Mother Goose Mindset
Hello, everyone! I wanted to post this thought of mind that has been bugging me for the past few days and today was just the tipping point. Am I crazy for being too overprotective of my residents?
For context, I am a PTA and have been working for a year now in a SNF and it has its ups and downs (11 max pt a day, very flexible scheduling, understanding A/DOR, mix of complex/easy residents). As per protocol, our goal is to reach for maximum potential = independence. I am a very perfectionist therapist to make sure this path to independence is smooth and all or most areas are covered to attain this. The downside to this mindset is holding off on progression until I feel 100% with my residents (such as on/off unit walking, 2WW to SPC/no AD) and I do the most such as inservices to staff to make sure my residents dont fall.
So far I have not heard any negative feedback from my DOR. It just so happens lately that my new coworkers are getting praised for doing those process fast. True, we all have different patients and treatment styles. I just cant help but compare my methods to others, and I try to see it as a learning lesson for me to improve myself but I can’t help but compare and criticize myself.
Today, I just had a discussion with a resident that doing car transfers may not be feasible as he has decreased standing tolerance with notable arthritis on L knee leading to buckles (and 3 falls in the past 6 months, eventually leading to fall down the stairs and requiring cervical surgery with consequent BUE weakness). He wants to attend his wife’s birthday party next weekend hence opening this can of worms (he was understanding when he had the discussion). I did consider a slideboard transfer but it seemed too ambitious cause I am afraid he might just slip and there’s no room for me or the other assists to catch/assist him. I do have so say he is pretty much CGA with w/c to bed slideboard however its different with cars. I discussed this with the COTA about my side and he listened however during his session, they tried the transfer without me using the mat to replicate the car (parallel and higher). I can’t help but think if I just blatantly gave my resident no hope and I felt really bad and left out. This is the same COTA who I previously worked with an amputee who I was carefully transitioning to a SBQC on my own. He apparently did gait training with him as well, behind my back, and the pt fell and I was just flabbergasted by everything. Anyway, everything boiled down to me thinking if I am just too protective of my residents.
TL/DR: I am a very overprotective PTA of my SNF residents and despite meaning well to achieve independence, sometimes I am holding myself and possibly my residents back. A COTA went behind my back (multiple times) to the things I was being cautious of and it made me question my confidence as a therapist.