DESCRIPTION

After a week of practice, I was asked to help the

residents eat. So at the beginning I fed a person with
Parkinson's who has difficulty swallowing and has a very
bent position in the wheelchair and this makes it even
harder for her to swallow. But one day at lunch when I
helped her eat, I thought that if I sing her the Viennese
waltz, she will hear sounds and raise her head to look for
the sound. That's how it was when I was feeding she, I
would start humming and then he would raise her head
to look for the sound and that way she would swallow
more easily.
I'm usually left alone to help a resident to help them eat,
so I'm not ashamed to put my idea of singing into
practice. That way I also got a smile and the lady eats
more easily. I wouldn't have wanted anyone to come at
that time because otherwise I don't think I would have
hummed anymore.
2. FEELINGS
The first time I had to help this lady eat, I was shaking
and had a lot of emotions. I thought she would drown,
that he wouldn't be able to swallow, that I was giving her
too much food in a spoon. Then when I started to help
her being alone in the room with her, I was more relaxed
and I tried to improve the eating process. I tickled her
cheek to open her mouth, I smiled to get her attention
and that's how I gained confidence that I can
communicate with body language and when I had the
idea to sing to her, she was 60% confident that it would
work to straighten her spine so she could swallow
better.
At this moment, I feel that I have confidence in my own
strength, but that I need courage to put my therapeutic
adaptation ideas under the observation of others. Many
times the feeling of not making mistakes overwhelms
me.
3.EVALUATION
I think that in this situation, I did the right thing because I
made the resident raise her head and straighten her
spine in order to swallow the food better. I'm glad that
she was receptive and responded to the auditory
stimulus. I interacted visually and received a response,
which is very good. I think that through this experience I
gave a good idea to the other girls who are willing to try
as well when they help other people to eat.
4.Analysis
I think the situation went well because I knew how to
stand in front of her, to be in the visual field, because the
auditory, visual and tactile functions are still working, so
she was capable of receptivity. I think that this situation
can be found in many people who have this problem and
opening the epiglottis through different tricks like this,
can make swallowing easier and at the same time can
improve breathing during swallowing, which leads to a
much better transit.
5. CONCLUSION
From this experience I learned that through careful
observation and knowledge of Parkinson's disease you
can find adaptive methods to help people with this
disease to live more easily.
6. ACTION PLANS
if I were in the same situation, I would try to place more
visual and auditory stimuli intermittently at the level at
which she raises his head. That is, I would place a radio
on a higher table or I would place a light painting on the
wall at head level and open it when it is time for dinner.
In order for these objects to be purchased, I would
explain the incident to the occupational therapist and
ask her to talk to the owners and explain to them the
advantages of having a radio or a light board at the time
of feeding.