Question

Purpose of Assignment:

It is important for nurses to reflect on experiences and new knowledge gained in order to promote professional growth.

Course Competencies:

• Analyze the increased complexity of care among older adults.
• Compare care models for nursing practice specific to the older adult.
• Design plans for care specific to the older adult.
• Identify local, state, and national resources that facilitate safe and effective transitions of care for older adults.
• Incorporate professional values, attitudes, and expectations regarding ageism when caring for older adults.
• Outline the importance of advocating for older adults in the management of their care.

Transferable Skill:

• Information Literacy: Discovering information reflectively, understanding how information is produced and valued, and using information to create new knowledge and participate ethically in communities of learning.

Instructions:

Reflect on your development as a nursing professional and address the following in a 1-2 page paper:

1. Describe how you achieved each of the course competencies and the transferable skill.
2. Provide at least one example of new knowledge gained related to each competency and explain how this new knowledge will impact your nursing practice.

Answer 1

1. OLd age

Getting old is a normal phenomenon for every individual. Goal of health promotion among the older people is to add more quality years to life. It includes prevention of diseases and early detection of the diseases. There are many changes occur in human body as they get older, due to this physiological and psychological factors complexity of caring older people also increases. Inaddition to these factors, environmental changes and life style modifications had significant effect on the older people's health. Life style (cardiovascular diseases, cerebro vascular diseases,obesity, diabetes etc.) related illnesses contributed major in the morbidity and mortality of older people. Treatment of the older adult is become more complex as the need of considering comorbid diseases along with the present complaints. Many adults have sensory/ mental limitations like hearing/ visual imapirments, dementia, delirium, parkinson disease, alzhimers disease etc. Moreover the physiological changes in the adult makes delayed or poor response to the treatment. Older people's expectation to have independance, improved quality of life(physiological as well as psychological), decreased hopsital stay, decreased pain and discomfort makes the care more complicated as the physiological changes cannot be reversed.

MODELS IN OLDAGE CARE

There are many models developed over time to improve the care of the older people. Principles of all the models are to make holisitic aproach to older people to adress their comprehensive health needs. it includes

* First an fremost health needs of older people need to be adressed comprehensively and patient centered.

* Second, effective care need to be provided

* Third, patients need to be actively participated in their care.

Models includes as follows

> Improving mood: promoting access to collaborative treatment for late life depression(IMPACT); depresion is one of the most common diseases in the old age, particularly after the loss of spouse or due to chronic illnesses like DM, cancer. This model of care incorporates the care of chronic illnesses and depression based on evidance.

> Geriatric Resources for assessment and care of elders (GRACE); GRACE based model provides care for the low income people. It is a home based care, the team includes a nurse and social worker. THe team makes intial assessmenta nd follow up viists once in a month and after every emergency or hospital visit.

> Advanced illness management(AIM) Program; This model makes a bridge between the hospice care and curative care. Most people like to die at home, but it was not possible due to the illnesses and some other reason. AIM provides both disease management and comfort care at home and avoids unnecessary hospitalizations.

Care of older adult must includes

Understand the physical and psychological need of the patient, functional and psychological assessment should be done. Provide holistic care to them; advancements of illness can result in depression and loneliness among them. Therefore, careplans should include activities which promotes the mental health of them. Improve active participation of the client in their care makes them more independent and positive.

There are many resources available for the well being of older people such as, National Council on Aging, PACE, GRACE, AIM, Eldercare locator, Meals on wheels, Health finder etc.

Professional nurse should maintain all the ethical values and attitudes in caring of older people.

Confidentiality : providing privacy is crucial even handling older people.

Dignity; Maintain the dignity of teh patient and care taker while performing the care.

Never abuse any older people and always respect the patient and never judge the client.

Ensure the loyalty and responisbility; care taker is accountable for their action and always be responsible for what they do.

Older people have many difficulties physical as well as psychological. Being the care taker of elderly it is the nurse's responsibility to be the advocate of them. Due to the sensory/ cognitive impairments decision making or doing things are difficult for elder people. Therefore, it is nurse who works behalf of older adult is responsible to make decisions on their care and medical options as well as to protect the rights of the patient.