People with brain damage require special attention and careful care in night care due to impairment of their physical and cognitive functions. Good night care not only contributes to the physical recovery of patients, but also improves the quality of their sleep and facilitates the overall rehabilitation process.
First, the creation of an appropriate sleep environment is the basis for night care. The bedrooms are kept quiet, dark and cool, using curtains to block outside light, soundproofing or using ear plugs to reduce noise interference. It is also important to have the right temperature and humidity, which is controlled at 20 – 25 degrees Celsius and appropriate at between 40 – 60 per cent. The choice of comfortable mattresses and pillows for the patient ensures that he/she has good physical support in his/her sleep and reduces physical discomfort.
Prior to sleeping, regular pre-sleep routines help patients to relax and prepare for sleep. For example, one or two hours before sleeping, the patient can be bathed in warm water to help relax his muscles, clean his skin and promote blood circulation. Patients are then arranged for some quiet activities, such as listening to music, reading easy books or conducting simple relaxing meditation exercises. Avoid exposure to stimulating television programmes, video games or violent discussions before sleeping, so as not to provoke emotion and affect sleep.
In terms of diet, dinner should not be saturated or too late to cause gastrointestinal stress and sleep. Some chroma-rich foods, such as milk, millet, bananas, can be provided, and chroma acids can facilitate brain synthesis of melanol and help to regulate sleep. At the same time, care needs to be taken to control the amount of water available to patients at night and to reduce the number of times they get up and urinate at night, but it is not possible to dehydrate the patient because of excessive restrictions on drinking water.
At night, close observation of the vital signs of the patient is a crucial link. Regularly measure the temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and frequency of breathing of patients, especially for patients with more serious or unstable conditions. Attention is paid to whether the respiratory rhythm of the patient is even, and whether there are signs of respiratory suspension or respiratory difficulties. If abnormal signs of life of the patient are detected, such as excessive temperature, sharp increase or decrease in blood pressure, ulterior rate or slowness of heart, they should be recorded in a timely manner and the doctor informed for treatment.
People with brain impairments may suffer from cognitive disorders or loss of cognitive function, which requires increased observation of the patient ‘ s state of consciousness by the caregiver at night. The patient ‘ s name is regularly called and his or her response is observed, including eye contact, physical or verbal response. Note whether the patient is in a state of irritation, prevarication or increased coma, which may be signs of change. If the patient is wearing an internal pressure monitoring device, he/she is to follow closely the changes in the internal pressure value of the skull, and if the internal pressure rises, he/she must take immediate measures, such as adjusting the patient ‘ s position and complying with medical instructions for dehydration.
In the case of patients with physical impairments, care is taken at night to prevent the occurrence of scabies and spasms. A person turns over on time, normally every 2 – 3 hours, and can use a pent-up or air mattress to relieve local body stress. When turning over, care should be taken to protect the patient ‘ s joints and limbs and to avoid damage caused by excessive pull. At the same time, passive body activity, such as stretching joints, massage muscles, etc., promotes blood circulation and prevents muscle atrophy and joint rigidity.
Some patients with brain damage may have epilepsy, especially in night sleep. Caregivers should be provided with first aid drugs and equipment by the bed, such as gelatin injection fluids, mouth-openers, tongue-pressure boards, etc. In the event of signs of epilepsy, such as sudden physical convulsions, closed teeth and plating at the mouth, immediate measures should be taken to protect the patient ‘ s safety, to tilt his head to the side, to prevent vomiting from being misinspired, to prevent the patient from biting his tongue with a pressor or mouth-opener, and to notify the doctor for urgent treatment.
In addition, persons with brain damage may suffer sleep disorders at night due to physical discomfort or psychological problems. If it is difficult for the patient to sleep or to wake up frequently, the caregiver is to be patiently appeased and to understand the cause, such as pain, itching, anxiety, etc. In the case of pain patients, appropriate painkillers may be given at the instruction of the doctor; in the case of anxiety patients, psychological counselling, relaxation of training or the giving of sedatives as prescribed by the doctor can be used to alleviate their emotions and help them to fall back to sleep.
Night care for persons with brain damage is a delicate and difficult task requiring a high level of responsibility and expertise on the part of the caregiver. By creating a good sleep environment, closely observing vital signs and state of consciousness, preventing complications and dealing with sudden-onset situations, the full range of night care guarantees for persons with brain impairments to be provided with adequate rest and recovery at night, providing a good basis for rehabilitation training and treatment the following day.
The brain damage in the kitchen.
