Throughout the gerontology course I have learned through the lifebook project and through classroom instruction the importance of therapeutic reminiscence as a tool that we can use as nurses with our patients. It can be so helpful emotionally for a patient to think through their lives and remember how things were. It provides them with the opportunity to feel emotions that they have not experienced in a long time which proves to be cathartic through them. Learning about therapeutic reminiscence has also made me continue to realize the importance of being present with the patient for as long as you can, like really truly being present with them, looking them in the eye and listening to what they have to say. It makes them feel heard, validated and like a human being in the robotic healthcare systems of today. It could also be part of your assessment to gain a more clear history of the patient’s story and why they came in. Being present with the patient and really listening to them can also help you to gain insight into their personality and state of mental well being.

Another component of class that I thought was helpful was the SANE presentation also on elder abuse. This was helpful because I primarily will be working with an adult and geriatric patient population so it will be important for me to be aware of abuse and sexual assault signs so that I can report these instances to the proper authorities if I suspect abuse. Polly Cambell said that the first step in recognizing abuse is to be aware that it is happening and have a general idea of the signs or if parts of the story do not match up to what is physiologically occurring with the patient. 

I found the pharmacology portion of the class with Dr. Springer to be helpful as we got to look at the Beers Criteria, getting a glimpse into what our job concerns when it comes to medication reconciliation will look like.