Reading Skills for Healthcare Workers

Mr. Kent recently came to live at the Greenhills Care Center. His mind is very active, but he has severe rheumatoid arthritis, which makes moving difficult. Shortly after his arrival, Denise, a nursing assistant, was walking down the hallway outside his door. She heard a loud, male voice with a nasty tone, demanding Mr. Kent sign a power of attorney for his bank accounts. The man went on to threaten Mr. Kent by saying that if Mr. Kent didn’t sign the power of attorney, no one would come visit him, and he would die alone.

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As Denise went to enter Mr. Kent’s room, a young man pushed his way past her. She noticed that Mr. Kent’s eyes had tears in them. She asked him who his visitor was and if everything was okay. He told her that it was his grandson and that his grandson didn’t mean what he said.

The incident continued to bother Denise as she went on with her duties. Later, she saw others visiting Mr. Kent and thought about talking to them, but she knew that it was not appropriate and could possibly violate Mr. Kent’s privacy. She did, however, make an appointment with the social worker to discuss the situation. The social worker assured Denise that she would talk to Mr. Kent and see if he needed any help.

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Two days later, the same young man was in Mr. Kent’s room when Denise entered, but this time, he was not yelling at his grandfather. This time, his grandfather was sternly telling him that he couldn’t and shouldn’t threaten him. Denise felt proud of Mr. Kent and relieved that maybe things would be better.