Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

Title:  Blog 11: Holiday Project Update
Label: Research
Due Date:   January 6, 2014 by 8AM

Content:

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?

 
Of course it is important to continue on what I have started in my Senior Project. I have taken advantage of my winter vacation to start on my Independent Component hours by volunteering at Glendora Grand Nursing Home as part of the Activities Program. In this program, I help set up the games or activities that are offer to the elderly in the home. Usually some of these "games" is mostly craft time, movie time, yoga, and especially Bingo. I would describe my job to be helpful and make sure each patient's request is been fulfilled when it comes to asking for a snack to a beverage and to show them a joyful time in the Activity Hall. My work in this facility has given me a chance to have hands on experiences to communicate, interact with actually patients. I was able to ask them question about their experiences when it comes to medication.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

In the Activity Program, there isn't much to do, fix, clean, or resupplies. Of course I work, but mostly I observe the patients. There are times I go through the entire facility with my Activity Director, to gather a few supplies, and my eyes get a glimpse on certain patients who live in this home. There are some who enjoys the place, but there are some who are certain they really want to leave this so-call "Prison". Maybe that's why the Activity Program do their best to bring in a little light onto these patients. I even heard that some patients don't even leave their room due their depressant stage and some of the activity employees would visit in their rooms to keep them company. In my project, I focus on Patient Compliance that occurs in the Pharmacy, but comparing the idea of "Not-taking-meds" I have been taught by a different story in the Nursing Home. For all patients, they have the right to reject their medications and suffer through the consequences even in the Nursing Home. The place where you pay the company to take care of your elder love ones, will still have the free will to not take the medication and the nurses cannot take in force. Which means, more money is "flushed down the toilet" due to more wasted medications. I asked a Licensed Vocational Nurse about her job when it comes to medication. The LVN told me that Nurses cannot bring force when it comes to a rejection of medication, they do follow the require task to convince the patient 3 times before confirming a final decision. She told me that most problem is not only faced towards the "Noncompliance patients", but occurs to "Compliance patients" as well. I learned from her that some patients who have taken their medication consistently will suddenly have a change of prescription due to early shipment of a brand new supplies, which means the only medication they have been taken and are not expired will be immediately thrown away and start on the new brand of medication. A memento to remember that all patients are different when it comes to taking medication, some want, don't want, think it doesn't work, or just find it useless to take everyday for their unknown illness, but it is the patient's choice on how he or she wants to live their medical life. When it comes to a noncompliant, hiring a medical professional for your elder relative will not help him or her to take their medication correctly, not even by force.

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

If I was going to do a 10 question interview based on my answers of my EQ, I would want to talk to a Pharmacist who works in a Open-Pharmacy Clinic. As you see, I been working with two mentors who only worked in a Closed-Pharmacy which means that they do not interact with patients, "just only calls from angry nurses",  a joke that my mentor once told me. I admit, I haven't had any experiences from a Open-Pharmacy. " Is it stressful?, Time consuming?, Busy?, or Slow?" I would want to know on the idea thoughts that a Open-Pharmacy Pharmacist have about Patient Compliance especially he or she have been working face-to-face with patients everyday except Sundays.