Marianna Płotast, a nurse at Diaverum in Gdynia, received as many as two distinctions in the Polish edition of the Queen Silvia Nursing Award competition. For the first time in the history of the competition, both additional awards from the event's partners were awarded to one finalist.
Nurses and nursing students in Poland had the chance to take part in the sixth edition of the QSNA competition and submit innovative ideas to improve patient care, with a special focus on dementia patients and seniors. The scholarship is awarded in seven countries: Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, USA (University of Washington), and Brazil.
The award was established in 2013 by Swedish Care International as a birthday gift to Queen Silvia. The results are announced each year on the day of her birthday, December 23rd. Swedish Care International is the world's leading institution specialising in elderly and dementia care. It operates in eight countries, providing training and certification for organisa-tions that focus on care for seniors.
The aim of the competition is to highlight the importance of the role of the nurse, to promote lifelong learning, and to exchange experiences internationally in nursing care – particularly for the elderly and those suffering from dementia. The organisers also want to show that nursing can be an attractive and rewarding career path.
The Polish edition of the competition has the Honorary Patronage of the Minister of Health and the Supreme Chamber of Nurses and Midwives. As in previous years, the partners of the event, award additional prizes. This year, both the Supreme Chamber of Nurses and Midwives and Essity, the world's largest manufacturer of absorbent materials, decided to honour Marianna Płotast.
All members of the Competition Committee, including myself, rated Marianna's idea very highly, Mariola Łodzińska, Vice President of the Supreme Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, explains the justification of the decision: "Marianna is a great ambassador for nursing. You can see that she derives a lot of joy from the work she does. For us, it is a great joy that the younger generation focuses on the other person and sees their needs".
"I am impressed by her commitment and, above all, the sincere care that Marianna surrounds her elderly patients with", commented Patryk Sucharda, Public Affairs and Regulatory Manager at Essity Poland. He agreed that the idea put forward by Marianna was very well thought over and presented in a great way.
Marianna was awarded for her 'AAC in dementia' idea related to the use of pictorial communication between health centre staff and seniors. Strategies called augmentative and alternative communication, often abbreviated as AAC, are all ways of enabling people with complex communication needs to convey and receive messages. They include processes that supplement or replace natural speech or writing, with the aim of maximising their users' communication skills, which are essential for effective communication and social functioning in everyday life. Among those in need of AAC support are people with syndromes that are sometimes accompanied by a lack of the ability to speak (or incomprehensible speaking), such as those with Alzheimer's, dementia, after haemorrhage or stroke.
"I came here with the idea of creating a safe space for patients with dementia when they are hospitalised. I have this overwhelming feeling that a patient who is admitted to hospital, diagnosed with dementia or not, is often inundated with all sorts of information and doesn't always know how to navigate this. I would like to help such a patient by giving them a plan of their hospital routine and what they will encounter, so that they can return to it at a time that is convenient for them, when the emotions associated with being admitted to hospital have subsided", Marianna concluded.
We sincerely congratulate Marianna and wish her many successes.
We are also delighted that this project fits so firmly into our culture of true care. At Diaverum, we believe that being able to help our patients is more than a job – it is life enhancing care. Because everyone deserves a fulfilling life!
Photo: Facebook/Queen Silvia Nursing Award Poland