Communication Barriers in Nursing

Patient Forgetfulness


Previously working in a nursing home, I have had the experience of caring for many elderly patients. I sincerely loved my job, but with every job comes challenges. One challenge I came across frequently is "forgetfulness". I often found myself explaining things to some of the patients repetitively.

As a part-time employee in the nursing home, I had different routines than the nurse who worked full-time. I can recall a time during bedtime medication routine, when a particular patient, whom I already gave pills to, insisted he hadn't had them yet. I had given this patient his pills much earlier than he was accustomed to, not aware of his routine. The patient was upset and it took a fair bit of explaining when and where he had his pills to help him remember.

In a profession of teamwork, we must learn to work through things with our fellow colleagues together. In this situation, to improve or prevent re-occurrence I worked together with the full-time nurse to establish particular medication times for each patient.