Final Entry

This placement has been an immensely rewarding experience for me. Although I had a setback with illness in the second week, I was able to contact the personnel and get the documentation necessary to help me focus on my health and not put anyone else at risk. There was the increased pressure on my return that I was unable to miss any more time so I was extra cautious with hygiene and my energy levels.

Working in gerontology rehabilitation feels like a different style of physiotherapy is required. The healing process is longer and there are many more co-morbidities to take into consideration. Nothing can be rushed. The physiotherapist needs to be involved in communication with the patient, with the surgeons, doctors and other health professionals, as well as family members in order to give effective treatment.

Assessment needs to be narrowed down to specific functional tasks and pre-admission function clearly understood as a starting point to rehabilitate the patient. Full assessments may not be practical and even though the student may want to go through every objective measure, the patients were not usually capable before admission and therefore it is not necessary.

Professional behavior is essential as patients and their families are expecting a certain level of care. At a time when loved ones are in medical crisis there is potential to be caught up in emotional situations that require the highest professionalism. The physiotherapist needs to develop a rapport with the patients but when there is a large case load these interactions need to be succinct and relevant so as to keep clear professional boundaries and remain time efficient. The limit of your knowledge has to be made clear and any questions referred to the relevant health professionals.

Safety, safety, safety. When everything else is taken into account, at the end of the day we were treating elderly patients that were a high fall risk. Footwear, walking aids, mobility boards and clear communication were the name of the game. DO NO HARM. It was unfortunate that a patient did fall while in rehabilitation for a hip replacement the day before discharge, which set her back by one month. Every precaution was taken and these events can happen, but must be minimized.

Before the placement I was overly concerned with time management but the routine of the job becomes ingrained quickly and the importance of the work means that you cannot afford to run late, or be tired or carry stress from home. The patients need you to be focused. The other staff members rely on your commitment. Anything that shows a lack of team dedication will show through and the work will become overwhelming.

Looking back at my initial entry I can see how shallow my thoughts extended into the actual workings of a gerontology placement. I am pleased that once I had taken control of my time management I was able to have an extremely rewarding experience and be viewed as a useful and reliable member in the rehabilitation team.