照顧路上的我們

Take Care of the Needed on the Way of Life

隨著台灣高齡化社會的來臨，政府持續推動各項長照政策，除協助失智症患者本人，亦減輕失智症家庭及照顧者的壓力。然而，除相對應的長照政策及制度外，在我們的環境中，有一群默默付出耕耘的照顧者，不僅是家屬的好夥伴，亦是守護整個台灣社會的重要支柱，他／她便是我們的外籍看護人員。因此，當外籍看護被納入失智症長者照顧的一環，如能對失智症病情有所瞭解，勢必能在照護失智症長輩上有所裨益。
本篇筆者將介紹自身服務的彰化基督教醫院的單位：精神醫學部門診、神經醫學部失智共照中心、精神醫學部病房等處所接觸到的工作人員於二零二零年十月至二零二二年三月期間提供寶貴的服務經驗分享，探討當失智症的家屬頻繁接收到失智症患者反映外籍看護不適任的負面訊息，是否盡如患者所述為外籍看護表現不佳？亦或者是其中有不為人知的苦衷？透過醫護論述與分享之故事，可發現增強外籍看護疾病認知與照顧技巧衛教，確實可有效協調家庭成員與外籍看護之間的不信任感，提供患者良好品質的照顧，盼能藉由本篇分享，達到患者、家屬、外籍看護及醫療合作照護下效益的最大化效果。

With the advent of an aging society in Taiwan, the government does best to promote various long-term care policies, which are good for the dementia patients as well as alleviate the pressure on the families and caregivers of dementia patients. In addition, a group of caregivers silently devoted themselves, i.e. foreign caregivers, are not only considerate companions for their families, but also play an important role to take care of the needed in Taiwan society. Therefore, if foreign caregivers can be included into one of care sources to the elderly with dementia in Taiwan and get more knowledge and skill in dementia care, the elderly with dementia will definitely benefit a lot from these foreign caregivers.
In this article, the author collected the working experiences shared from the professionals serving at the outpatient clinic and wards of the psychiatric department and the dementia co-care center of the neurology department in Changhua Christian Hospital from Oct. 2020 to Mar. 2022. When the family members of dementia patients frequently received negative messages from dementia patients reflecting the incompetence of foreign caregivers, the research explored the fact whether the foreign caregivers were really performing poorly as described by the patients or there were any unknown reasons. Through the description and stories shared from the professionals, it could be found that to enhance foreign caregivers' disease awareness and training in care skills, can indeed effectively coordinate the mistrust between family members and foreign caregivers, and provide patients with high-quality care. These sharing experiences can help maximize healthcare benefits among dementia patients, family members and foreign caregivers.