Journal Topic and Instruction
My nursing assistant online class teacher gave us the following instruction for our journaling. . .
Think about, then write about any of the following, or choose your own comments related to the topic of restraints and restraint alternatives.
Imagine yourself as a resident, who have very limited communication ability. Try to imagine a situation in which the staff has placed you in some wrist restraints because you have an IV line in your arm and have pulled it out twice. Imagine that you want to do something or reach something and cannot.
Describe the make believe scenario, what you want to get or do, how you make your needs known, what happens next, and how you feel.
Please keep in mind that we cannot restrain residents’ movement or environment in any way.
Journal Entry: My Knee Accident and Splint Restraint
Here’s my journal entry below. . .
Right after I graduated from high school I hurt my left knee.
I came down on our stairway and I forgot that I removed the last rung earlier because it was already wobbly. My knee hit the 2 nails and started bleeding.
My neighbors thought that I could no longer walk because they thought my patella was out. But thankfully my patella was safe.
Actually, it’s a myth that one could no longer walk if the patella is gone. My husband had his patella shattered when he was hit by a trailer. After the accident, when he got healed he was able to walk fine.
I was taken to the hospital and they sutured my wound. I stayed in the hospital for a while. After 2 days my wound reopened because I unknowingly bent my knee while I was asleep.
The doctor’s remedy was to put a splint behind my knee to keep it from bending.
While I was at the hospital, I walked with a crutch and with a splint behind my left knee. It was really hard to walk with one knee able to bend and the other knee all straight.
When I needed to go to the bathroom, I didn’t wait until the last minute so that I could make it on time.
At the hospital there was no call light when I needed help. I just waited when a nurse or a nurse aide would come in to check the patients.
I was using the crutch for almost 9 months. My wound took a while to get healed. My doctor thought that I was a diabetic. They checked my blood sugar level but it was in a normal range.
If one is in a restraint, it’s hard to do things that you want to do. And it can be a frustrating to the other members of the family after a while of helping the one who is restrained.
