Before I was a psychiatric nurse I sat a lot of 1:1 suicide watch, but also a lot with people who were very sick and had a lot of tubes in various preexisting and created orifices. All of those tubes can be very uncomfortable, and even if the person logically knows they will recover and need the tubes to do that, they have to be constantly reminded to leave them alone. LOTS of people rip out their own urine catheters and even breathing tubes, and the anchor bulbs can make a very bloody mess on their way out.
When communicating with such people I often wished we both knew sign language fully, but I did know some basics I would teach to patients over the course of a shift. I highly recommend everyone knows
water/drink
toilet (PLUS piss/shit since they might help you differently for either one)
pain/hurt
food/eat
vomit/puke
These’ll take you thirty minutes to learn today and if you’re strung up in an ICU someday it might make hell an inch less hellish. Communication boards where you point to the letter can help a whole lot, but when you gotta shit you gotta shit!
My kid is just under a year, and has a few spoken words like ball, momma, book, but he can actually communicate intention with sign language. When he looks you dead in the eye and gives the milk sign, its obvious what he wants. He knows all done, more, food, drink, milk, dog, flower, bird, and maybe a few more, but he uses all done, more, milk, and drink the most. It’s really crazy how much faster he picked up signing.
That said, we’re not good at sign language at all, just learned it for the baby specifically. Highly recommend.
I’ve wanted to know sign language just to make it easier to communicate in loud spaces or with someone on the other side of the room. Your motivations are even better though.
Sign language.
Before I was a psychiatric nurse I sat a lot of 1:1 suicide watch, but also a lot with people who were very sick and had a lot of tubes in various preexisting and created orifices. All of those tubes can be very uncomfortable, and even if the person logically knows they will recover and need the tubes to do that, they have to be constantly reminded to leave them alone. LOTS of people rip out their own urine catheters and even breathing tubes, and the anchor bulbs can make a very bloody mess on their way out.
When communicating with such people I often wished we both knew sign language fully, but I did know some basics I would teach to patients over the course of a shift. I highly recommend everyone knows
These’ll take you thirty minutes to learn today and if you’re strung up in an ICU someday it might make hell an inch less hellish. Communication boards where you point to the letter can help a whole lot, but when you gotta shit you gotta shit!
I’d love to properly learn sign language too! I have two basic phrases and that’s it.
Apparently babies pick it up quicker than spoken language too which can really help with communication issues when they’re toddlers.
My kid is just under a year, and has a few spoken words like ball, momma, book, but he can actually communicate intention with sign language. When he looks you dead in the eye and gives the milk sign, its obvious what he wants. He knows all done, more, food, drink, milk, dog, flower, bird, and maybe a few more, but he uses all done, more, milk, and drink the most. It’s really crazy how much faster he picked up signing.
That said, we’re not good at sign language at all, just learned it for the baby specifically. Highly recommend.
I’ve wanted to know sign language just to make it easier to communicate in loud spaces or with someone on the other side of the room. Your motivations are even better though.