LET,S NETWORK......!!!!

[BETTYBOOP]

Hi everybody!

As many of you who are reading this will be aware, I am a registered psychiatric nurse and drug and alcohol nurse specialist. I thought this might be a good idea to allow any of us who are in the caring profession, to network our ideas , knowledge, treatment plans and research. It doesn't matter your skill level or whether you are trained or untrained. If you are in the profession. Get posting and let's network to improve our practice and patient out comes. We could post any questions we have and anybody with knowledge or experience in that particular field could then share what they know. Have a good day everybody. Mine has been fabulous so far. .

[429]

I'm in Betty.

429

Paramedic

[chara55]

I'm in also Betty, 20 yrs Cardiopulmonary.

God Bless

Gooooo Rvvvvvvvvvv

[BETTYBOOP]

429 & Charra55, glad you have you both on board. I am certain you will both contribute a great deal. I am sure you have both read the thread titled "this is my passion" it contains a little bit about schizophrenia and substance misuse. Figured schizophrenia was a good place to start on the mental health side of things. It is one of the five major mental illnesses and for the person suffering it and their families it is terrifying. Possibly worse for people within society who think all these people are highly dangerous. Of course this is very untrue. I am working on a piece to post on here. It will contanin brief explanations of what the various illnesses are, how they present etc. And some information about medications which could be utilised. Speak soon. Please contribute anything you feel would be helpful. Even if it is experiences you have had. .

[smee2]

Hello Betty ...

Great Idea ...

Back in the days when more volunteers were used in hospitals and care homes, before a lot of those positions were given to paid employees only, I did a lot of volunteer work at care homes for the aged, residential facilities for children and teens with emotional and mental problems, hospitals in almost every ward from children's terminal cancer, and emergency room to ambulance ride alongs when they had massive accidents or situations where they needed more bodies to manage more people in trouble.

I don't imagine I'll have anything to offer or share, not being a trained professional, but I will be interested in the thread and will read it. Very interesting idea and I thank you for bringing it forward.

And good luck with your own healing ... and that isn't just the body, as you know

smee2

[BETTYBOOP]

Smee2, do not underestimate your experience. I am absolutely certain you will contribute a grate deal. . You have just already done so by providing a synopsis of your life experience. In healthcare that, in itself, can be more beneficial at times than endless training. Volunteers and untrained syaff are the backbone of the healthcare system. Services would not function without them. . Trained staff now a days are so tied up with paperwork that often nothing would get done if it was not for people like you. So please enjoy reading but trust me you have a lot to contribute. Betty. X

[delta22]

Hi I am sick lol and I am now reviewing resume for the best looking nurse for post rv employment lol.

[BETTYBOOP]

Hi folks ! ok here is the first of what I hope will be many posts within this thread. I hope people reading the information on this thread will find it to be enjoyable, relevant, informative, and of use in some way to their practice. .

The Ten Essential Shared Capabilities :- (ESC's)

Here in the U. K. The ten essential shared capabilities are used as a learning material within mental health. There are various versions depending on whether the nurse live in Scotland. England, Nothern Ireland or Wales. Each set of learning materials were specifically designed depending on the identified needs of service users, carers, cultureal demographics and health professionals within each country. These materials are not used in medical, surgical or any other form of nursing in the united kingdom. In fact anyone working out with mental health services in the U. K. Will most likely have no idea what they actually are or what the purpose of them is. However, I would argue that these learning materuials can and should be applied across the board, regardless of your area of specialisied practice.

As you may have gathered there is 10 of these (ESC's) and they are as follows...

1. Working in partnership.

2. Respecting diversity.

3. Practising ethically.

4. Challenging inequality.

5. Promoting recovery.

6. Identifying peoples needs & strengths.

7. Providing service user - centred care.

8. Making a difference.

9. Promoting safety & positive risk taking.

10. Personal development and learning.

The purpose of these is to set this as a minimum standard that all staff working within mental health services should achieve as best practice. It also sets guidelines for users and carers to know what to expect of staff and services provided.

The 10 ESC's are about expectations, attitudes, behaviours and relationships. The study of these materials can be done on either an individual basis or as a group. It is self directed learning. The help promote good , safe practice and help develop the "reflective" practitioner. If you google scotlands health on the web. (SHOW) you will find more about the 10 ESC's and you can download the learning materials.

How does this relate to other fields of practice?

We all at some point in our careers have knowingly or unknowingly cared for people who are experiencing some form of mental illness. If all staff were to utilise these materials either as they are or have them adapted for the needs of services in their home area , a great deal of social inclusion and imporved services could follow. However, I do not feel that it would wrong for these materials to be utilised by all nursing and medical staff, including students. When people are admitted to hospital it is a frieghtening experience for them and their families. Regardless of why the person is being admitted it is a stressful experience. They are placed in an almost "alien" environment. There is strange smells, people, machines, tests to be undertaken, jargon to try to understand and a whole host of other things. Effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills are essential and the development of good relationships between the staff and the patient and the family. People react to stress in different ways but often , the research would suggest that if more time was taken to explain and communicate effectively , there would be less outbursts from patient and families. If people were then encouraged to apply the ESC's across the board respect, dignity and better relationships would be some of the positive outcomes.

I hope you have found this to be an interesting , informative and beneficial read. Boop.

[moose 57]

Hi everybody!

As many of you who are reading this will be aware, I am a registered psychiatric nurse and drug and alcohol nurse specialist. I thought this might be a good idea to allow any of us who are in the caring profession, to network our ideas , knowledge, treatment plans and research. It doesn't matter your skill level or whether you are trained or untrained. If you are in the profession. Get posting and let's network to improve our practice and patient out comes. We could post any questions we have and anybody with knowledge or experience in that particular field could then share what they know. Have a good day everybody. Mine has been fabulous so far. .

Re-hab in 1975 absolutely sucked!!!

[jeepguy]

betty boooooooop hehehehe hello tried my hand in the c.n.a field during the econmic down turn,,, when the jobs were no exsistant,,,,,,, hands on --with demintia and alzheimer`s,,,,,,,, WOW this is one bad bad deal,,, the hospitals are filling up with these poor souls,,, what is very bad too see is the sundowners , { people in the late 60`s and 70`s still in the hopes their dead parents are coming too pick them up { they were usually in a panic and also crying} ---- i think putting these folks on a cruise ship ,,, let them watch the land and sea go by,,, they can chase the sun as far as possible,,, get them out of the inclosers of 4 walls with one window and the same dull view day in day out,, if you kind of think about it stay on ship is most likely cheaper than the rest homes { just my thinking} but with hind sight the sea would most likely fill up with bodies {jumpers} who could tell which would be best,,, slow death ,, or overboard ,,, just my two pennies thanks

[Maggie123]

Jeep Guy Kudos To You for your lovely idea! My daughter works with "Memory" patients and relays many sad stories... I know I would much prefer to be on a cruise in my last days then in the "Home" as they call it...

[mogirl463]

Hi All,

I saw this so I thought I would jump on and see if I qualify to be included. I am not skilled as far as a certificate goes, but I have been caring for my grandmother for the last 13 years and saw my grandfather thru till the end with advanced dementia/Alzheimers. I refused to put either one in a "Home" unless there was a reason I could no longer keep them here in their own home. My grandfather passed last November just one month shy of turning 90. I thought for sure granny would follow shortly after due to being married to him for 69 years. But, she's still hanging in there even though she also has dementia and after a stroke 13 years ago, has no quality of life.

If there is one thing I have learned from caring for them, it is that there is a limited number of health care professionals out there now a days who actually "CARE" about the job they perform. Nursing homes hire the most ignorant people ever for the most part, and more families should step up to the plate and care for their own instead of pushing them into places like that to die. Sorry, just my two cents here also.

I do have a dream of being a degreed Paramedic and started back to school three years ago. However, I was taking my last two most important classes before entering the program when my grandfather went full blown dementia. My world went to hell in a hand basket with his constant hollering day and night and holding conversations with dead people or others from his past. If it wouldn't have been so sad, it may have been a bit funny. Like the night he started screaming FIRE....I had resorted to sleeping on an army cot at the end of his bed across his only way out of the bedroom just so he wouldn't wander out of the house....When I heard him scream that word, it scared me so bad I rolled off my cot and onto the floor thinking the house was on fire. Funny thing was, there was no real fire. But in his mind, he was fighting one of the many fires he had fought during the 30+ years he was a volunteer fireman here in town.

Ah for the love of my grandparents......Thanks for listening or not ....either way, this is a great way to break up the time as we wait for that wonderful RV! I am on here alot now......

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving !!!!

GOOOOOO RV!!!!!!!

[GI_Jane]

You know I'm in Betty!

21 years ICU and L&D.

EMT-Intermediate

Specializing in the US Military!!!

Jane

Hi pink piggy piggy!

[desimo]

Psychology, psych-pathologist, PTSD and Chemical addictions specialty