One of my patients almost hit the floor.

I had seen this patient once before on this neuro placement. So I knew that she could be a little impulsive and that she had sitting balance but was unable to control her COM if her balance was challenged.

I was getting her ready to stand and walk. The patient was sitting on the edge of the bed with her feet on the floor. I was kneeling in front of her getting her footwear ready. I asked her to help me put on her shoes. She put her socks on ok, but she had some trouble with the shoes. In a flash she had tried to cross her legs over (to bring her feet closer to her) and had lost balance falling forwards. This required me to push her back onto the bed.

Apart from almost soiling my pants I think I handled this situation well. I was on the floor in front of her keeping a close eye on the patients’ movements and I was aware that this patient could act impulsively. I learnt from this situation that you can always be sure that patients will be unpredictable at times and that we need to be ready for anything when treating them and that we must always be in a position to control these unpredictable situations when they arise.