interaction with the clients whereby I did activities of interest. To me this was like one of the easiest weeks because it was just like an entertainment to me. I carried with me some playing tools that I would use while with them. I visited a total of five clients, and whenever I met with each one of them, I first greeted him or her and told them why I was there. When I met with the first client, I had a short chat with her before introducing the games. When I asked her the game that she liked most, she did not have an idea of what game she could play and enjoy, then I thought cards would be good. After producing the cards, I taught her how to play and then we continues; she really liked the game and she was laughing all the time. This actually exited me because I felt like I had at least given her a reason to be happy for that moment. On moving to the second client’s house, I found she was very lonely and looked like she was bored with life, and I first had to give her words of encouragement before bringing her to the right state of mind. When I then asked her about the kind of game she preferred, she also did not have an idea, and it looked like she had never played any before even when she was still young and energetic. So I thought draft would do because it was also the easiest and most entertaining. It only took me about ten minutes to keep her acquainted with the rules of the game and she was now good to go. We played for the remaining time in my schedule and she was very happy with the game an even asked me to come back another day, which I promised to do. The remaining three clients really shared some things in common and dealing with them was not also difficult. First, they were all male, and were not too old as compared to the other two that I first visited. They were very lively and cooperative. In fact, all of them knew about several games that they used to play. The third and fourth clients even told me that they knew how to play chess and then they produced the playing board with all the necessities. To my surprise, they even knew how to play the game more than me. They scored more points than I did, and it is like they were teaching me how to do it. The fourth client was also interesting as he knew how to play the game but it is only that he had forgotten a little bit, and after reminding him, he gave a run for my money. It was actually a nice experience and changed my perception of the older people as merely boring to very nice people to be with. Week Six: Week six of my being in the field was also more than interesting as I visited five clients whereby I dedicated two hours for each one of them. I provided them with companionship whereby I did the activities that they wanted such as watching TV together with them, doing crafts as well as reading books. Since I was not sure about the kind of programs that they loved and what could keep them entertained while watching, I decided to carry with me some comedy disks as well as those that had documentaries containing some teachings. When I arrived at the residence of each and every client, I asked them the kind of programs they liked watching. Some of them mentioned some TV programs that were lined-up for that day, while others mentioned some movies and comedies. I then tested some of the comedies that I had and they liked them very much. I really liked it because I felt that I did not let myself down, in making the clients happy, and that my guesswork was very right. I watched the comedies as well as their favorite TV programs together with them and explained to them what they did not understand. Some of them were happy and told me that they were not used to watching the programs because they not comprehending anything. Besides watching TV together with them, I also did some artworks, whereby I drew some pictures that were very attractive to them. I drew some cartoons that had some hidden messages and told them what they meant. I also carried with me some nice story books which I read to them. But before reading the books that I had carried, I asked them whether they had their own and would like me to read with them. All of them had several books that they bought when they were still young while others we given to them by friends and relatives. The books that they had were very interesting and very hilarious. I read the books out loud to them so that they could hear and they were very attentive, and even laughing where funny. I also explained to them some of the parts that they did not understand until we finished. They really liked my story books and some even wanted me to leave them behind but I could not do that because I was also to use them elsewhere for the same purposes. So I had to promise them that I would come back some other time with different story books. In continuing with this externship placement, I felt that it was important for m to train of time management. I realized that I was week in managing time because I spent some more time with some of the clients who appeared interesting to deal with or when I found that I was enjoying myself or even when it took me so long to finish with some of the clients. Week Seven: During my seventh week in the field, my duty was to provide therapeutic counseling as regards depression with some of the clients. I took some good time, almost half of the time that I had dedicated for that day for talking to the clients and hearing from them how they felt about life. The kind of life that these people live is a very lonely one. That is why I felt that it was important to talk to them so as to give them some hope. Before giving them piece of advice, I first told them several stories so that I could make them lively and to attract their attention. On listening to them, I found out that most of them felt like the life had no meaning as they were just constricted within their houses or compounds with no one to talk or even care for them. Most of them had serious emotional distress and were even wishing that they could better die instead of living in this lonely world. In fact, one of the clients narrated to me how he had been mistreated by the members of his family due to his old age because they perceived him as adding no value to their lives and did not deserve to be living anymore. It was so emotional and painful when he told me all these, but I gave him words of encouragement, and even advised him to go to the residential care centers where he would find many people of the same condition as his and that he would no longer be as lonely as he was. After finishing the first part of my activities of that day, I then decided to do some group activities with some of them such as going to the community resource centers for the elderly. Some of them had never visited such areas, meaning that it was their first time even, and they were very happy about it. While we were there, they saw many things that actually made them happy and gave them some hope and reasons to feel sense of being. The community resource centers that we visited were very helpful to them as they helped them in finding the information, resources as well as the services that would be important to them in their process of trying to make informed decisions regarding their future. Many older people who do not always know what they should do about their lives are always advised to visit the community resource centers for the elderly so as to find the necessary assistance. I only took them there so that whenever they wanted some advice in future regarding their lives, when I will be away, they would just know where to find them. After we had finished what took us there, I then took them back home and then they told me about how the day was, and what they managed to learn from the community resource centers for the elderly. I was very pleased to find out that the tour was of great importance as nearly all of them had something to talk about or remember. They were very grateful for what I had done to them. Week eight: This was my last week in the field and my plan for that day was meeting the clients together with their family members. It total I met seven clients with their family members who were in support of care. I purposely arranged for the meetings so as to provide them with all the necessary community information about placement options in the near future. During the meeting, I provided them with brochures and resources which included transportation resources like paratransit programs. I discussed with them and even advised then on how they can help the older people in obtaining good and comfortable transport. I told them how the means of transport that specifically fits the older people can be applied for and also how they operate. In addition, I also told them about the on-wheel-means in case they did not know. I discussed with them about the importance of obtaining the meals for the older people and how they could be acquired. Moreover, I informed them about the possible costs of obtaining the meals and where specifically they could be found. Most family members who care for the elderly do not always know about such things in dealing with the individuals and giving them advice and information is very important. I also provided them with information regarding Medicare or medical insurance. I told them about the importance of these older people having the medical insurance cover, and how they application can be done. Furthermore, I also talked to them about the importance of residential care services and assisted living services, which also most of them had known but did not have much information about. I felt it was important to let them know about the existence of such services so that it could help them in the handling of the older people, as they were not qualified people in handling these people. This is a group of delicate or complicated people to deal with and requires a lot of and perseverance. If one is not in a position of bearing the difficulties that comes with dealing with these people, then he or she can give up quickly and even resort to mistreating them. That is why I decided to inform them about the alternatives so that in the event of such occurrences, they would know what to do. This was the last part of my externship program and I was so pleased with the progress that I had made in this field. All the clients that I dealt with were very happy with me and even most of them did not want me to leave them, and that I should continue serving them. This is very encouraging to me as I was able to gain much experience and even learned more things that I did not know. I am also grateful for my externship agency, which gave me full support in my undertakings. The feedback that I received from my externship agency was also very positive and I am grateful for that. Structure of Warrens Home care I took my externship program at the Warrens Home care center, which offers private care services to the disabled and elderly in their homes. The organization is practically made up of its owners, administrators, schedulers together with certified health aides. The company is owned by the Warrens family which is at the top of the organization’s hierarchy. The company also has administrators who form the middle structural layer or even the link between the front-line employees and the owners (Lotus et al, 2002). They consist of nurses who are registered and nurse managers, who also serve as the organization’s schedulers. The organization’s direct-care providers are certified nursing assistants. In order to improve the organization’s performance, it is important that the organization states clear the organizational goals and individual goals. References Felder, L. (2009). ‘Human resource, facility managers must cooperate,’ Baltimore Business Journal, 17(2). Hareven, T. (2008). Family and Kin in Urban Communities, 1730–1930, New Viewpoint, New York. Lescure, F. et al. (2006). "Community-Acquired Infection With Healthcare-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: The Role of Home Nursing Care". Infection Control Hospital Epidemiology 27 (11). Website: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/507920, September 10, 2011. Lotus S. et al. (2002). "Predictors of nursing home placement and home nursing services utilization by elderly patients after hospital discharge in Taiwan". Journal of Advanced Nursing 38 (4). Website: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2002.02193.x/abstract;jsessionid=D9817740E155EFB5005E474C2A6A8F25.d02t01, September 10, 2011. Modin, S. et al. (2002). "Care by general practitioners and district nurses of patients receiving home nursing: a study from suburban Stockholm". Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care 20 (4). Website: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/028134302321004854, September 10, 2011. Paul, I. et al. (2004). "Cost-Effectiveness of Postnatal Home Nursing Visits for Prevention of Hospital Care for Jaundice and Dehydration". Pediatrics 114 (4). Website: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/114/4/1015, Retrieved September 10, 2011. Riccio, P. (2001). "Quality Evaluation of Home Nursing Care: Perceptions of Patients, Physicians, and Nurses". Journal of Nursing Care Quality 15 (2). Website: http://journals.lww.com/jncqjournal/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2001&issue=15020&article=00007&type=abstract, Retrieved September 10, 2011. Read More