Have you ever felt overwhelmed by numerous changes happening at once?  During the past few months, my life has been a blur of non-stop transitions.  Outside of work, I found a new apartment, packed up my belongings, moved into the new place and raced around to get a passport for an upcoming family wedding in England. And, on the job, I dealt with my usual hectic schedule of working full-time as a CNA and volunteering at an Alzheimer’s facility. Midway through all the craziness, I realized that my anxiety level was soaring.  I was stressed out, losing sleep and eating poorly.

This got me thinking about my residents and all the changes they have to face:  the high turnover rate of caregivers and management; changes in medications; a variety of different doctors; frequent visits with occupational and physical therapists…all of these add up to a steady stream of new faces and new instructions.  I realized that my residents live in a perpetual state of transition.  Suddenly, my two months of sudden changes—over which I had input and control—paled in comparison to what my residents experience. When I put it in perspective, I appreciated how truly brave these folks are!

Let’s face it. No one LOVES change. It means uncertainty and that’s always a little scary. However, for people who are patients in our healthcare system, many changes occur that are beyond their control.  How difficult it must be to be so powerless over what happens in their lives!

On a typical day, it’s easy to feel frustrated when my residents don’t go with the flow.  Why does Mrs. J. insist on refusing her shower just because it was moved back a few hours?  And, does Mr. M. really need to freak out and stop eating just because he has a new order for a mechanical soft diet? On the surface, these seem like such small, simple changes.  But now I think about how stressed I felt dealing with a lot of change at once and it gives me a new outlook on my residents.  It is not those small changes that are so distressing to them. It is what they represent: loss of control and the need to adjust, yet again.

For those of us who chose careers in health care, it’s important to be mindful of the impact that all of these changes and transitions have on each resident/patient.  The stress of frequent changes can affect emotional stability, mental acuity and physical health.  My own recent life experience drove this point home!

So, as time consuming as it may seem, I think that sitting down and having an open conversation with our folks about why these changes are taking place is a good place to start.  We may not be able to stop the constant flux of changes for them, but we CAN help them transition more smoothly from one to the other. We CAN be as consistent as possible. We CAN be patient, understanding and empathetic, careful to always remember that they are individuals dealing with the stresses of their lives the very best way they can.