Assignent Solutionnurs

When I was working as a visiting nurse, there was a patient I was able to understand that the patient was not happy with a certain level of care and he had a problem swallowing. Moreover, that morning one of the PCA was giving him food and she called me while I was preparing the patient medication for the week to check on him because he was unresponsive and shocked. It was a difficult and scary situation. We made the patient lie on his bed on her left side. The RN started giving some backslaps and abdominal thrusts. This made him cough and regain consciousness.
The PCA start crying and after I ask her what is going on and she said that she can relate to the situation because her mom died while she is eating toast and chock. During 2007-2010 in the USA, 2214 deaths among people aged ≥65 were attributed to choking on food. The death rate for this cause is higher among the elderly than among any other age group.
If we did not act one time and done the correct maneuver the situation could have been fatal, and we could have lost our patience. In the overall distribution of all causes of death, we find that three causes-dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonitis-are most strongly associated with deaths from choking on food among older people. Education about the proper position, food for patients with swallowing problems, and rapid response were reviewed with the patient and PCA.
From this situation, I learned that education is one of the most important parts of Home Health Care. Patient education leads to better patient satisfaction with providers and their overall care. Educational plans can reduce the provider’s liability. An increase is the compliance with treatment plans can lead to an overall reduced cost for patients.
References
Kramarow E, Warner M, Chen LH. Food-related choking deaths among the elderly. Inj Prev. 2019 Jun;20(3):200-3. doi: 10.1136/injury prev-2019-040795. Epub 2019 Sep 3. PMID: 24003082.
Ashton K, Oermann MH. Patient education in home care: strategies for success. Home Health Nurse. 2020 May;32(5):288-94. doi: 10.1097/NHH.0000000000000059. PMID: 24802599.