NSG 4067 Week 2 Project-Assessing and Planning Care for an Elderly Person
Old age is defined as nearing the end of the human cycle. There is a fundamental difference between young and old age regarding health and physiological, functional, and physical components. Planning and accessing care for older adults is a process that diverse stakeholders have adopted to enhance and prolong their lives. Although accessing and planning care for an older adult is a continuous process, a sharp contrast exists in age-related changes in older adults.
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Compare and contrast the age-related changes of the older person you interviewed and assessed with those identified in this week’s reading assignment.
Identify at least 4–6 preliminary issues.
The current literature and Gregory’s interview response shared similarities in age-related changes observed between the two components. Similar preliminary issues observed include Gait, balance, and stability changes, independence functionality changes, performance activity changes, and safety evaluation changes. First, the Gait, balance, and stability changes issue. Fall is essential to the Gait, balance, and stability issues. Moreover, most old-age people suffer from the fall problem (Parveen & Noohu, 2017, p. 30). Hence, this sky rocks the costs related to the falls, such as surgery, the equipment required, the hospitalization bill, and rehabilitation. Again, both the interview and the current literature share this issue.
Furthermore, the costs related to physical, personal, and emotional support significantly affect elderly individuals. Falls are estimated to result in serious injuries leading to disabilities, death, and high healthcare costs for aged individuals. Fall incidences increase with the increase in old age. The population older than 65 can fall at least once a year.
The Tinetti balance and Gait evaluation is a methodology developed to measure Gait and balance, especially in the older generations.
Furthermore, the scale was developed to measure the elderly individuals’ balance and stability while undertaking physical activities. The Gait and balance mainly consider the abnormal knee extension and inability to turn during walking observed in old age. The lack of Gait and harmony among the elderly indicates health problems primarily associated with a lack of strength in the elderly knees. Second, independence functionality changes. The functionality changes in the older population are evident through the frequent health problems depicted. There is support from both the interview response questions and the current literature. The Katz index of independence in daily living activities explains the functionality changes. The Katz ADL tool is used as the primary instrument to assess the functional status of older people in their ability to undertake their activities independently. Most health practitioners use the tool to detect problems associated with performing activities in their daily living (Mlinac & Feng, 2016, p. 510).
Moreover, the tool index rank is based on the six performance functions: bathing, dressing, transferring, feeding, and continence. The tool ranks the elderly ability to perform the six tasks on a yes and no. Notably, a score of six will indicate that the older adult is fully functional, a score of four will indicate moderate impairment, and a score of two and below shows that the person suffers from severe functional impairment. The current literature and the interview response depict a similar trend in the functionality decline in the elderly population.
Gregory, the interviewee, stated that he experienced a reduced functionality problem in the activities, identical to the current literature within the Karl ADL tool. Third, home safety evaluation changes. The contemporary literature supports assessing the elderly living environment, with the primary goal of improving home safety for older people. The primary motivation of the safety evaluation is maintaining a balance between the patient and the environment, with the end goal being to minimize injuries to the elderly while they are home.
NSG 4067 Week 2 Project-Assessing and Planning Care for an Elderly Person
Moreover, in most cases, caregivers are tasked with identifying specific aspects that may be unsafe and later advise the family on the improvement needed. Similarly, most family members prefer to transfer their elderly relatives to caregiving homes where the safety evaluation is prioritized. However, Gregory’s interview response tends to differ; he advocates that older adults’ relatives should undertake the safety assessment and care for their loved ones instead of transferring them to caregiving homes. So forth, performance activity changes. The Barthel index is similar to Karl ADL, though it measures performance activities in the elderly daily living. However, the Barthel index focuses mainly on the assistance degree an elderly individual requires on a scale of ten mobility items.
Furthermore, the Barthel index integrates ten personal activities. Similarly, Gregory’s interview response supported the Barthel index by indicating a shift in performance activity levels between the old and young generations. When most people get to old age, their intensity to perform activities reduces.
Identify three alterations in health that you would propose and describe them. Identify a minimum of three comprehensive interventions for each alteration. Integrate cultural considerations in your interventions.
I would propose three alterations within the health sector to prevent the preliminary issues prevalent in old age. The alterations include the formation of therapy departments, the enhanced undertaking of home safety evaluation, and improved analysis of problem detection tools. First, the construction of therapy departments. One of the fundamental goals of health is the promotion of care, and such a therapy department is a critical component in enhancing the health of older people through the prevention of fall incidents. To make the alterations dream a reality, the following interventions must be undertaken: a comprehensive evaluation of the home environment, both the internal and the external environment factors.
Moreover, the environment is assessed, and dangerous obstacles such as stairs and poor lighting are eliminated. Also, home aid kits are to be added at home to facilitate faster treatment of injuries. The cultural intervention would be introducing Tai Chi programs to promote mobility. Second, an enhanced evaluation of home safety evaluation (Pega et al., 2016, p. 420). The improved safety evaluation would balance the patient and the environment. The following interventions would be undertaken: hiring an occupational therapist to visit and assess older people and their home environment, a deep analysis of the home aspects, and removing things that seem unsafe for older people. And lastly, the cultural introduction would educate older people on the importance of home safety. Third, enhanced analysis of problem detection tool. To achieve the desired results in detecting health problems among the elderly, there is a need to improve the available tools to help catch the issues earlier. The interventions would be to train the health personnel on using the devices. The elderly should visit the health centers frequently for diagnosis, and the cultural intervention would be peer education for the elders on the need for frequent hospital diagnosis.
Conclusion
Old age is a critical component in life. Hence, planning and accessing care for older people is a continuous process incorporating various techniques and stakeholders. The above methods and interventions need to be adopted and implemented for the healthy living of old people.
References
Mlinac, M. E., & Feng, M. C. (2016). Assessment of activities of daily living, self-care, and independence. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 31(6), 506-516.
Parveen, H., & Noohu, M. M. (2017). Evaluation of psychometric properties of Tinetti performance-oriented mobility assessment scale in subjects with knee osteoarthritis. Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal, 36, 25-32.
Pega, F. et al., (2016). Home safety assessment and modification to reduce injurious falls in community-dwelling older adults: cost-utility and equity analysis. Injury prevention, 22(6), 420- 426.
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Question 
NSG 4067 Week 2 Project-Assessing and Planning Care for an Elderly Person
Compare and contrast the age-related changes of the older person you interviewed and assessed with those identified in this week’s reading assignment.
Identify at least 4–6 preliminary issues.
Identify three alterations in health that you would propose and describe them.
Identify a minimum of three comprehensive interventions for each alteration. Integrate cultural considerations in your interventions.