ALZHEIMER'S BLOG:

Put your self in his shoes. It is midnight when I get a call for a patient with fast pulse rate. We get to the nursing home and the nurse tells me this patients pulse is running 140 beats per minute. Also he is on oxygen and his oxygen sats are only 91% on 4 liters of oxygen. She asks me to wait because she is not finished with her paper work. As I am at the nurse station first I see an elderly women in a wheel chair sitting there awake, but very confused. As she tries to walk her wheel chair down the hall a little the nurse runs to her and puts her back in the same spot telling her she can't leave. I go through my patients paper work to see he has a history of atrial fib, has pneumonia and is on an antibiotic. The nurse tells me to make sure that this patient keeps his nasal cannula on. I remind the nurse that I drop off the patient at the hospital and she may need a sitter to sit with this patient if she is worried about him keeping on his oxygen. She states she can't and calls a relative to let them know that the patient is leaving.

Now I am in my patients room. He is 89 yrs old, can't see very well, can't hear very well, and is confused as to why we are bothering him. Patiently we put him on our gurney, put on a ecg monitor to see that his pulse is running 55 beats per minute to 140. His oxygen sats for us are 98%. The nurse comes in and states she can feel his heart beating with her hand on his chest and that can't be good. We put in an IV, Pulse ox, oxygen, and ecg monitor and bring him to the hospital.

I am thinking that this patient has to be very scared, confused, and very tired. He doesn't know who we are, and why we are getting him in the middle of the night. We need to think of how we are taking care of our elderly. We need to put our self in there shoes. Just food for thought.

If you are reading this, try and get my book. Maybe it will help you as you go through the journey with your loved one through this terrible disease.

Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint Of James A Rock Pub., Co.
www.mariefostino.com