Hey-O Nursing Beat Friends!
Throughout the years I’ve been a nurse, I have found that taking care of my mental health is as important as taking care of my physical health. When one is out of sync with the other, my entire being is affected. Meditation is one of the best things I’ve found to help with my mental health. (We’ve got one in the Daily Diversion today!) So here are a few interesting facts about meditation for your Two-for-Tuesday!
🧘Research has estimated that between 200 and 500 million people meditate around the world.
🧘In the United States, about 14% of Americans report meditating at least once.
Be well,
Kel M.
Managing Editor of TNB
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Mental Health LPN Arrested, Charged with Abuse, Neglect
Christina Mendoza, a 44-year-old LPN, has been charged with at least counts of child abuse and criminal negligence involving 19 patients at the Nevada mental health facility where she worked. Mendoza worked at Never Give Up in Amargosa Valley until April 20th, when police arrested her at work following an investigation that began in August 2021. The charges include child abuse, abuse of a vulnerable person, criminal neglect, and conspiracy to commit abuse of a vulnerable person, according to News3.
Among the complaints of Mendoza’s alleged activities are that she used chemical restraints on children without telling their parents, ignored a patient’s strict dietary needs, and failed to report other staff members’ abuse of patients. She also refused care for a patient’s broken toe for a month—when protective services became involved—and then kept the patient isolated for two months in her room until she turned 18.
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Nursing Students’ Flower Arrangement Project Teaches Clinical Skills, Critical Thinking, and Compassion
Several assessment tools can help healthcare workers learn about patients’ needs, but nursing students at York College of Pennsylvania have discovered a creative way to supplement those tools with an activity that not only provides insights into patients’ care needs but also lifts their spirits. Nursing instructor Rachael Lattanzio designed a project where students help WellSpan Health medical-surgical patients create a flower arrangement or write a note for a friend. York florist, The Strawberry Shop, donated tulips, daffodils, irises, and greens for the project.
As students helped patients cut and arrange the flowers, at least one formerly unresponsive patient became interested in participating, and students learned to listen to patients and observe subtle signs related to their clinical progress while developing critical thinking skills and compassion. One student, for example, noticed weakness on a patient’s left side that led to tweaking their treatment regimen.
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Pennsylvania Lawmakers Set to Prohibit Harm Reduction Sites
Pennsylvania legislators will soon vote on a bill that would outlaw supervised injection site centers, a harm reduction strategy that research has shown reduces overdose deaths, ambulance calls for overdoses and HIV infections. STAT News reports that the bill, which prohibits “sites that
‘knowingly’ provide a space for drug consumption,” passed a committee vote last week and is expected to pass in the full state senate in an upcoming vote.
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has opposed supervised injection sites in the past and is expected to sign the legislation, which harm reduction advocates say would be a setback for public health. According to a systematic review of the evidence in 2021, supervised injection sites improve access to care for people with substance use disorders without increasing crime or public nuisance to the community. Other research has found an association between reduced crime and nuisance.
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LAVENDER HEALTH'S PICKS 🌼
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If you’re looking for a unique stackable storage system that’s small yet leakproof for your next trip, look no further than the Cadence capsule containers. What’s even cooler is that these sustainable pods are made from 20% recycled plastic that has been removed from the ocean!
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Cellular Level Electroceuticals
Perusing the interwebs recently, I found some shockingly good research about electroceuticals. Electroceuticals (think pacemakers or deep-brain stimulators) have been used to assist the body in expressing or suppressing a given function. Until recently, these devices needed to be surgically
implanted. Engineers at MIT have published research in an ingestible capsule that delivers an electrical current to the specified cells. In their research, the pill, which is about the size of a large vitamin, uses electrical current to stimulate the production of ghrelin, a hormone that promotes hunger. The researchers believe that the pill could be used to treat a variety of conditions related to appetite, including anorexia, cancer, and obesity. They are currently working to develop a version of the pill
that can be used in humans; in the study, the pill was well-tolerated by the animals, with no adverse side effects. “Watt,” can I say? I’m quite “amped” about the news!
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DAILY DIVERSION 💊
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A wealth of research has found that mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety and depression while also improving blood pressure, sleep, and possibly even pain relief. So how do you get started? First, check out this YouTube video on “20-Minute Mindfulness Meditation for Being Present,” a guided meditation that offers a great introduction to the practice.
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The percentage of nurses who don’t know what mental health benefits their facility offers. Among those who do know, none of the most common benefits they’re aware of is anything nurses say they would find most beneficial, such as a gym or yoga membership or more flexible scheduling.
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