Course content – PFLEGE-16

One step for you, one for your team, one good note

This page shows how to turn the ideas of the last pages into actions: a small plan for strain and a short care note. Your organisation’s procedures for records, confidentiality and support apply in every case.

Worked example: Ms Weber

Return to Ms Weber from the start of the module. A colleague, Mr Ali (fictitious), says after the shift: “You seem tired. Do you want a coffee?” She tells him about the death of the resident and that she feels empty. He listens. Together they go through the signs in Figure 12.1: poor sleep, dread of Mondays, cynicism and missing notes.

1. Name the signs. Ms Weber writes down what she noticed in the last month: waking at 4 a.m., irritability and unfinished records.
2. Pick one step for herself. She decides to keep her days off free of work messages and to walk for twenty minutes after the early shift.
3. Pick one step for the team. She asks the team leader for a short debrief about the resident who died, and for the next case discussion to cover the unit’s hardest evening hours.
4. Ask for help where it belongs. She mentions the rota and the number of residents per night shift to her manager and asks whether the organisation offers supervision or support for staff. The manager agrees to check.
5. Write one good note. She picks up her records again and writes an entry for a resident who calls out at 5 p.m.: “Calls ‘Mother, mother’ 5 to 5.30 p.m. in the lounge, hands on face. Sat beside her, held her hand, named her mother; calmer after 10 minutes. Try again.”

Notice what happened. Nothing was cured, and no one was blamed. Ms Weber moved from silent exhaustion to a small plan that used three levels (Figure 12.2). If her signs continue or become strong, the next step is to speak to her own doctor or the occupational health service, which is not a failure but good self-care.