Metaparadigms of nursing

My experience as a volunteer at the Holland Christian Homes Long Term Facility was very enlightening as a person and more so, as a nursing student. Initially, as a student I believed health was merely an absence of disease and that one could only enjoy good health if there was a complete absence of medical, diagnosable problems. With more education in the health field, experience in the health industry, there was a shift in my ideas to a socio-environmental model of health
Watching elderly residents who could not speak English in distress, when they could not convey their ideas to the English speaking staff, was quite memorable for me as it made me realize that it took away from them, their right to be nurtured, and understood and the right to make informed choices about their health. This paper will discuss the metaparadigm concepts underlining the nursing theory with reference to my memorable healthcare experience.
The concept of Client and Person
The nursing approach taught in most nursing schools today, the client centered approach to nursing, focuses on the needs, desires and wants of the client and their families. It is based on understanding the client as a whole, with various social and environmental factors affecting their health. Since client centered care depends on forging a positive client-caregiver relationship, communication (verbal and non verbal) is essential to this process. In my experience at the nursing home, I frequently witnessed a communication gap between the client and nurse and how it hindered the client centered care - giving process. For example, their distress or dislike for the food. I felt quite helpless in this situation as I could not relate or understand the client’s needs and desires. Also, this gap contributed to the poor quality of nurse-client relationship which is essential to the care- giving process. I believe clients’ right to contribute to their care plan, to the decision making process about the health