Discovery Community College HCA Health Care Assistant Common Health Challenges
Worksheet - Critical Thinking Activity:
Responding to Clients with Common Health Challenges
Students will use knowledge about communication, common health challenges and
observing and reporting to identify and respond to a variety of health-related
situations.
Scenarios are provided below. Included for each scenario are a HCA Role Card, a
Client Role Card and a Client Profile. The Client Profile should be used to inform
client care; alternately, it could be used to populate preferred templates in use by the
program (e.g., bedside care plan or assignment sheets). The material provided for
this activity has been formatted in a way that will facilitate its direct use in the
educational setting.
Students may enjoy practising this activity in the lab, with measures taken to
simulate a real-life setting. This critical thinking activity could also be adapted for use
during the Healing 3: Personal Care and Assistance course.
Depending on program sequencing, scenarios and client profiles could be further
adapted to increase the complexity of this activity. This could be accomplished by
incorporating additional props and/or equipment or by adding information to the
client profile (e.g., medication information).
While not directly indicated, the health-related situations are listed below for
instructor reference. Students in the HCA role should be able to identify these
situations (using observation / reporting) through the role play and when
documenting. The instructor will highlight these during the debrief.
Role Play #1 - Responding to a client showing signs of Hypoglycemia
Role Play #2 - Responding to a client showing signs of Orthostatic Hypotension
Role Play #3 - Responding to a client indicating she is hungry
Role Play #4 - Responding to a client showing signs of Pneumonia
Role Play #5 - Responding to a client showing signs of a urinary tract infection
Role Play #6 - Responding to a client showing signs of constipation
Setting up the Activity
A. Role Play
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Discovery Community College HCA Health Care Assistant Common Health Challenges
Have students work in pairs, with one acting as the client and the other as the HCA.
Role cards should be provided in such a way that students do not see the card for
the alternate role. The student acting as the client will read the Client Role Card and
follow the directions provided. The student acting as the HCA will read the HCA
Role Card and then use critical thinking skills to respond to the situation they are
presented with. The Client Profile for each role play can be provided to both students
and/or given to them to share.
Students playing the HCA Role should be reminded to respond to the scenario
based on their observations, communication with the client and accompanying client
profile (or assignment sheet and/or bedside care plan).
Students should be instructed to report any emergencies to the instructor, who could
take on the role of the team leader.
Students should be directed to alternate roles after each role play and get new role
cards from the instructor after completing required documentation (see B).
B. Documentation Exercise
After each role play is complete, the two students will prepare a written report
describing the situation. If desired, the instructor could request that a specific
documentation format is followed, such as the one to be used in the practice
education setting. At a minimum, the following should be documented:
What the HCA observed, including symptoms the client reported to them.
What the HCA did.
When the HCA did it.
The client’s response, as observed by the HCA.
C. Debrief
After students have completed this activity, convene as a class to review the
common health challenges presented. Discuss appropriate response(s) and
reporting for each scenario, highlighting which situations would require immediate
reporting to the team leader.
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Discovery Community College HCA Health Care Assistant Common Health Challenges
ROLE PLAY CARDS
ROLE PLAY #1 - HCA ROLE CARD
You are working for a home support agency. Today you are visiting Jenny Smith for the
first time. Enter the home, greet your new client and introduce yourself. Respond to the
situation you are presented with.
ROLE PLAY #1 - CLIENT ROLE CARD
Your name is Jenny Smith and you are 72 years old. After the HCA greets you, tell
them you feel dizzy and sweaty and that you are hungry because you skipped breakfast
today.
ROLE PLAY #2 - HCA ROLE CARD
You are working in an assisted living residence. Today you will be escorting Mrs. Kaur
to the dining room for lunch. Enter her room, greet her and introduce yourself. Respond
to the situation you are presented with.
ROLE PLAY #2 - CLIENT ROLE CARD
Your name is Mrs. Kaur and you are 88 years old. After the HCA provides introductions
and checks your bedside care plan, they will ask you to walk to the dining room. As you
get up from your chair, act dizzy. Sit down again and tell the HCA you feel dizzy.
ROLE PLAY #3 HCA ROLE CARD
You are working in a group home setting. Today you will be assisting Alicia Smith who
has ataxic cerebral palsy. Enter her room, greet her and introduce yourself. Respond to
the situation you are presented with.
ROLE PLAY #3 CLIENT ROLE CARD
Your name is Alicia Smith and you are 42 years old. You have ataxic cerebral palsy and
are unable to speak. When the HCA arrives, use gestures to indicate that you are
hungry.
ROLE PLAY #4 HCA ROLE CARD
You are working in an acute care setting. Today you will be providing care to Mr.
Dhaliwal who has had hip replacement surgery. Enter his room, greet him and introduce
yourself. Respond to the situation you are presented with.
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Discovery Community College HCA Health Care Assistant Common Health Challenges
ROLE PLAY #4 CLIENT ROLE CARD
Your name is Mr. Dhaliwal. When the HCA enters your room, start coughing. Tell the
HCA that you have chest pain and are feeling cold.
ROLE PLAY #5 HCA ROLE CARD
You are working in a residential care home. Today you will be assisting Rosa Martinez
with her breakfast. Enter her room and greet her. Respond to the situation you are
presented with.
ROLE PLAY #5 CLIENT ROLE CARD
Your name is Rosa Martinez. After the HCA greets you, act as if you are confused.
Indicate that you have pain in your lower abdomen.
ROLE PLAY #6 HCA ROLE CARD
You are working in a residential care home. Today you will be assisting Julie Bates with
her breakfast set up. Enter her room, greet her and let her know that it’s time for
breakfast. Respond to the situation you are presented with.
ROLE PLAY #6 CLIENT ROLE CARD
Your name is Julie Bates. After the HCA lets you know that it’s time for breakfast, tell
her you don’t feel hungry. When the HCA follows up, tell her that you have a stomach
ache.
CLIENT PROFILES
ROLE PLAY #1 - CLIENT PROFILE
Jenny Smith is a 76-year-old female who lives alone.
Health Challenges / Diagnosis: Diabetes, neuropathy, significant visual impairment,
history of falls, history of depression
ADLs: Partial assist with personal care
Mobility: One person assist with walker, unsteady on feet, history of falls
Nutrition: Diabetic diet, receives Meals on Wheels, family sometimes brings food
(sweets), Jenny occasionally skips meals
Communication: English
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Discovery Community College HCA Health Care Assistant Common Health Challenges
ROLE PLAY #2 - CLIENT PROFILE
Harpreet Kaur is a 92-year-old female living in an assisted living residence.
Health Challenges / Diagnosis: Parkinson’s Disease with history of falls,
arteriosclerotic heart disease, orthostatic hypotension
ADLs: Supervision in bathroom, requires cueing, appropriate cultural attire, raised toilet
seat, meal set up
Mobility: Uses four-wheeled walker
Nutrition: Soft diet with fluids, plate protector, adaptive utensils, cup with lid
Communication: Speaks Punjabi or English
Cultural: Attends temple every Sunday
ROLE PLAY #3 CLIENT PROFILE
Alicia Smith is a 42 year old female client who lives in a group home.
Health Challenges/Diagnosis: Ataxic cerebral palsy, expressive aphasia
ADLs: Full assist with personal care
Mobility: Risk of falls, assist with range of motion exercises
Nutrition: Soft diet, encourage small snacks throughout the day
Communication: Understands English, uses gestures to communicate when hungry
ROLE PLAY #4 CLIENT PROFILE
Jagdish Dhaliwal is a 73-year-old male in hospital following hip replacement surgery.
Health Challenges/ Diagnosis: Osteoarthritis, history of falls, CVA at age 68,
dysphagia
ADLs: Assist client to sit (dangle) at side of bed (Q.I.D), One-person assist for dressing,
assist with mouth care, commode for toileting, deep breathing and coughing exercises
Mobility: Two-person assist to dangle and commode
Nutrition: Thickened fluids, dysphagia diet, cultural food preferences
Communication: Speaks Punjabi and English
ROLE PLAY #5 CLIENT PROFILE
Rosa Martinez is a 79-year-old female who lives in an assisted living residence.
Health Challenges / Diagnosis: Blind due to glaucoma, history of urinary tract
infections
ADLs: Requires partial assistance with personal hygiene
Mobility: Uses white cane, assist with walking
Nutrition: Assist with meal set up/eating, record fluid intake, cranberry juice with meals
Communication: Speaks Spanish and English
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Discovery Community College HCA Health Care Assistant Common Health Challenges
ROLE PLAY #6 CLIENT PROFILE
Julie Bates is an 88-year-old female who lives in residential care.
Health Challenges / Diagnosis: Arthritis, esophageal reflux, constipation, hemorrhoids
ADLs: Partial bath, set up with meals, assist with hearing aid and glasses
Mobility: Uses four-wheeled walker, assist with mobility
Nutrition: Low fibre diet, small appetite, encourage to drink fluids
Communication: Speaks English, shy and doesn’t like to bother staff
Other: Last recorded bowel movement was four days ago
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