1.1 Explain the importance of a holistic approach to managing pain and discomfort. it is important to have a holistic approach to managing pain and discomfort as this is looking the situation as a whole, and how the ways of managing pain and discomfort could have an impact on the person’s life altogether. When you try to find out where the pain originates from this can help you to decide the best way to treat it. When you know the cause, you can resolve the problem more accurately. Pain maybe emotional pain if they are concerned about something, it may also be due to anxiety/ worry about what may happen to them.
1.2 Describe different approaches to alleviate pain and minimise discomfort.
Repositioning individuals and adjustments to bedding, heating, lighting or noise can also be a factor and the use of specialised mattresses such as air mattresses and equipment and pressure reducing aids can help to alleviate pain.
There are many options to minimise discomfort such as:
Doctors most often use conventional methods such as drugs. Physiotherapists rely on physical means of treatment such as; massages, electrical therapies, hot or cold packs and complementary therapists use methods such as: acupuncture, herbal medication, aromatherapy or chiropractic, relieving anxiety by talking to therapist.
1.3 Outline agreed ways of working that relate to managing pain and discomfort.
In my work place there are agreed ways of working in relation to assisting service users to manage their pain and discomfort. There are put in place a policies for a pain management, which give us an information of what can be done, and how to ensure that our work is done up to the standards, so the service user, their family are getting the best care as possible.
There are many methods to manage pain, the care plan needs to be created and focused on this person needs, a doctor and a trained staff needs to know what is agreed for the specific person, what medication/pain relief has been prescribed by a Doctor, what can be given to minimise the pain, etc. The care plan also needs to provide information for a care assistant about the practical measures such as a position changing to ensure that the pressure relieve is given, how often needs to be done, how many people is required, etc. All of that needs to be follow, as a greed way of working.
2.1 Describe how pain and discomfort may affect an individual’s wellbeing and communication.
Pain and discomfort may affect a service user’s wellbeing and their communication, so we need to look closely while working with any person who suffers from pain, it does not need to be a physical pain, but can be mental or emotional or maybe spiritual.
While in pain and discomfort the quality of life starts to be lower and lower, there can be seen problems with speaking, swallowing, chewing, tasting, smelling, sleeping, mobility, nutrition, etc. That all can transform service user enough to cause frustration and unreasonable behaviour in a person who is normally calm, it can also make them feel stressed, it can also lead to depression. Service user can become irritable and have a mood swings. Person can suffer from not been able to work and care for their family, and became reliable on others, which could affect their whole wellbeing.
It is very important then to provide an appropriate pain management to assure the dignity and wellbeing of service user and their quality of life, so they can still be independent and without a pain and discomfort.