20 points possible ): 40 superior work W r i t i n g

or this paper, you will read a case study centered on patient-provider communication and react to it. You should bring in course concepts, theories, models, debates, etc. in your reaction paper, with a focus on the role that communication played in the case study example.

An example of what you could write about is: What do I think of the patient’s/caregiver’s/provider’s experiences? You may also want to tie the speaker’s presentation to your personal experience, such as: How does my personal experience either confirm or deny what the case presented?

These papers should be about 4-5 double-spaced pages in length (not including title page and references). You should include at least three sources/references in APA style. References should be cited in-text, as well as listed on a separate page.

Note: rather than summarizing what happened in the case study, try to focus on your own personal reaction to what was happening, given what you have learned in this class about effective patient-provider communication.

These papers should be about 4-5 double-spaced pages in length.

Here is the rubric that will be used:

Reaction papers will be graded using the following rubric (20 points possible):

40 Superior work that exceeds all expectations

36 Excellent work that meets all expectations

32 Good work that meets all expectations

29 Average work that meets most, but not all expectations

26 and below Work does not meet expectations

Case Study Reaction Papers – For these two (2) papers, you will read a case study centered on patient-provider communication and react to it. You should bring in course concepts, theories, models, debates, etc. in your reaction paper, with a focus on the role that communication played in the case study example. An example of what you could write about is: What do I think of the patient’s/caregiver’s/provider’s experiences? You may also want to tie the speaker’s presentation to your personal experience, such as: How does my personal experience either confirm or deny what the case presented? These papers should be about 4-5 double-spaced pages in length (not including title page and references). You should include no less than three sources/references in APA style. References should be listed on a separate page. The page is not included in the page count listed above. Note: rather than summarizing what happened in the case study, try to focus on your own personal reaction to what was happening, given what you have learned in this class about effective patient-provider communication.

Please read the posted illness narrative. As you read it, reflect on what you’ve learned in COM 311 so far, as well as your own and your family’s healthcare experiences. For your reaction paper, please use the follow questions to guide your response:

1. How important was communication in this story? How did it play a central role? What important course concepts, theories, models, etc. come to mind as you read this story? How/why?
2. What are two things the provider did well and what are two things the provider could improve on? Use your COM 311 knowledge to identify and discuss these things.
3. What are two things the patient (or caregiver) did well and what are two things the patient (or caregiver) could improve on? Use your COM 311 knowledge to identify and discuss these things.
4. We’ve discussed the importance of keeping “shared meaning” as a goal for any patient-provider interaction. Was shared meaning achieved in this interaction? Why or why not? Who was responsible? What could the provider or patient (or caregiver) have done differently in order to create shared meaning? If shared meaning was not achieved, what were the consequences?

Additional information:

• The questions listed above are meant to help guide your response and what you should focus on. I suggest organizing your paper according to the questions above.
• Your paper should be in essay format (with title page) and 4-5 pages of main text (excluding title and reference pages).
• You need to cite no less than three sources. These can be course readings or outside sources you bring in. You must use APA style so please make sure you cite the sources properly and consistently and include a reference list on a separate page (which is not included in your page count).

Grade considerations:

• Did you address the prompt in the paper?
• Did you react to the story more than you summarized what was going on?
• Did you appropriately incorporate three sources into the paper?
• Did you organize and format the paper appropriately (length, Grammar, spelling, punctuation

• Cara’s Story
• Cara is a single 57 year-old businesswomen who lives in Fort Worth, Texas. Cara’s Mother passed away five years ago and was survived by Cara, her 82 year-old Father Jim, and three married siblings, all of which have children and do not reside in Texas. Since Jim’s heart attack and extensive open-heart surgery three years ago, Cara has made a habit of stopping by her father’s to have dinner (i.e., to check on him). Nearly two years ago, Cara began noticing that her father was having difficulties remembering seemingly trivial things like where he put his keys and to pay bills on time, which Cara attributed to his old age and prior medical issues; that is, until he started forgetting key ingredients and the steps to make his favorite dishes, which is a big deal given that Jim is a retired chef. Recently, Jim’s memory has become worse and he has become paranoid claiming that someone is stealing his belongings and breaking into his apartment at the retirement home so Cara decides to take action.
• After speaking with her physician friend, Cara decides to take Jim to a neurologist to have a neurological exam, but when told of the appointment Jim becomes angry, refuses to go to the doctor, and changes the locks to his house so she can no longer enter. For weeks, Cara has become increasingly stressed and has been unable to sleep, eat, or concentrate at work. After several attempts to get Jim to make an appointment with a neurologist and noting his uncharacteristic reaction to her suggestion, Cara concludes that Jim’s condition may be more serious than she previously thought. After conducting research on the Internet (i.e., WebMD), Cara she believes that her father may be exhibiting symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease/dementia. Cara’s suspicions are further supported after she visits the Alzheimer’s Association website and reads about the initial and progressive symptoms of the disease. Moreover, after learning about the symptomology, Cara believes her father began showing early symptoms of Alzheimer’s, even before her mother passed away. Now, Cara is certain that Jim is suffering from moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease and decides that he must be tested as soon a possible. Unfortunately, Cara obviously cannot rely on her father to make an appointment for himself and she would never dream of setting him off by sharing her suspicions, so she makes numerous attempts to get her father an appointment and to see a doctor, without avail.
  Further increasing Cara’s frustration, the neurology specialists have been uncooperative and appear to disregard her pleas for assistance getting her father to the doctor for a neurological assessment. In fact, two weeks ago, she made Jim an appointment (without telling her him) and asked her father to accompany her for lunch at his favorite restaurant, after which she planned to take him to the appointment. After weeks of sleepless nights, stress, and sick days from work, Cara finally began to feel some relief that she had figured out a way to get Jim to the doctor. Although a diagnosis of a degenerative disease like Alzheimer’s dementia would be devastating, Cara was comforted by the prospect of finally knowing her father’s diagnosis/prognosis, which would enable her to establish a plan for moving forward and providing the care her father desperately needs.
  Unfortunately, the day before the appointment, the receptionist at the clinic called Jim to confirm the appointment and although Cara explained the delicate situation, the receptionist bluntly informed Jim that Cara suspected he had Alzheimer’s disease and had scheduled him for a neurological exam behind his back. Given Jim’s previous reactions, it is not surprising that he angrily confronted Cara and refused to go to lunch. Now, Cara’s father will no longer speak to her nor will he unlock his door or respond when she visits. Cara’s stress and exhaustion is continuously elevating and she is becoming sick with worry now that she is unable to care for her father and check on his well-being. Although, Cara is not at the point of physically providing care for her father, Jim has cut all contact with his daughter, which is increasing her level of stress.
  Cara is fortunate, however, that unlike many family caregivers she has developed a close relationship with Jim’s neighbor and the staff at the retirement community, both of whom she maintains contact to stay informed of Jim’s strange behaviors (e.g., parking in the grass, wandering the complex at all hours of the night, engaging in disoriented conversations, and the bouncing of his last two rent payments), which is helpful. However, Cara still feels helpless and has no idea how to help her father so she decides to enlist her siblings for support and advice.
  After informing her siblings of her suspicions and describing their father’s increasingly abnormal behavior, the siblings insist that they have spoken with their father and he seems fine—which is clearly a result of their distance and inability to personally witness Jim’s decline. In a sense, everyone Cara normally goes to for support has rejected her suspicions and two of her siblings actually told her that their mother’s death has caused her to become paranoid and is causing her to overthink her father’s situation, suggesting that Cara give her dad some space and focus on her own life and work.
  After numerous failed conversations and attempts over the span of several months to enlist her siblings for help, Cara again seeks guidance from her physician friend who recommends a neurologist who might be able to help, although she prefaces that his methods may be less than traditional. Seeing no other option, Cara finally contacts the office, and as recommended by her friend, makes an appointment for herself to see Dr. Stein in order to discuss the situation and obtain her professional guidance and assistance.
  During her appointment, Cara informs Dr. Stein of her father’s medical history (e.g., heart condition, diabetes) and psychosocial issues (e.g., mother’s sudden death, father’s resulting distrust of the medical community, inability to obtain family assistance/support), her father’s increasing paranoia, and refusal to see a doctor. After listening attentively, together Cara and Dr. Stein hatch a plan. The plan collaboratively developed by Cara and Dr. Stein consisted a nurse calling her father and telling him that he needed to have a checkup that is routinely scheduled at this time after his type of heart surgery and asking him to make an appointment. Although, the exam would take considerably more time than usual, Dr. Stein agreed to act as if it was mostly about his heart and conduct the neurological exams intermittently throughout the appointment under the guise that it is routine procedure. Cara also informed the doctor of her previous experience with a neurologist office, after which Dr. Stein promised she would inform the staff of the delicate situation in advance in case Jim called, and to ensure the entire staff was aware of the plan and the specific procedures to follow.