Neurological Disorders: How to Provide Care
Gain the skills and confidence to provide care for people with neurological diseases as a family caregiver or health professional, from UEA School of Health Sciences.
Duration
4 weeks
Weekly study
2 hours
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Whether you’re a qualified nurse who has not previously worked in neurology, a health care assistant, volunteer, or a family caregiver, the challenge of providing care for people with long-term neurological disorders can be daunting.
This four-week course is designed to help take away the concerns over not understanding enough about the diagnosis and help you feel confident to provide the right type of care.
You’ll explore common anxieties associated with a caregiver role and learn how to overcome them including dealing with ethical dilemmas, defusing aggressive behaviour, and navigating difficult discussions such as end-of-life conversations.
You’ll also learn skills such as how to communicate reassuringly and how to help with activities of living such as washing and dressing, eating and drinking, and managing continence.
You’ll increase your understanding of the diagnosis of a degenerative neurological disorder by exploring the fundamentals of brain anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology.
This course has been developed as a collaborative project between the University of East Anglia School of Health Sciences, and the World Federation of Neuroscience Nurses to help you embrace this dignified, valued, and crucial work with a level of confidence.
The Neurological Council of Western Australia is a not-for-profit supporting people with neurological symptoms or conditions across a vast state, to ensure equity of access and the best possible health and functional outcomes. |
In this first week, we will consider how an understanding of anatomy and physiology of the brain , and of its pathophysiology relates to experiences of living with neurological disorders.
Topic one introduces you to some fundamental aspects of physiology and pathophysiology of the brain (that is how it works when functioning well and what can go wrong as parts are affected by various neurological disorders).
Learn here from a team struggling to agree on how best to provide safety and comfort for a patient. Hear also about how to meet challenges involving refusal of interventions intended to ensure safety and comfort.
This topic focusses on how to understand problems with mobilising and how best to assist people who live with movement disorder as a result of a long-term neurological condition.
Every week we will consider 3 conditions that you are likely to come across. This week we are looking at Dystonia, Cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease.
How does the brain keep us breathing? Which brain areas enable speech and understand of language? How are people damaged in those areas affected? What can we do to help? These are all aspects addressed in this topic.
Learn problems many people with neurological conditions experience relating to eating and drinking. Appreciate ethical dilemmas that professionals may encounter and how to balance respect and choice with safety and accountability
Problems with self-management of continence impact negatively on self-esteem and dignity. Practical social, physical and psychological harm can result. Learn here how to help maximise independence and minimise adverse effects.
Each week we turn the spotlight on three conditions. This week it is the turn of Alzheimer's, motor neurone disease and haemorrhagic stroke. At the end of your reading, check your understanding by taking the quiz.
What makes life worth living? Needing to live in a long-term care facility because of a neurological problem should not mark the end of what matters to you and gives you a sense of purpose. This topic addresses this challenge.
Neurological disease can impact physically, emotionally and socially on sexuality. This topic is designed to help you address difficulties that many patients and professionals regard as taboo even in this 21st century.
Good comfortable sleep makes the day easier. Topic Nine addresses sleep problems experienced by people with neurological conditions, and ways to enhance sleep.
Each week we turn the spotlight on three conditions. This week it is the turn of ischaemic stroke, vascular dementia and epilepsy. At the end of your reading, check your understanding by taking the quiz.
Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and psychosis often occur among people living with neurological disorders. Topic ten considers promotion of good mental health and ways to relieve distress.
This topic considers ways to prepare people with a long-term neurological condition practically and psychologically for the end of life. Collaborating with planning and the delivery of care are considered.
Supporting people with neurological conditions to make autonomous decisions sometimes seems at odd with our duty of care. This final topic explores ways to responsibly manage risk-taking to foster individuality.
In this final week we turn the spotlight on three more conditions, looking at peripheral neuropathy, Huntington’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. At the end of your reading, check your understanding by taking the quiz.
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