patient education for the obtunded, non-responsive, dying patient?

[sdshoemaker]

My patient has severe dementia, is obtunded, non-repsonsive and on her death bed, and I have to come up with patient education for her. She also has no family. How do you provided patient education to someone who can't respond to you and will most likely die within a few days?

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

Talking to her about what you are doing, about to do, meds given IV, OG or NG etc is pt education. Turning her and telling her why is education, one does not have to respond in order for it to be understood or counted as education provided.. You can still talk to her as if she could hear and understand.

I talk to all my pts. The vented and sedated pts, the comatose pts, the brain dead/injured pt.. Doesn't matter, I still talk to them.

[sdshoemaker]

Thank you, I appreciate your perspective on this. I hadn't thought about it that way.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

you could also find yourself educating the cna or the visitor or the chaplain or someone else about your observations and interventions, if there's no family. otherwise, i like sun0408's answer.

[sdshoemaker]

Thanks! That was very helpful!