Client Information

Client Information
Client Information
Review the following case study and complete the questions that follow. Submit your completed paper to Blackboard using the assignment link.
As a public health nurse at a free clinic, you are assessing and interviewing a 21-year-old woman who has come to the clinic because she doesn’t have any energy and hasn’t felt good in weeks. During the interview, you learn that she averages one meal per day, smokes up to two packs of cigarettes per day, and rummages through trash to find items she can sell to purchase food, snacks, and cigarettes. She admits to using street drugs every once in a while when she can find someone who will share with her. She admits her life is a mess and she doesn’t know how to make it better.
· What data can you gather based on available client information?
· What questions should you ask yourself while interviewing this client?
· During planning, how can you, as the nurse, best assist this client?
· What are the potential strategies that would assist the client to a “better” life?
Your paper should be 2 pages in length, in APA format, typed in Times New Roman with 12-point font, and double-spaced with 1” margins. If outside sources are used, they must be cited appropriately.
At-home practice can be influenced by cognitive deficits, the severity of a disorder, family engagement, resource availability, and physical or mental health.
Understanding how people are motivated can help speech-language pathologists.
Intrinsically, extrinsically, or only when the sensation is right, people can be motivated.
Learning about different sorts of motivation provided me with a fresh viewpoint that influenced my work.
Many more clients are successfully transferring skills learned in sessions to their home situation.
Although motivational tactics differ depending on the individual, here are ten that I have found to be very successful.
1. Make use of a planner.
I like to spend a portion of the session with the patient making a rough weekly itinerary—we write down commitments like appointments and transit time, for example—and then schedule “to-do” list items like schoolwork.
This exercise also encourages patients to consider what day, time, and duration of practice they have at home.
2. Establish attainable objectives.
SMART goals can assist your patient in determining whether or not they are capable of completing the homework.
“This week, I’ll work on my SLP assignment three times for 20 minutes each session,” for example.
Goal achievement scaling is another way.
Create a worksheet for patients to use to apply this paradigm, from goal-setting to self-evaluation.
3. Explain your reasoning.
Understanding why people do what they do can be really motivating.
(Can you tell me why I should do this?
Why should I be concerned?)
For some clients, a simple talk may suffice, while others prefer to undertake their own research.
I recall handing one of my patients a memory article.
He returned the next session with a binder full of articles!
Connecting homework to a person’s treatment goals also helps to explain why it’s important to them.
Finally, I encourage patients to keep a notepad where they can express their own rationale.
They’ll be able to refer to it in the future if they need a boost of motivation.
4. Establish a system of accountability.
Many people are motivated by external pressure if intrinsic motivation isn’t functioning.
For these types of clients, try making sessions more accountable.
One patient I worked with told his sibling when he planned to do schoolwork and when he finished it.
He got going when he realized that someone else was waiting to hear from him.
5. Keep track of your development.
Measuring progress serves two purposes: it compares current and previous performance and it establishes accountability.
I occasionally employ paper-based approaches for tracking progress with patients—to-do lists, planners, and writing down SMART goals—but technology also makes it simple to keep track of accomplishments.
There are numerous applications and apps available to assist with homework management, as well as apps that can measure performance.
6. Connect new habits to old habits.
Encourage the patient to associate a new behavior, such as doing homework, with an old one.
One patient, for example, had a morning cleaning ritual.
She also discovered that she works best in a clean atmosphere, so she began doing her assignments right after she finished her cleaning regimen.
7. Determine the ideal working environment.
Being surrounding by other people who are also working can motivate some people.
Increased carryover may be encouraged in places like a communal workstation, library, or coffee shop.
Others are hesitant to repeat what others have done.
These clients are probably more productive at home or in a public setting, such as a park, where people aren’t usually working.
8. Include incentives.
Request that your patient think of an enjoyable activity that they can do while doing their assignments.
They can, for example, watch TV, go on a walk, read a book, or have a cup of coffee.
9. Make changes to the homework.
Some people feel suffocated by rules.
When you reframe their duties as “homework-in-progress,” these clients may feel relaxed.
If a practice activity isn’t too stiff and you’re willing to change it, clients are more likely to attempt it.
I usually have them try two or three times before changing it if it doesn’t work.
10. Set a timer for yourself.
Getting started is frequently the most difficult part.
A timer can be an excellent motivator.
One patient, for example, would set a timer for 10 minutes with the mindset of “I’ll work for 10 minutes and then stop if I’m still not inspired.”
She was usually in the zone and motivated to keep going when the timer went off.