Mental Health Nursing Essay

Case Study Report Jamelia I am so tired and drained. I feel as though my head is going to explode with all this pressure. You see I’ve been looking after my mother for a long time, she suffers from anxiety, the illness comes and goes, presenting itself periodically. Although I do worry about my mother I can usually deal with this, I have been for a long time but recently I’ve found myself worrying about my father as well. My father, usually a well presented and calm individual has been acting very strangely the past few weeks. I went round to visit my parents and check my mother was alright and he looked extremely unkempt, he looked as though he hadn’t shaved in a while, and he was wearing dirty clothes. I tried to keep things as light hearted as possible when I asked him why this was and out of nowhere he became extremely angry and defensive which is very unlike him. My mother has been telling me recently that she thinks he’s ‘losing his marbles’ as she puts it, but to be honest I just put this down to her own illness as this is often how it starts, my mother becomes worried about family members and friends when it’s really her who we need to worry about. I kind of put my father to the back of my mind for a few weeks and tried to concentrate on looking after my two children, which is a handful in itself, but then out of the blue at whatever time in the morning the phone rang, a police officer on the phone, she told me how my father had been found roaming around the street not an hour before, in his pyjamas no less. I was mortified, so angry at my father for his behaviour, but the police officer was very reassuring and advised me it might be a good idea to get in touch with my father’s GP, which I did and he put in a referral to the Community Psychiatric Nurse. I think he’s coming round during the week sometime to visit us. I honestly don’t know what else I can do, I am so stressed and run down by this whole thing I haven’t stopped crying, I just hope the CPN can do something to help, or at least give us some idea what the matter is so I can sleep at night. Community Psychiatric Nurse I received a referral from the GP recently asking for me to carry out an assessment on a Mr Hamed Khan who has been displaying behaviours that are a bit out of the ordinary, I also received a police report stating Mr Khan had been picked up for wandering around in his pyjamas in the early hours of the morning. There are many things that I have to rule out before I jump to the obvious conclusion which would be some kind of dementia, the rate at which I believe Mr Khan seems to have deteriorated at is staggering so if Mr Khan is suffering from dementia I would probably sway towards Lewy Body dementia, although, of course, I cannot make assumptions. I will wait until I meet with the family, i will ask them all questions, the majority will be aimed at Mr Khan to answer but I need to see it from everyone’s viewpoint and everyone will be entitled to join in any discussions we carry out providing Mr Khan is happy and willing for this to happen, then based on my observations and the answers i get from the family i will arrange some further tests to get a proper, medical diagnosis, if need be. Before i send Mr Khan for further assessment I will need to ensure a Urine Sample has been taken so we can rule out any kind of Urinary Tract Infection which could be the cause of any confusion Mr Khan has suffered from recently, this is quite often the case in older people they tend to get anxious and confused and this can, and often is mistaken for some kind of dementia. When I go out to visit the family i will ensure they are happy with having a male CPN, and I will meet all their requirements for this visit and all further visits, if necessary. Of course it won’t just be myself working to help the Khan family i will be just one member of a multi disciplinary team who will each have their own role in helping and supporting the Khan family. Sunita’s Needs Meeting Sunita’s needs is paramount in ensuring she is fulfilling her full potential. Sunita’s basic human needs have to be met. Sunita needs to feel loved, at the moment this may be lacking because everyone else is so worried about Hamed that Sunita may be being overlooked. Sunita needs to make sure she maintains her self-esteem, suffering from anxiety herself she needs to make sure she is looking after herself by making time for herself and not worrying about others too much. They say knowledge is power so it might empower Sunita if she was able to learn more about her anxiety, the causes, and all treatment options available so she can make a decision and choose how she would like to manage her illness. Sunita has the right to choose exactly what her own care plan will include, by getting involved in the whole process so it is geared to suit her as an individual and means she can still carry out activities she enjoys which can help her recovery. Hamed’s Needs No matter what the diagnosis Hamed’s needs are all very important, safety is extremely important particularly due to the night wandering and forgetfulness. Hamed needs to feel loved and respected as the head of the household regardless of his illness as this will help his self esteem, his appearance is an important part of this as well. As we have heard Hamed is normally well dressed and clean shaven, and we have to make sure this continues so Hamed still feels as normal as possible, a home carer may be an option to help Hamed get ready in the morning if he feels he would benefit from this. Every decision in relation to the care plan Hamed will be making himself as much as possible providing he is still able to do this and if not an advocate can be appointed, Hamed always has the right to choose. Hamed’s needs will be assessed using different tools of assessment, these could be shared activities, observations as well as meetings, using more than one method will ensure the care plan is as comprehensive as possible and meeting every need Hamed has, in a way he is happy with. Hamed’s physical needs will be met by encouraging him to continue doing physical activities he has enjoyed in the past. Socialising is a very important need, Hamed may be interested in going to a club or even attending a support group where he will meet and interact with people that he perhaps has something in common with. Stress factors for Jamelia There may be several different things which could be causing Jamelia to feel stressed. First of all she has to look after two young children with very little practical, hands on help from her husband. Jamelia also feels obligated to care for her mother when she is suffering from a bout of anxiety. Seeing someone you love and care for being distressed and worried is definitely going to be weighing on Jamelia’s mind. During the times when Sunita is unwell Jamelia is having to look after her mother as well as finding time to spend with her children which probably means Jamelia is feeling guilty, perhaps Jamelia feels she is neglecting her children because she has to look after her mother, all these conflicting emotions will cause a great deal of pressure on Jamelia. Even when Sunita is well, Jamelia has to deal with constant phone calls which may be waking her during the night, lack of sleep may be a contributing factor to the way Jamelia is feeling. As if this wasn’t enough for Jamelia to deal with she also now has to help with her father who is getting forgetful, confused and acting out of the ordinary. Hamed, who is normally a calm, strong man is changing in front of her eyes at an alarming rate, and is perhaps hard to recognise. Juggling so many things, Jamelia is probably not eating properly and not taking care of herself or making any time for herself. Support available for Jamelia, as a carer. There are many organisations out there who can offer practical and financial help to Jamelia as a carer. First of all Jamelia is entitled to a carer’s assessment. The law states that â€Å"anyone who provides or intends to provide a substantial amount of care on a regular basis can have a carer’s assessment. † A carers assessment will look at how Jamelia is affected by caring for her family, how much caring she can, practically, do while still having a life of her own, and having time for her children. There is also the option of getting someone else to care for Hamed and Sunita if and when Jamelia needs a break this can be in form of respite care, which comes in many different forms, for example, residential care where Hamed and Sunita can go for a short stay in a residential nursing home, as well as being good for Jamelia it could help meet the social side of Hamed and Sunita’s care plan as they will be meeting other people. There are day-sitting services which can be used for a couple of hours during the day, giving Jamelia a break, or a night- sitting service helping Jamelia get a proper night’s sleep. Financial help is available to help fund this particular help from local authorities and local councils in form of vouchers or direct payments. Word Count – 1675.