There is really nothing wrong with that behavior. If she likes sitting on the floor, so be it. I think your approaches are great. The biggest problem is that if you do not see her sit down, you probably need to assume the worst--that she fell. You should state this clearly in your RAP notes and also in your care plan. One approach we have used--and it certainly does not work for everyone, is to use a Merry Walker. We have had dementia residents with hx of sitting where there is no chair and hurt themselves. She may be too high functioning for this device--or maybe she would climb out!!!
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 2:47 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Behavior Disturbance CP Help Needed Hey All, I need some help care planning a resident who randomly sits down on the floor. She has Alz. dementia, is on meds and seen by psyche services for her symptoms of the dementia. She's been observed sitting down on the floor verses falling by staff. It's a potential problem for her if she does so unsafely, but we can't curb the behavior. Best thought is to care plan it as a behavior disturbance with a goal of her sitting down without injury. We looked at monitoring her location to keep her in view, monitored her for signs she was going to sit down so we could assist her, gave her a length of time to be on the floor with supervision, provided for rest periods to prevent fatigue with unsafe sitting, asked our psyche folks to help interventions and follow-up, encouraged her to participate in Activity programs to distract her from the behavior and documenting it when it occurs. Do you all have any other ideas to contribute or insights/experiences that would be helpful? Thanks muchly! Susann Irwin, RN MDS Coordinator North Carolina �8^ � 2,C��.�Ȩ�j躘�i��zǫ�' ��ax ��' /---------------------------------------------------------- The Case Mix Discussion Group is a free service of the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators "Committed to the Assessment Professional" Be sure to visit the AANAC website. Accurate answers to your questions posted to NAC News and FAQs. For more info visit us at http://www.aanac.org -----------------------------------------------------------/
