Pre HELP Assignment

Delirium usually begins over a few hours to a few days. Delirium is not the same as dementia which has a slow progressive onset. Delirium often happens in the hospital where patients are bed bound and in a new environment that may be upsetting or confusing to them. Medications, infection, sleep deprivation, malnutrition, pain, stroke, and heart attack are some causes of delirium that are commonly seen in the hospital. Delirium can present as reduced environmental awareness, such as being distracted or not responding to the environment. You also might see disorientation, poor memory, difficulty speaking, hallucinations, and restlessness. Delirium also includes disturbed sleep habits, fear, depression, and mood and personality changes. 

I experienced caring for a patient with delirium at clinical this year. The nurses described this patient’s delirium as “waxing and waning”. This patient went from being oriented to where they were and asking questions about their care to being very restless and distracted, not knowing where they were, and having trouble speaking. After this patient had an episode of delirium they returned to their baseline neurological status a few hours later, so it was interesting to see that shift.

            One learning goal I have for this experience is to get better at recognizing signs of delirium since that will help me to provide better care for the patients. The next learning goal I have for this experience is to become more comfortable working with patients who are experiencing delirium, as this is not something I have a lot of experience in. I am a little bit nervous for this experience since I have only seen a few patients experience delirium so far. However, I do feel ready to work with patients in a bit of a different setting than clinical, and still provide them with good care. A few community support networks for the aging population that I am aware of include senior centers, and meal delivery programs.