Confused Seniors: Any suggestions?

[NextGen]

I work night shift on a busy med-surg unit. Often, our senior patients get confused at night. These are patients who are not diagnosed with Alzhemier's or dementia and are not confused during the day shift.

Does anyone have creative solutions that have worked on how to handle these patients without restraining them or medicating them?

Like a lot of you, we rarely have anyone who can sit with the person all night.

Thanks in advance,

NextGenRN

[CountryMomma, ASN, RN]

We offer towels to fold, kerlix to roll back up, cards to play solitaire, and often have folks out for coffee and cookies at the station.

[Extra Pickles]

I was going to say what CountryMamma said! When I worked night shift it seemed that all the patients who no one said was ever confused managed to get very confused by the time I got there! Sometimes we could bring a patient who was a fall risk out to the nursing station, set them in a chair and give a big stack of unfolded washcloths to fold. Tell them they were a big help, like that, and take away each stack they finished (and then unfold them, bring them back)!

I remember one sweet little thing who was very happy to sort several decks of cards into separate piles, sometimes we'd tell her we needed all the reds and blacks separated, and sometimes we needed them all separated by suit. She was busy and we didn't lose track of her :)