There are few things that make me sadder than seeing a confused old man in a pair of these mits. The look of hopelessness and confusion in their eyes as they ask you why you are putting these on them is enough to make you want to cry. We use these to prevent patients from pulling out their IV's, foley's and other bodily tubes.
Patients who sundown can potentially win themselves a pair of these gloves. They remind me of the mittens Micky Mouse wears which makes them even more depressing.
I had never heard of sundowning before becoming a nurse, but as I understand it, it is dementia that kicks in abruptly in the afternoon/evening and then goes away again in the morning. You might recognize this phenomenon when suddenly that elderly patient who you've been having such nice conversations with all day is now calling you a tooth fairy (in the best of cases) or trying to break your fingers (in the worst).
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