Their shoes

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       I am living with my grandfather, who is eighty-five-years-old. I love him and respect him with all my heart. However, sometimes, I am frustrated when I repeat the same information multiple times. One day, I helped him set-up a WhatsApp account on his phone. The app was easy; each step required only one click to progress to the next step; however, he kept asking me questions during the process, which made me angry. I accidentally raised my voice, and he walked away. I did not understand how hard it is for him to keep up with technology. While working as a nurse in my clinical rotation in nursing school, I learned that a nurse's role is not only caring about the physical aspect but also the mental aspect of patients. I used to think that nursing is taking care of patients, making patients feel better, and smiling with patients; however, that is only the superficial aspect of nursing professionals. I learned more about myself and developed compassion and empathy for patients who are in the most vulnerable moment without assumption or judgment. The lesson that I learned is how to develop compassion for patients, especially the geriatric population, by putting myself in their shoes. I learned this through Nursing Theory (NURS 212), which taught me how compassion could improve quality of care, and my work on Dr. Cynthia Corbett’s research project, which allowed me to practice my compassion toward the geriatric population.

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       Through Nursing Theory (NURS 212), I learned about compassion theory that I do not always understand what other people feel or what they have been through, so it is important always to keep a non-judgmental perspective with patients. In this course, I was given a scenario to develop a treatment plan for an older adult with dementia. This patient had numerous falls while in the hospital and, as a result, experienced numerous fractures. In the scenario, I just walked into his room and witnessed him, once again, trying to get out of bed without assistance. My assignment was to make a decision that could potentially hurt the patient’s feelings but improve his safety. I call for a doctor to report the fall, and he ordered an enclosed bed for this patient. With this unique type of bed, the patient cannot get out of bed; I discussed it with the patient’s son, and he disagreed with the intervention because he knows his father has claustrophobia. However, if I put him in the enclosed bed, he will not have any more injuries. What should I do to make it right? After thinking and thinking, I realized that I am not a person who can make this decision. I also learned that things are not always black and white in nursing to make the clear cut when I think about the best way to care for my patients, especially older adult patients, because I do not know how the patient feels when he is put in the enclosed bed. Because of this assignment, I learned to put myself into my patients’ shoes to understand how they feel and what is best for them. If I do not have compassion for my patients, it is impossible to provide high-quality care and connect with them. I recognized how much I put my id into my judgment, which could hurt people around me and potentially hurt my future patients’ feelings. Combining with Nursing Care for Older Adults (NURS 313), I learned more about the senior population’s limitations and the aging process and how hard it is to learn new things and adapt to change. I feel guilty about how I treated my grandfather, so I went back home and apologized for what I did; after that, I feel closer to my grandfather. Therefore, I developed compassion and empathy toward the geriatric population, which is usually neglected or underrecognized. 

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       I want to improve the quality of life for older adults, and one way to do that is through research. I expressed my interest in research about the geriatric population to my professor. As a result, I met Dr. Cynthia Corbett, director of the Advancing Chronic Care Outcomes through Research and Innovation (ACORNs) Center, and became her undergraduate research assistant, studying how Alexa can support the geriatric population's quality of life. This experience allowed me to understand older adults’ limitations and how they feel. I always try to be mindful of what I say and my facial expressions when I am around my grandfather. I am growing and developing compassion for people around me by putting myself in their shoes to understand how they feel. This mindset helps me to work with the older adults, who are participants in my research, through short conversations. Compassion allows me to understand their fear and their concern about the risks of falling. Therefore, I decided to research more about how to reduce fall risks. Under the mentoring of Dr. Corbett and the ACORNs Center research team, this research became beyond my classroom experience during my senior year. My responsibilities as an undergraduate research assistant are to collect data and meet with the participants. I believe what I learned in the class is left just on the paper if I do not have opportunities to practice it. My knowledge has come alive through my research, becoming part of my practice and who I am. 

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       Overall, learning about compassion theory during NURS 212 and understanding the limitations of older adults in NURS 312 helps me better understand the senior population, allowing me to increase my empathy toward the people surrounding me. Through my research, I have been able to bring compassion theory to communication with older adults and understand their fear during the aging process. Through my NURS 212 and my research experience under the mentoring of Dr. Corbett, I learned that developing empathy is essential for healthcare providers in treating patients with dignity and honoring their value even though that could go against a healthcare provider’s personal beliefs. Additionally, I have already begun to practice this learning as I become closer to older adults and have more compassion for them.