Life transitions final Flashcards
What is pain?
- unpleasant physical sensation
- personal and differs for each client
- pain is also emotional, social, or spiritual
What are the words used to describe pain?
- hurt
- ache
- sore
- burning
- discomfort
- cramping
- gnawing
- knifelike
- piercing
- sharp
- squeezing
- stabbing
- throbbing
- viselike
What is acute pain?
- felt suddenly from injury, disease, trauma, or surgery
- lasts less than 6 months
- decreases with healing
what is chronic pain?
- lasts longer than 6 months
- constantly/occurs on and off
what is radiating pain?
- felt at the site of tissue and extends to nearby areas
what is referred pain?
- is felt in a part of the body separate from the source of the pain
what is phantom limb pain?
- felt in a body part that is no longer there
What affects pain?
- Past experience
- Anxiety
- Rest and sleep
- Attention
- The meaning of pain
- Support from others
- Culture
- Age
What are the signs and symptoms of pain?
Body language:
- increased pulse, respiration, and bp
- nausea
- pale skin (pallor)
- sweating (diaphoresis)
- vomiting
Behaviour:
- Changes in speech, slow or rapid, loud or quiet
- crying
- gasping
- grimacing
- groaning
- grunting
- holding affected body part
- being irritable
- maintaining one position
- refusing to move
- being quiet
- rubbing
- screaming
- rocking back and forth
What is the pain assessment tool PQRSTU?
P (proviking causes):
- what causes the pain?
Q: (quality of pain):
- type and intensity of the pain
- pain scale
- vital signs
- any other symptoms?
R (region of the pain and if it radiates anywhere):
- where is the pain and does it go anywhere else?
S (severity of the pain):
- determine how the client feels by asking to describe their pain
T (timing of the pain):
- when did the pain start? how long?
U: (the clients understanding of the pain):
- has this happened before? what do you think its caused by?
What is the advanced dementia scale (PAINAD)
- observe the patient for 5 minutes before scoring them
- score the behaviours on the chart according to what the chart says.
- scoring ranges from 0-10 points. 1-3 is mild pain, 4-6 is moderate pain, 7-10 is severe pain.
- scores are based on breathing, negative vocalizations, facial expressions, body language, conolability
what is the northern pain scale?
its a chart of faces that range from “no hurt” to “hurts worse”
What to document when it comes to pain?
Document exactly what the client said, your observations, changes in client’s behaviour, etc.
What is a heat application?
- applied to almost any part of the body
- includes blanket warmers
- used when clients are too ill to raise their own body temperature (blanket warmers)
What affect does heat application have on the body?
- blood vessels in the area dilate allowing more blood to flow through them.
- brings more oxygen and nutrients to the tissue for healing and removes excess fluid and wastes from the area faster.
- muscles relax
- painful swelling is reduced
- reduce muscle cramps
- reduces joint stiffness
- increases circulation
Complications of heat applications
- burns
- pain, excessive redness, blisters (burn signs)
- tissue death
- circulatory shock
- skin irritation
- ## complaints of discomfort
what is the difference between moist and dry heat application?
- moist involves water coming in contact with the skin which has a faster effect and penetrates deeper
- dry stays at desired temperature longer
- dry more for thin clients or clients with medical conditions that can be harmed with moist applications
when to apply heat application?
- when ordered
- when you know how to use it
- when not too hot
What are cold applications
- often used to treat sprains, fracture, fever.
What do cold applications do to the body?
- reduce pain
- prevent swelling
- decrease circulation and bleeding
- cool the body when fever is present
- blood vessels constrict resulting in decreased blood flow to the area and less oxygen and fewer nutrients being carried to the tissue
- reduces bleeding
- reduced bruising
- relieve pain
when to apply cold applications?
- immediately after injury
What complications can result by cold application?
- tissue damage
- frostbite
- pain
- burns
- blisters
- ## cyanosis
What is cancer?
a group of diseases characterized by out of control cell division and growth which can occur in many body systems
what is a tumour?
a new growth of abnormal cells. can be benign or malignant
what is benign?
noncancerous
- grow slowly
- contained to one area
- do not usually cause death
what is malignant?
cancerous
- grow rapidly
- invade other tissues and affect several body systems
- cause death
what is metastasis?
is the spread of cancer to other body parts.
what are the causes of cancer?
- a family history of cancer
- smoking
- alcohol abuse
- high fat, high calorie, low fiber diet
- exposure to radiation (including the sun)
- exposure to certain chemicals (carcinogenic, or cancer-causing agents)
- hormones
- viruses
What are the treatments for cancer?
- depends on type of tumour, location, and size and if its spread
- cure the cancer
- keep the cancer from spreading
- slow the cancers growth
- relieve symptoms caused by cancer
what are the most common cancer treatments?
- surgery: to remove localized tumours
- radiation: destroys living and cancer cells and is used for treating localized cancers
- chemotherapy: involves powerful drugs that enter the bloodstream where they can target and kill cancer cells throughout the body. affects normal and cancer cells.
side effects of radiation:
- discomfort
- nausea
- vomiting
- loss of appetite (anorexia)
- fatigue (tiredness)
- diarrhea
- skin breakdown
side effects of chemotherapy:
- irritated digestive tract
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- inflammation of the mouth (stomatitis)
- hair loss (alopecia)
- tire easily
- risk for bruising, bleeding, infection
what are the warning signs for cancer?
- new or unusual lump
- sore that does not heal
- changes in a mole or wart
- nagging cough, harseness, croaky voice
- difficulty swallowing
- blood in urine, stool, or phlegm
- unusual bleeding or discharge from the vagina or nipple
- changes in bladder habits such as pain or difficulty urinating
- persistent indigestion
- constipation/diarrhea that lasts more than a few weeks
- unexplained aches and pains
- new growth on the skin or patches of skin that bleed, itch, or become red.
- unexplained weight loss, fever, or fatigue
How to support a client in their home living with cancer?
- provide control over or pain relief
- ensure adequate rest and exercise
- provide fluids and good nutrition
- prevent skin breakdown
- prevent bowel elimination issues
- manage the adverse effects of radiation therapy and chemotherapy
- provide emotional support
where are the common cancer sites?
- lungs
- breasts
- prostate
- colon
- rectum
- uterus
- urinary tract
- skin
Skin cancer:
- develops in the epidermis
- develops in places most commonly exposed to the sun
- lesions that are multicolored, asymmetrical, more than 6 mm in diameter, itchy, changes in texture, oozing, or bleeding
- malignant melanoma
- squamous cell carcinoma
- basal cell carcinoma
what are some attitude’s about death?
- change as person grows older and with changing circumstances
- most die in facilities
- differ among cultures and religions
- belief in afterlife, some not
- belief in rebirth
- strengthened religious beliefs when dying
age related changes in children aged 3-5
- curious about death
- may recognize death
- think death is temporary
- might blame themselves or see death as a punishment
age related sttitudes in children aged 5-7
- know death if final but dont know it can happen to them as well
- ideas come from environment, tv, movies, etc.
- answer honestly, dont be afraid to tell a child someone has died
attidues toward death and dying adult
- fear pain and suffering, dying alone, losing dignity, lonliness
- worry about those left behind
- some have regrets, unfulfilled hopes
attitudes toward death and dying older people
- less fears
- most have experience of death of loved ones
- some welcome death
- some want to discuss their wishes
- might fear dying alone
what is caregiver grief?
- team members experience stages of grief
- can be diffucult and emotional
- examine your feelings about loss and grief
- know where to go for support
Dr. Elizabeth kubler-ross psychological stages of death
Stage one: denial
- no not me
Stage two: anger
- why me
Stage three: bargaining
- yes me but..
stage four: depression
- yes me, and is very sad
stage five: acceptance
- calm and at peace
- dying persons do not always pass through all give stages and some might move back and forth between stages
dying client needs:
- listen, use touch, be respectful
dying client physical needs:
- independence to extent possible
- basic needs are met
- efforts made to promote physical and psychological comfort
- allowed to die in peace and with dignity
- dying persons vision blurs and fails
- hearing is last function to go
- speech becomes harder
- mouth/nose care is important
- circulation fails, body temp rises
- skin feels cool, pale, it mottled,
- provide skin care
- incontinence may occur
-constipation and urinary retention are common
caring for a dying clients physical needs, to do:
- comfort and positioning
- pain relief drugs
- vision and eye care
- hearing and speech
- mouth, nostril, skin care
- elimination and nutrition
- provide comfortable and pleasant room
How to comfort a dying persons family
- be available, courteous, empathetic, and considerate
- provide comfort
- respect privacy
- support, understand,
what is palliative care?
- an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illnesses.
what are the main goals of hospice
- controlling pain and symptom
- ensure death is a natural process
- provide compassionate care
signs of approaching death:
- movement and sensation gradually lost
- confined to bed
- social withdrawal
- dietary intake decreases
- primordial reflexes disapear
- bp falls, peripheral circulation slows
- pulse becomes irregular, weak, or thready
- skin may be cyanosed, gray, pale, mottled, cool
- respirations may be laboured - noisy “Death rattle”
- hearing last sense to go
signs of imminent death
- lose consciousness
- mental confusion
- see visions before death
- breathing slows
- cheyne stokes respirations with apnea
- respirations cease,
- facial muscles, jaw, relax, lower jaw drops, ear lobes fall
preparing your resume:
- 1-2 pages
- experience
- education
- objective
- profile
- interests
what is a chronological resume
- highlights employment history
what is a functional resume
- highlights skills or functions and briefly lists positions held
