Final Reflection

Normal And Abnormal Physical And Psychosocial Changes Associated With Patients Aged 50 Years And Older

One of the illnesses discussed in the course was dementia which, contrary to popular belief, is not an inevitable old-age illness. Some diseases and illnesses common in older adults can be avoided by embracing a healthy lifestyle at an early age. Hypertension is another common illness that can be avoided, while others, like arthritis, are related to aging.

Syndromes And Diseases Commonly Managed By Advanced Practice Nurses In Older Adults

Some of the diseases discussed in the course and which are commonly managed by nurses include diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and immobility or decreased mobility related to fractures and other fall-related injuries.

Critique on Existing Protocols And Best Practices

In this area, it was observed that some of the medications that older people take counteract each other and harm the patient. For example, the case study of the elderly 85-year-old patient who had fallen after his stroller hit the corner of the wall injuring his shoulder, showed that the medication he was taking contributed greatly to his state of ill health. The concoction of drugs he took for the different health conditions had side effects that caused the patient to be dizzy. Hence, when caring for older adults, it is important to look at the medications a patient is taking and formulate ways to minimize the side effects, including opting for alternative non-pharmacological options.

Therapeutic Interventions

The purpose of care plans in geriatric care is to ensure that the patient reaches the required health goals (Engel et al., 2016). In one of the case studies, a 65-year-old woman had reported to the clinic after reporting an incidence of dizziness which faded after pouring cold water on her head. The assignment required identifying the reasons for her condition and advising the patient on what she could do to avoid future incidents. This focused on creating a care plan that would optimize the patient’s health while ensuring that she was aware of the risks of falling.

Federal Resources Influencing Healthcare For The Older Adult Population

According to McCarthy, Ryan, and Klein (2015), older adults use more healthcare services than any other population demographic. Although older adults differ in terms of their health status, most of them have to deal with at least one chronic illness that needs care. Additionally, older adults also vary in their health services utilization and demand. The health care services utilization projections, as well as that of long-term care services, tend to suffer from limitations in methodology, but all projections showed that services demand by older adults will substantially increase, which will, in turn, increase the pressure on the Medicaid and Medicare budgets and the healthcare workforce capacity for the delivery of those services.

Communication Central To Shared Decision-Making

Today’s nurse should provide competent care to persons with diverse communication styles, values, cultural perspectives, and experiences in life. It is critical for nurses to be competent in cross-cultural communication due to the potential complexity of health in the later years of life as well as the possibility of cultural and generational differences between the nurse and the elderly patients. Effective communication may call for limited verbal changes and more on body and facial expression, touching gestures, and posture. However, these communication forms are misunderstood very easily. Therefore, for nurses to assess and intervene successfully, cultural sensitivity must be developed by being aware of individual ethnocentricities (Jongen, McCalman, Brainbridge, 2018).

Application Of Materials in This Course

The health care systems across the globe are all facing the same issue; an aging population. As people advance in age, they develop chronic diseases and health problems, and there is a rise in demand for healthcare resources.

Geriatric nurses work in diverse practice settings, including rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, retirement communities, and senior centers. They work alongside other care team members, including occupational therapists, physical therapists, nursing aides, social workers, and physicians. That said, the material from this course will help me in my profession because it equips me with the knowledge I need to better care for elderly patients. More specifically, cultural sensitivity will play a major role in ensuring that every patient I encounter is treated with respect and dignity. Additionally, knowing what to look for besides the presenting symptoms, as in the case of social factors contributing to a patient’s poor health, will be useful in offering non-pharmacological solutions to geriatric illnesses.

References

Engel, P. A., Spencer, J., Paul, T., & Boardman, J. B. (2016). The geriatrics in primary care demonstration: integrating comprehensive geriatric care into the medical home: preliminary data. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 64(4), 875-879.

Jongen, C., McCalman, J., & Bainbridge, R. (2018). Health workforce cultural competency interventions: a systematic scoping review. BMC health services research, 18(1), 232.

McCarthy, D., Ryan, J., & Klein, S. (2015). Models of care for high-need, high-cost patients: an evidence synthesis (pp. 1-19). New York (NY): Commonwealth Fund.

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