Changing an Ostomy Appliance Steps To Follow to Change an Appliance Wash hands, put on gloves, gather equipment and supplies, wash clothes, barrier supplies, etc. Empty, remove, and discard the old appliance. Clean around the stoma and inspect for skin breakdown. Get clean gloves to measure the stoma. You want the barrier you cut […]
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Three Ways to Perform Surgery The most common type of feeding tube is the gastrostomy (G) tube. A surgeon places a G-tube through the abdominal wall into the stomach. There are three options for G-tube surgery:1. Inserting the G-tube surgically through small incisions using a laparoscope.2. Insert the G-tube using a larger open incision through
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Inserting an NG Tube Help your family member to sit up or raise the head of their bed to at least 30 degrees. Place protective towels around them if the insertion process stimulates their gag reflex and they vomit or spit up. Choose which nostril to use by evaluating for tenderness, previous injury, or the
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Caregivers suffer from two syndromes that indicate they need some personal attention. One is called “Compassion Fatigue” and the other “Caregiver Burnout.” Running at Full Throttle I like word pictures, so here’s one for you. Think of a boat. You have a caregiver running full throttle hitting waves head-on, staying the course for hours on
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By Donna Steigleder I’m going to be brutally honest with you as I tell my story. I went from a nice person everyone liked to someone I didn’t even like due to burnout. Pay Attention, so it doesn’t happen to YOU. I Love My Husband, but I’m Tired I love my husband, but caregiving wears me
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Recognize the signs of caregiver burnout, and when you do, ask for help from those around you. The support you need is a chance to get away from caregiving as the “Lone Ranger” for a while. Therefore, try to get away for a day or two or at least to share your caregiver
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Monitoring Vital Signs and Understanding the Respiratory Rate The purpose of the respiratory system is to bring in fresh oxygen and eliminate discarded carbon dioxide. If too much oxygen or carbon dioxide is in the system, the individual may show signs of confusion or mental health changes. Signs may include agitation, increased sleepiness, anxiety,
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Monitoring Vital Signs and Understanding the Pulse One of the blood’s primary functions is to carry oxygen to all body parts and remove waste products on the way back. If blood is not circulating, oxygen is not delivered where it needs to go. As a result, the body’s organs are not receiving the essential oxygen necessary
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Monitoring Vital Signs and Understanding Core Body Temperature Most people consider the average body temperature to be 98.6oF (37oC). Normal, however, is a range throughout the day based on your activity and can also be influenced by things like menstrual and sleep cycles. As a result, healthy adults’ normal body temperatures may fluctuate by
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Monitoring Your Vital Signs and Understanding Your Blood Pressure Your blood pressure has two numbers: Systolic blood pressure (top number)- The top number of the blood pressure represents the amount of pressure the heart needs to push blood out of the heart against the artery walls’ resistance when the heart beats. Diastolic blood pressure
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Monitoring Your Metabolism Metabolism is how we convert food into energy and use that energy to make the body function properly. That process is essentially a chemical one and occurs through a series of organs doing their part to mechanically break down the food and chemically decompose it into energy. If our organs don’t work
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CBC – Complete Blood Count A Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most common tests ordered. The test’s purpose is to check the count of all the cells in your blood and identify how many are present. A CBC includes a count of the red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin,
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