Most families have an older relative who loves to tell stories and often you will hear the same story frequently. The stories are often a family history that gets handed down through the generations. Some of the stories may bring laughter and smiles to everyone’s faces, happy or funny memories. Other stories when told, will make you reflect and bring you heartache that might make you cry. In this discussion I will define reminiscence, talk about the significance of reminiscence to me, and discuss my thoughts on the See Me, Nurse Video, how I might incorporate changes in how I support the elderly with their reminiscing, and the difficulties in providing care to patients with different backgrounds than myself. …show more content…
I help staple the 85-year-old head laceration, or place a Foley catheter in the 78-year-old septic patient. The families come to the bedside and tell me I have to feed their mom because she didn’t eat yet today because they came to the emergency room instead of having lunch and they didn’t know coming to an ER would take so long. I feel a lot of shame for seeing the elderly as a task and not a person. There is a part in the video that talks about having an old body but feeling young on the inside and reminiscing about their memories is what helps make them feel young inside. When I practice in the ER and take care of the elderly patients that come from the nursing home or live by themselves with a visiting nurse, I will try to look closer at the patient. I will try to ask them questions such as, where did they meet their spouse and what were the favorite foods they enjoyed as a child. I will try to take the time and listen to the patient and not run off to the next …show more content…
In order to understand your own heritage you must reflect and reminisce yourself. When taking care of the elderly, having a knowledge of different culture and backgrounds is needed for competent and compassionate nursing care. You will be able to build a much more trusting relationship if you have a better understanding of cultural differences. As the nurse you must be a listener when communicating (Tabloski, 2014). When you help a patient reminisce you are giving them a sense of power and capability which in turn helps them gain positive feelings about themselves. Having a patient with a different background than you and helping them reminisce can combat the isolation and loneliness they might