The Use of Assessment Health Tools Paper Example

Introduction

There are many sources of medical information of a patient. First and foremost is to the information from the family of the patient; the family member may be issued with a questionnaire or be interviewed about the health history of the patient. The patient himself/herself can also be a source of information on his/her medical history and lastly is the medication, a medical practitioner can have a look at the medication and prescriptions given to the patient and figure out the history (Medical information 1967).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The Interview Stage of a Health Assessment

The interview stage of health assessment is between the health practitioner i.e. the nurse and the patient.this is the stage where information is being fetched from the patient in order to plan for the treatment. And therefore interviewing is a conversation with a purpose of eliciting the patient's history. this stage in health assessment has got three unctions.first is to create a trusting supportive atmosphere/relationship between the nurse and the patient.second is to gather some useful information concerning the health history of the patient and the third is for the nurse to offer information to the.during interview the nurse should be emphatic with the patient while giving him/her adequate time to explain the problem well (Teixeira, P. A., & Schackman, B. R. 2008).

Why the Use of Assessment Tools Specific to the Older Person is Important

Health assessment tools are very important in older person health (Kristensen 2009).it assists in identifying and treating the common chronic diseases associated with old age for example vision, hearing impairment and many more. Thus Geriatric assessment deals with the physical, mental health and the functional abilities of the patient. And the functional assessment tools for older people include the incontinence, self-care, depression and many more

How to Assess the Following Areas for Mrs. Walker

Cognitive

I will use mini-mental state examination since this method of assessment is usually suitable for hospitalized older persons like her

Mobility

Use of body-fixed- sensor-based technology to monitor the movement of the patient

Nutrition

I will use a malnutrition universal screening tool to assess nutrition in that it is very efficient and effective and easy to use.it comprises of BMI, history of weight loss and ill effect.

5 'Risks' That Mrs. Walker May Encounter

Resident Abuse

In a residential facility, there are different types of people beginning from the nurses to the patients themselves.it has been heard that in many facilities there are cases where nurses abuse he patients. This is a great risk to an elderly person like Mrs. Walker

Infections

In a residential facility people suffer from various diseases.and for this reason it is very easy to contract the diseases from those individuals too.i is also very vulnerable to infections because of the conditions inside the facility not being hygienic and thus infections can be a great risk for her in the facility

Poor Security

Security is a very crucial thing in every human being. every person needs to be secure in the place he/she stays.in a residential facility, Mrs. Walker having f Alzheimer's disease is very risky since the disease requires free movement of the person.

Untimely Administration Of Medications

Mrs. Walker suffers from a very serious disease and hence requires very maximum supervision and administration of medication.it will be very risky to find the residential facility she has been taken to does not consider her condition

Poor Lighting In The Facility

Lights are very important especially to the aging group of persons like Mrs. Walker. Therefore the patient needs a good lighting to improve the visibility and movement and moreover to avoid injuries associated with poor lighting

The Need for the Mrs. Walker To Feel As Though Her Environment Is Both Physically And Emotionally Safe

First of all the nurses should be friendly to her and make her feel comfortable. She should not be harassed in any and be treated with care and love. The other thing is that the family members should always be visiting her and no time should she be left alone since she is very distressed.

The meals given to her should be to the standard she deserves this will make her feel like she is at home and she will be happy

The facility should be safe and secure with adequate security guards.this will assure her of her security and therefore she will not have any fears of staying at the facility

Restraint is a process where an individual or something is restricted from moving from one place to another or is being under control (Clinical Forensic Medicine, 195-204).restrain is provided by the constitution as a law in physical restraint, for example, a criminal being put in the cell. Although there is usually the freedom of movement, this is short-changed if the very movement will infringe the rights of other people for example if there is insecurity in a place the government will impose the curfew. Therefore the constitution is the guiding tool towards restraint.

The Type Of Restraint Used For Mrs. Walker And Describe The Obligations Once It Is In Place.

The type of restraint used for Mrs. Walker is a medical restraint. my obligation as a nurse is to offer health support to her and make sure that her health condition improves by offering by offering good monitoring activities to their health concerns and reporting to the doctor, assisting the patients in functional undertakings like bathing eating and dressing and lastly to administer medications.

4 Possible Reasons for Mrs. Walker's Weight Loss.

Elderly people like Mrs walker experiences weight loss due to many reasons and these include;

Body Changes

It is found that as people tend to grow old the body changes inmanyways, for example, the muscle reduces while the metabolism rate also slows down thus rendering the person to eat less food which will eventually bring about weight loss

Difficulty in Chewing and Swallowing

Elderly people tend to lose some of the teeth.this will hinder the chewing process and therefore dictates the type of food and individual eats .when this happens the diet also changes and the person cannot eat a well-balanced food which will cause weight loss.

Physical Disability

Mrs. Walker is an old woman, we are told that she lives alone and with her physical disability it is very difficult for her to make food for herself or even go look for food and this acts as a prerequisite for weight loss

Illness

Elderly people tend to lose immunity and therefore prone to diseases which cause weight loss

The Specialist Health Professionals Mrs. Walker May Be Referred to Assist With Increasing Her Nutritional Intake

Good nutrition practices are very vital in the process of treatment and prevention of disease in old age. The health professionals that Mrs. Walker will be referred to are

Nutritionists

These are the primary dietary health providers in each and every institution. they are well trained to provide dietary education and their role deal majorly on food

Nurses

Nowadays the nutrition knowledge has been incorporated into nursing curricula in schools thus enabling the nurses to expand their level of services to the patient

Physicians

These are specialized medical practitioners who deal with the diagnosis and the treatment of the disease. Nutrition is their secondary work but they do research pertaining to the health of a person including nutritive health

The Similarities and Differences between Palliative Care and End Of Life Care

Palliative care is the kind of care offered to patients who have a life-threatening or life-limiting illness. The cure of the said illness is very impossible and cannot be reversed in any way. The purpose of this care is to assure the patient the experience of optimal life by relieving the patient of suffering and all the other dimensions of life including social, spiritual and psychological needs (World Health Organization 2007).

End of life care, on the other hand, is the type of caring that occurs at the last part of a patients life mostly the last six months.it is a portion of palliative care and its main aim is to provide quality life while making necessary on legal matters.it is very hard to determine .the two terminologies can be confused since all seems to be the provision of care during the end stages of life of a patient but the latter is not predictable and involves planning for end of life.

Addressing Nursing Considerations When Caring for a Deceased Client

Maintaining Privacy and Dignity

Maintaining the patient's privacy and dignity is very paramount especially at the end of life.in this case the nurse should talk well of the patient and avoid talking negatively about the patient.he/she should also maintain the high-profile privacy of the deceased client since not all the information will be necessary for every individual

Hygiene and Grooming

The deceased should be taken care of even after dieng. He/she should be put in a clean environment very hygienic and be cleaned up. the facility recognizes this and always sets the time for the purpose of cleaning (mostly 2 hours). The work may be done by the family members or the authorized persons of the facility

Infection Control

The dead of the client doesn't mean the end of care. the deceased client should be well taken care of to prevent further infection to the patient and to the other people around. Therefore the facility should maintain cleanliness in the first place.it should have post-mortem facilities to determine the cause of the death and during this, the cleaning of hands should be paramount.in places of high temperatures preservation facilities should be installed such as refrigeration facilities

Personal Belongings of the Client

The personal belongings of the deceased should be kept well and handed over to the next of kin of the client and the necessary documentation be done.

2 Ways You Can Achieve Supporting and Comforting The Grieving Family this Within The Scope As An Enrolled Nurse.

As an enrolled nurse, my scope of supporting and comforting the grieving family is provided for in my job description. the first step is to acknowledge how they feel after losing their loved one. show them that I really cared and we did our best to save the life but unfortunately what happened happened.the grieving family should be given time to see their loved one and provided with anything they may need .when they have some questions to ask I will help them answer the questions and even link them with the other doctors so as they can get adequate information about their person.when am not able to offer assistance I will absolutely direct them to the concerned person so that they can be assisted

Why Was the Carer's Recognition Act 2010 Implemented

The carer's Recognition Act-2010 was implemented in the year 2010. Its aim was to promote and bring about awareness of the role cares play when providing the daily care and the support they offer to the people living with disabilities, those with medical conditions like the mental illness and also to those who are frailly aged. The guidelines of this Act were developed to ensure providers meet their responsibilities

3 Legal or Ethical Considerations Included In The 10 Key Principles In The Carers Recognition Act 2010.

Carers should be supported to achieve greater economic well-being and sustainability and, where appropriate, should have opportunities to participate in employment and education.

All carers should have the same rights, choices and opportunities as other Australians,regardless of age, race, sex, disability, sexuality, religious or political beliefs, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage, cultural or li...