Page 4 - LG Spring Newsletter 2023
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4 LANSDOWNE NEWS, SPRING 2023
Health & Wellbeing
Improving Resident Wellbeing with Holistic Nurses
There’s plenty of discussion about the need for to improve wellbeing, with pain medication offered
nursing staff in aged care right now, and it’s if holistic measure are ineffective.
entirely valid. But whilst there’s no doubting the Holistic Nurses also focus on hydration or residents’
additional demand for qualified nurses to deliver eating habits, particularly in cases where an
medical care to residents around the clock, there’s individual may refuse to eat, sharing their
another nursing function which is incredibly techniques with care staff to deliver better long-
important…but often overlooked. term outcomes – for staff and residents.
Holistic nursing. By taking the time to delve into a resident’s personal
Cranbrook Care added the new role of Holistic Nurse background, Holistic Nurses may discover insights
to our care team at Lansdowne Gardens earlier this which can encourage improve emotional wellbeing
year, and the impact has significant, and inspiring. by engaging a resident’s interests and inspiring them
Pain isn’t always physical nor acute in nature. Pain to participate more in the activities on offer. For
can stem from emotional distress leading to instance, a Holistic Nurse may encourage a
agitation and distress. It can stem from chronic wheelchair-bound resident who once enjoyed
conditions. It can result from diminishing physical dancing to clap her hands or tap her feet to her
strength and fitness. And that’s where Holistic favourite music; or may accompany a resident who
Nursing comes in. enjoyed gardening on a tour of the garden to smell
and admire flowers and discover the different plants
Holistic Nurses play an incredibly valuable role
in the landscape, or the pair may sit together and
helping residents manage pain and supporting their look at photographs of plants and flowers to
overall wellbeing, whist freeing up time for stimulate memory and re-ignite a passion.
Registered Nursing and care staff. Currently, we have
a Holistic Nurse available at every residence Yes, these may sound like small things, but the
particularly at identified times of heightened need impact can be huge.
and potential distress, such as the late afternoon. Looking ahead, we plan to further upskill our Holistic
Whether offering therapeutic massage, heat Nurses in areas including massage, palliative care,
therapies, managing pain medications, facilitating and behavioural and emotional support. By investing
strengthening exercise programs, or spending one- in improving residents’ wellbeing without
on-one time with residents, our Holistic Nurses have automatically reaching for additional medication, we
proved to be a wonderful asset to our residents and are genuinely supporting their overall health and
our broader care teams. quality of life. And there’s nothing more important.
Holistic Nurses initially take a non-pharmacological Of course, as a new program, there will no doubt be
approach, tailoring treatment to each resident’s changes as we progress, but in the meantime, we
condition, and using techniques such as therapeutic are proud to support the overall wellbeing of our
massage, heat therapy, exercise, and companionship residents by expanding our teams to set a new
industry benchmark for clinical excellence and care.
