How do you best support the mental well-being of a recovering trauma patient?
Don’t be afraid of using alternate methods. Meditation, active listening, coloring, essential oils, etc can all help a patient achieve calm. Ask them if anything has worked well for them in the past.
And here are my three “go-to” bullet points: trust, control/validation, and advocacy
1) Be honest, never lie or try to cover or sugar coat the truth. Trauma makes it hard to trust anything or anyone. They need to know you are their ally
2) Give them control. Let them decide. What do they want to eat? Do they need reading material? Coloring supplies? Give them choices, especially about their care, and honor their decisions. If they don’t want to take a certain medication, don’t push it on them. If they learn that they really need it, they will come to the decision themselves. And it won’t have to damage your rapport.
3) Advocate for them. If they voice a need or you see a need that ought to be met, fight for it. Call the doctor for orders. Coordinate care with other disciplines. Organize a way for them to shower Orr go outside for minute with supervision.
If you work for a robust mature hospital they have Social workers and Case managers to assist with those issues connecting the patient with rich resources for ongoing care/therapy post discharge.
Supporting the well-being of the patient’s family yields an immeasurable degree of hope and grace! When I was a RN my family had this experience after Covid landed me in an ICU, ventilated for five days, hospitalized for two weeks, and in a rehab hospital for two more weeks. The support that held her grace without measure was the nursing staff. Medical staff was preparing her for the worst which never lighted a foot within our dominion. Long story short, after ten days in ICU, I was sent to rehab for what was to be an eight week recovery. The support of family and my will had me out of rehab in two weeks. BTW, went into rehab on a gurney and walked out! It will be a battle. My family motto has always been “the fearful never start, the weak fall along the way, but the risk takers make the difference”!
Supporting the well-being of the patient’s family yields an immeasurable degree of hope and grace! When I was a RN my family had this experience after Covid landed me in an ICU, ventilated for five days, hospitalized for two weeks, and in a rehab hospital for two more weeks. The support that held her grace without measure was the nursing staff. Medical staff was preparing her for the worst which never lighted a foot within our dominion. Long story short, after ten days in ICU, I was sent to rehab for what was to be an eight week recovery. The support of family and my will had me out of rehab in two weeks. BTW, went into rehab on a gurney and walked out! It will be a battle. My family motto has always been “the fearful never start, the weak fall along the way, but the risk takers make the difference”!
offering chaplain services for mental health therapy session of supporting emotions of caregiving mentally. If there is a supernatural induced of mental health issues, then maybe like art classes for an educational nursing class for patients would be awesome and have a holiday work-study of employees and patients christmas parties with movie nights including a gorment food for dietary services.
offering food services and there being a food stationary with a cafe
Best support comes pending the level of the traumatic situation of that person . It is affected
Emotionally , physically , cognitive , lack of self stem after the event . Fear to move on? . Etc. etc,,,
We need to identify first the problem .. them
Provide the needed support . Exploration of his, her feeling …and to help moving on to look forward
Not backward …Life is MOTION , keep moving on!!
