Sing
On our peds inpatient service we have several TBI/anoxic brain injury and CP kids. They are waiting on placement in long term facilities because there are lots of kids and very few places that can provide the level of care they need. So they are often with us for a while.
And every morning when I pre-round on mine, I sing to them. My grandpa sang “the good morning song” to my Dad who sang it to me and now I sing it to Snowdrop and my patients. And then I have silly made up individual songs for all the brain injury kids. I ask them about how they are feeling about the economy and we have a little conversation while I examine them every morning. Apparently the nurses think it is hilarious because I have a truly horrible singing voice.
We got a new trach/gtube dependent TBI kid from the surgical service and yesterday morning I met their mom for the first time. I was singing to the kid and asking them how they were feeling and if they liked their dinner and stuff like that. She said to me, “You know they can’t hear you.” And I said, “I know. They’re still a person.” It made me really sad.
Sing to your patients, folks, talk to them.
Even if they can’t hear you.
❤️❤️❤️
I play them their favorite artist during their baths. I had a trach/peg with MS totally dependent. I found out he loved Led Zeppelin. I almost cried when I heard him sing over his trach & tried to bob his head to the music. There was shit everywhere because he was incontinent but it was worth it to see him happy for a few minutes ❤️️
I talk with my CP kids too even if they don’t know what I’m saying. I’ll compliment their hair or something they’re wearing sometimes I’ll get a smile back (though who knows why they’re smiling) I’ll give them little nicknames based on the snippets of their personality I see trying to shine through their disability. CP kids are some of my favorite pediatric patients.
Gonna try this with my patients on MICU in the coming months!
I did this with my nursing home patents. I made up songs and even sang some of their favorites. My patients have all passed now but to this day their families still love me.
I had a patient who was 41 and had a brain injury. She was immobile and non vocal but I talked to her all the time and would sing to her daily. Everyone told me I was crazy and wasting time because she couldn't hear me. One day I walked in the room and tripped over something. I'm super clumsy but I looked up and she was smiling. Not able to talk but was smiling so big! You tell me she didn't know what was going on?
