Upon growing older there many choices to be made and one of the most difficult is having to place the elder person in a nursing home when he/she is no longer capable of being independent. In the White American culture, nursing homes seems to be the popular choice to place their loved ones. This paper will discuss the demographics of the elderly with Alzheimer's disease and how the White American culture in America responds to the elderly with this disorder in the nursing facility, the writer’s personal awareness and attitudes prior to discovering information about the population and reflection after research was done about the population. Demographics of Elderly with Alzheimer’s disease It is not a normal part of the aging process when an elderly suffers from dementia; this is however, caused by an underlying condition. Dementia is severe loss of social and intellectual ability that interferes with their activities of daily living.
Fall Risks and Prevention Strategies Fall Risks and Prevention Strategies Falls are a problem for most of the elderly population in the home, acute care setting, and long term care setting. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC;2013), there is one out of three people over the age of 65 who have fallen and suffered serious injuries and even death. This has become a problem for patients, families, and healthcare facilities that can be prevented through education and awareness of surroundings. Falls can be devastating to patients due to increased hospital stay and decreased mobility. The purpose of this paper is to discuss data associated with falls, and identify risks and prevention strategies.
At MGH the decline was 87.6% in 1988 to 78.4% in 1993 as well. Because of their high medical cost and lack of primary care physicians, 30% of the hospitals revenues were at risk, giving the opportunity to other hospitals to provide these services and create price competition based on Chapter 495. The reduction of gross patient service revenue at MGH and BWH were affected by the changes in government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the enactment of chapter 495. These programs along with many insurance companies adopted the Prospective Payment System (PPS) which began monitoring hospital charges and refusing payment for unnecessary services. The hospitals were receiving a standardized payment for each service
There are arguments to support that many older people leave hospital less able to function or mobilise than when they were admitted (de Morton, Keating & Jeffs 2007). This is due to the occurrence of deconditioning, a risk for many elderly patients admitted to an acute hospital setting. Deconditioning refers to the significant decline in the functional ability of patients, and is generally associated with prolonged bed rest and immobility (Kortebein, 2008). The term is used to describe the physiological changes caused by inactivity, with virtually every body system affected (Eliopoulos, 2010), and it also incorporates functional losses in mental status, ability to accomplish activities of daily living (ADLs) and a decrease in muscle mass and strength (Gillis, MacDonald & MacIsaac 2008). Hospitalisation is often the cause of deconditioning, particularly due to the focus on bed rest in order to recover from illness, or the limited mobility resulting from surgery.
Finally, the emotional toll that caring for increasingly frail family members is hard and most especially when financial issues (inability to take time off from a job, or no insurance) increase the level of stress. For these individuals, Medicare permits hospices to offer "respite" to the families, during which, for a finite number of days per 3 month period, the hospice patient returns to the in-patient setting to give the family a chance to catch their breath and catch up on daily life, or take a vacation. 4. I hope that we will improve our ability to care for patient and family under the new health care bill passed two years ago and finally being implemented by the states. We must work hard to ensure that Florida sets a standard that we can be proud of - Florida has a lot of work to do in this area.
Running head: EPIDEMIOLOGY; THE ELDERLY AND INFLUENZA Epidemiology; The Elderly and Influenza NAME University of Phoenix DATE Epidemiology; The Elderly and Influenza Introduction Any compromise of wellness becomes a significant concern to the elderly, related to their advanced age, housing arrangements and limited income. Those three things often preclude appropriate treatment and speedy recovery. This paper will discuss epidemiology as well as the types of epidemiology to identify a health problem, the triangle of epidemiology and the relationship between this process and the elderly with influenza. Relevant Population and Disease Elderly people have much more difficulty warding off contagious illnesses like influenza and must pay particularly close attention to even the smallest changes in their overall sense of well being. Those over the age of 65 years old and with compromised immune systems are considered prime candidates for influenza.
Nearly one in four Americans are without a primary care provider (PCP) or health clinic where they receive regular medical services. Approximately one in five are without medical insurance. Those who do no have medical insurance are likely lacking a usual source of medical care thus skiping routine medical care due to costs. Not receiving regular medical care increases ones risk for serious and dabilitating health conditions. When someone only accesses health services on emergency basis they are often have astronomical medical bills they are expected to cover out of pocket.
In my nursing class, I learned that doctors cure the sickness and nurses cure the patient. This means that the nurse attends to the physical, mental, and psychosocial aspects in the care of patients. Some days can be demanding on the mind and body, but you can still go home and be grateful of what you have done for someone else. I believe that the core of nursing is love and passion for others. Without this love and passion, why is one in nursing.
Vulnerable Populations 1 HCA430: Special Populations Chronically Ill and Disabled Chiqita Solomon Instructor: Sandra Rebeor September 3, 2012 Vulnerable Populations 2 Reducing and eradicating inequalities in the United States is a ongoing goal for the discrepancies within healthcare. Substantial discrepancies, with risk factors, healthcare access, illness, and some cases death, remain latent in these at risk populations. “Vulnerable populations are groups that are not well integrated into the health care system because of ethnic, cultural, economic, geographic, or health characteristics. This isolation puts members of these groups at risk for not obtaining necessary medical care, and thus constitutes a potential threat to their health (urban.org)”. The chronically ill and disabled is a vulnerable population that I personally work with in my healthcare career.
Since the baby boomers would retire at such a late age, majority of them would not be so healthy. Numerous boomers would suffer many illnesses as they are less immune to diesases such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. All of these illnesses would require regular doctor appointments and medication which would be applied from the government. Aiding such a large amount