https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/it-really-says-life-isnt-a-game/3761934/ FATHERHOOD has allowed James Hoffman to grow a lot. The patience, the adaptability; these traits have steeled him well in his position as a care support officer at Mackay Base Hospital. Care support officers deal with patients who suffer from dementia and other cognitive impairments. At times, these patients can have challenging or violent behaviour. For Mr Hoffman, being able to focus on the patient as a person rather than a condition has made a telling impact on him. The proof is in the pudding: it has positive impacts on those suffering from dementia too. The job can be far from glamorous at times. But while it can often be confronting to see people in such distress, Mr Hoffman said the patients had helped him as much as he had them. "Seeing someone on a daily basis not be able to live their life how they want because of these communication difficulties and cognitive deficiencies is really hard,” he said. "Seeing the wives and families come in, and you're watching them go through the motions of it all is really confronting as well. "Now as a father, it does make me think if I was to ever end up in that situation what can I do now to prepare for that, and prepare my daughters and wife for that? "You definitely do have those thoughts, but the biggest thing I find from the clients is how much they inspire me. The lives they have lived and the things they have done, it really says life isn't a game.” A proud moment for Mr Hoffman was in dealing with a former tradesman. As the patient's condition worsened, he became increasingly unable to communicate how he was feeling or what his needs were.
Initially situated in a busy ward, the hustle made the patient's position too difficult to bear. Without the hands-on activities he was used to prior to his condition, the patient grew increasingly agitated. The staff moved him and worked alongside him to ensure he was provided with an outlet to get his hands dirty. Mr Hoffman said it was about making sure the life these patients carry with them, even in their condition, continues. He said it was important to address each individual as a person rather than a condition. "He was constantly being told not to touch that, and he started to become quite vicious - as you or I would - just trying to work. What we did was enabled his passion to fix things and moved him into an environment where he could,” Mr Hoffman said. "We moved him to a better location and his levels of reactive medications dropped to zero ... (and) he was actually able to be a lot more expressive then, because he had less bad monkeys on his back. "I think the biggest hurdle has been being able to alternate between multiple clients and be who they need you to be, rather than to simply be you.” Joining Mr Hoffman in the role is Eddie Samoa, who joined him as a pioneer of the initiative in April 2017. Every day he is braced for a new atmosphere, but the reward is seeing patients light up as he approaches them. "They seem to recognise your face when they see you, and it's rewarding to know they know you,” Mr Samoa said. "You know each patient, we can be with a patient for a long time so we know what's upsetting them. "They mood swing a lot so you're always mentally prepared for what you're going to step into.” Decline in violence despite increased reporting THE nurturing environment the care support officers have been able to provide has reaped benefits, not just for patients but the staff at Mackay Base Hospital as well. Since the role was introduced, the number of occasions where security has had to intervene to stop a violent incident has plummeted from an average of 20 a month to four. Care support officers are part of the hospital's security services team, and have worked in Medical Ward F0 since July 2017. Since May 2018, there have been no violent acts towards staff in the ward. This success has been recognised by expanding their work to another ward in the hospital to target incidences around the hospital where staff safety may be more of a concern. Mackay Hospital and Health Services chief executive Jo Whitehead said staff were encouraged to report incidents to allow the hospital to capture a more accurate picture of workplace aggression. She said the increased reporting showed more aggressive conduct, but not necessarily an increase in physical violence. From July 1, 2018 to the end of March 2019, Ms Whitehead said there had been 358 acts of aggression reported by staff in MHHS, with the majority being verbal abuse. This was comparable to 246 for the 2017-18 financial year. "This increase in reporting shows us where the hotspots are and allows us to target resources and training,” Ms Whitehead said. "There is a big focus on early identification of patients and visitors who may become aggressive and stepping in to de-escalate their behaviour. "It is far better to intervene early to prevent an assault than to react when one has occurred.” Hospital staff have been provided with other measures to enhance the support they have in workplace safety. Body cameras are worn as a deterrent to bad behaviour and record video evidence should an incident occur. Staff are trained to identify and de-escalate violent situations, and MHHS has an occupational violence committee that meets monthly to review cases and see what steps, if any, can be taken to prevent similar incidents.
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January 2020
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