Assisting Older Persons - Essay Example

INITIAL ASSESSMENT Assisting Old Ones Gain Interest In Life Again and Become Physically Healthy Introduction As the number of the very elderly escalates worldwide, the perplexing question of how to care for them becomes more critical. In Bible times the problem was not as difficult. They had the extended family, where children, parents, and grandparents lived together. Children and grandparents interacted with benefit to one another, and parents could make the necessary material provisions and also see to it that any special care needed by the elderly in the household was made available. Such extended families with care for the elderly are still the rule in some countries today. But that is not the case in the more affluent nations where the family circle is limited to parents and children. When the children grow up and marry and have children of their own, often they are faced with the problem of caring for their aged, frail, and often chronically ill parents. In this present system of things, to do this can be a weighty problem indeed! As undesirable as it is, under present economic conditions, it may be necessary for both parents to work. Food is expensive, rents are high, bills come in. Even two paychecks can disappear quickly. If the woman of the house does not work outside, she may be busy with children, shopping, cleaning-a full-time job in itself. This is not to say that an elderly parent, or parents, should not be cared for in the home. What it does say is that it can be a very difficult assignment. The elderly have their aches and pains, and understandably they can at times be complaining and crotchety, not always congenial and of a sunny disposition. None of which means that a strenuous effort should not be made to care for an elderly parent in the home. However, there are some certain cases that simply require special professional nursing care. For this particular discussion, narrative on how nursing procedures could actually help in the process of caring for the elderly and even bettering their situation through the use of several exercises that are aimed towards making them more active again so as to regain both physical and psychological strength through a more abstract procedure Case Scenario An 86-year-old man is staying in small hospice offering assistance to the elderly. With such an age, it could be expected that he indeed already have certain health ailments. He used to care for his wife at home who has dementia. However, because of old age, he already has had some problems that have made his health deteriorate. One of the major problems he had to deal with was that of his having a serious operation on his hemia and is now resistant to narcotics. For this reason, he is now bed bound and has the need to be carefully and constantly cared for especially with regards his feeding needs. Because of an immediate arising health problem, his children have sent him to the hospice while their mother whom he used to care for was actually sent in another caring institution. In the hospice, the man seemed to be too weak at first. However with a district progress through the early stages of his stay in the institution, he was able to show that he was more than willing to get better. The outstanding progress that he showed and the willingness he had to get better resulted to him being able to eat alone again and e with himself without care. Within several months time, he certainly regained much of his health back. However, even though he was able to overcome some of his weaknesses, it could not be denied that there are still different aspects of old-age weaknesses that have not been given solution in him yet. There is still a need to motivate him to become more physically fit again. To do so, the hospice staff has arranged a program for elderly individuals like him to be able to attract them into making necessary steps in becoming acquainted with others again and having the right motivation to get up every morning to mingle with others and have a gist for life once again. Understanding The Situation Older people are noted for self-pity. The idea that brings them to depression is usually based form being unable to support their families or their children [young or old] because of their old age. Besides that, it could not be denied that most of these elderly individuals are most often than not concerned as to how they could win the hearts of their family members again amidst the supposed burden that they are subjecting their families into because of their illnesses. Most likely, those who are convinced that they are never going to get back what they lost resort to depression as they wait for their last breath. However, the caregivers for the elderly individuals believe otherwise. The fact that they have reached that old age is already something to rejoice about. Depression from such frustrations would surely bring the physical strength of one down. Yes, certainly, for this reason, there is indeed a grave need to make these elderly individuals realize that even though they are already old-aged, they still have the best potential to regain their self-respect through becoming well again. How The hospice staff believed more on an abstract approach in handling the issue. Through a regularly given examination for older people in the hospice, the caregivers believed that the said individuals that they are caring for would actually be interested in and later on make progress with regards the interest that they have towards life. Through socialization and dealing with other people of the same age, enjoying each other's company, the elderly are expected to make great progress with regards their physical health through mental assistance. Learning Implications Through the process mentioned above, it could be observed that the 86-year-old man being examined herein was able to gain the best kind of therapy that he needs to recover from the illnesses that he had to deal with as an elderly. He began to realize the importance of mingling with other people again and was able to get better physically as well. Certainly, this particular experience has given the author of the paper a vital source of learning and understanding life as a whole. Mainly, the author now believes that approaching the different issues of elderly life could be based on mental powers. Of course, the weakening of the physical strength of the said individuals could not be avoided, especially if they are dealing with certain illnesses. Understandably though, mental power could work well in this situation to keep the individual awake and enthusiastic in being motivated to mingle with other individuals again. Through being able to connect with other people of their own age, they are sure to regain interest is life again thus making them more resistant to depression. Conclusion Because more people are living to grow older, the problems associated with aging increase. In the United States alone, there are now more than 24 million people aged 65 or over. Practically every family is affected by old age, since a family that does not have at least one of its members over the age of 65 is an exception. The census bureau reports that, of these Americans who are over 65 years of age, well over five million women live alone. About one and a half million men also do. Because in many lands older persons are living longer, and there are more of them, the problem of what they should do with their lives is a real one. Many older folks will spend as much time living after age 65 as they did before becoming an adult. What are they to do with all that time Adding to the problem is the fact that the mind does not diminish its powers as fast as the body does. One group of psychologists states that the mind achieves its fullest powers at about 60 years of age, and after that it declines only very slowly. Hence, the problem of how to occupy the mind grows at the very time that the body no longer responds as it used to. Through the primary example case noted in this project, it is indeed truly proven that old age and its distinct effects to the human body could be dealt with successfully through making the mind work regularly. With mental abilities of one remaining alert, one's age would never hinder to one's progress towards a better life's conclusion. References: Scott Louis Diering. (1999). Love Your Patients! Improving Patient Satisfaction with Essential Behaviors That Enrich the Lives of Patients and Professionals. Routledge Publishing. Lewis, Sharon M. Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, Single Volume.(1999). Brooklyn New York. Potter, A. Fundamentals of Nursing. (2000). San Francisco California. Barnes, S. Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process, and Practice, Seventh Study Guide Edition. (2002). Chicago Press. Chicago. Read More