My Wyrd Life In 100 Objects : 2 – Psychiatric Hospital Care Plan

In January 2002, at fifteen years old, I was admitted into a children’s psychiatric hospital with anorexia. I weighed around 36 kilos and was to be nursed on constant bed rest. I had a fifteen-minute slot to get washed and dressed. Other than that, I was forced to stay in bed. If I needed to go to the bathroom, a nurse would take me there in a wheelchair. If I wanted a shower, a nurse had to be in the bathroom with me. This care plan is the only one I still have (I think I destroyed all the others) and was written five months after my admittance into the hospital when I’d gained enough weight to be able to come off bed rest. The hospital team reviewed the care plan every week and altered it based on how much weight I’d gained or lost. The care plan was always a subject of contention with fifteen-year-old me, and there was much-heated discussion about the parts I wasn’t happy with.

Date: 03.05.02

Problem statement: At present Katie weighs 38.5kgs and is no longer being nursed on bedrest.

Goal statement: For Katie to continue to increase her weight at an appropriate rate.

Date to be achieved by: Ongoing

Review Frequency: Weekly

1. Minimal activity to be encouraged by nursing staff.
2. Katie may have up to 15 minutes to attend to personal hygiene and dressing.
3. Katie’s blood pressure and pulse will be monitored daily lying.
4. Katie may prepare her meals accompanied by staff.
5. Katie may have 30 minutes to complete her meal.
6. Staff will supervise Katie during meals and rest periods and will prompt Katie to eat all her meal during the 30 minutes allowed. Staff to encourage Katie by reminding her of the positive benefits of finishing a meal.
7. Katie will have her rest periods in the lounge.
8. Katie’s dietary intake will be monitored and recorded.
9. Katie will be weighed twice weekly, once on Monday and once on Thursday.
10. Key nurse/nominated nurse to offer Katie individual time once per week, to allow Katie time and space to discuss her thoughts and feelings.
11. Staff to be vigilant at mealtimes in order to prevent Katie from secreting/disposing of food, Katie to be directly challenged only when staff have discovered Katie secreting/disposing of food.
12. Katie may have unsupervised showers/baths, for a period of no longer than 15 minutes.
13. Katie to access leave as agreed by the team in ward round.
14. Katie to access *school as agreed in ward round. (*School was at the hospital and involved things such as making stuffed animals and doing cross stich. I made a bear called Lars and a bat called Kurt. Go figure.)
15. Katie may have her evening *treat unsupervised. (*A cup of 40 calorie Options hot chocolate.)
16. Katie may have one escorted walk over to the *Londis shop each day or an appropriate alternative of similar activity level. (*Londis was over the road from the hospital and a walk there and back took under five minutes.)