Sunrise Assisted Living - Essay Example

? Sunrise Assisted Living Field s # 3 Dora Amoah NSG 420: Nursing in the Community Debbie Gamboa April 26, Sunrise Assisted Living Setting Sunrise assisted living is a private facility located in Arlington that provides care and services to senior residents with monthly charges, residents who are mostly senior over the age of 65 years of age or older. Most of the residents are diagnosed with illnesses, for example, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease for which the facility provides tender loving care in an atmosphere, which is like their home environment thus encouraging independence and a nurturing spirit to these residents. The facility ensures that it preserves the resident’s dignity and respect. I had the privilege to collaborate with Wendy, who gave me a brief introduction of the facility and the rules and regulations that I had to abide to in the facility. During this time, Wendy who was the point of contact provided an updated plan which outlined the activities to be conducted. The first day’s activities included playing bingo, exercising, word games and cherry blossom sight seeing in Washington DC. Such activities helped with memory stimulation and social learning. My time at the facility was well spent through interaction with residents as we played varied games, and shared stories. Assessment As I entered the facility, I fell in love with the place. It was neat and well decorated, and there was a grand piano at the lobby. Some of the residents were sitting at the lobby reading newspapers and socializing together while others were still in the dinning room having breakfast. The small puppy started barking and jumping because it had seen a stranger. I observed that many of the residents were at risk of falling due to unsteady gait. Many of the residents used walkers or electronic wheelchairs. One of the residents approached me and asked if I needed any assistance. I kindly told him that I was a student from Stratford University and that I was there for clinical attachment, and I would like to see Wendy. The resident escorted me to Wendy without any hesitation. Wendy informed me of the various activities that will be taking place today such as word game, bingo, exercising and cherry blossom sightseeing in Washington D.C. These various activities helped the residents to socialize with the staff and other residents at the same time making them physically active. This is with the realization that cognitive activities help them stay physically and mentally strong. As for other residents, cognitive impairment and diminished mental status makes it difficult for some residents to enjoy the activities provided, thus, creating a distraction for other residents. The staff members were extremely pleasant and courteous to the residents, through interactions that were respectable and courteous. During the word game, I selected a couple of residents to spell certain English words. English being my second language was extremely challenging, but with their assistance the word game went on successfully. Some of the words spelt out were new to me as I had by no means used them before, but one of the residents educated me on the implication of the new terminology. At the end of the game, I thanked the residents and showed them how grateful I was to have the opportunity to interact with them. During the assessment, I noticed that most of the residents had memory loss making it difficult to perform daily activities. It was noted that the facility was well staffed to assist the residents that needed assistance with activities of daily living. Wendy informed me that some of the residents use the stairs to go up to their rooms. I found this idea unsafe for the residents since a majority of them have unsteady gait and balance making them prone to accidents and falls. Another potential problem observed was the risk of elopement since these residents were allowed to go and sit in the porch by themselves without any supervision. Strength The strength I observed in this community is that all residents were well groomed and nourished. The residents appeared very happy looking forward to seeing their loved ones visiting them during the weekend. One of the residents confided in me that her grand children visit every weekend. I had the opportunity to interact with several residents during the set activities, and they were highly alert and articulate. These residents were physically and mentally strong as compared to other people in their age bracket. A facility like this relieves the burden on the family members thus ensuring that their loved ones are well taken care off. Diagnosis There was a high risk of falling due to the residents’ general weakness and unsteady gait. Due to lack of muscle strength, most of the residents were prone to falling, and many sustained serious injuries such as hip fractures, which in turn decreased the activities set out to strengthen daily living. There was a notable self-care deficit related to cognitive impairment as evidenced by nearly all residents depending on the staff members for their basic needs. The disease progression has caused the residents, who were once productive members of society to lose their basic skills and reasoning to perform tasks for themselves. Plan, Intervention and Evaluation Primary intervention for this population consists of promoting health and preventing injuries. An example of this includes exercising to promote muscle relaxation by strengthening the joints to prevent a decrease in muscle atrophy. These can be achieved by doing light exercises while sitting in the chair. Secondary prevention can be achieved by screening residents prior to admission to the facility. PPD is given to any resident that has tuberculosis. Flu vaccine is given yearly during the flu season to prevent one from getting the flu. Tertiary prevention consists of taking medication to control disease such as blood pressure and urinary tract infections. All these interventions are effective since residents are able to abide to the medication thus enabling administration management to keep the disease under control. I did not encounter any resident with serious infectious diseases. Clinical Objectives The clinical objectives, which I found to be helpful, are to identity the health care needs and incorporation of professional standards in the assisted living community. This was achieved by assisting the residents with daily exercises to prevent muscle stiffness and promote relaxation of the joints. The word game promotes cognitive stimulation for this age’s population and self esteem. Course Topics The two-course topics that can be applied consist of nurse promoting health awareness and disease prevention, to facilitate coping, and to restore health. This was achieved by promoting healthy meals and encouraging fluid intake provided there was no contraindication with the disease process. Most elderly people are at risk for skin breakdown, therefore, frequent incontinent care should be provided to prevent future skin breakdown. As nurses, we do a full head to toe assessment daily to meet the basic needs of these residents. This intervention includes primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. It is imperative to educate the resident of the importance of adherence to medication management and using call light for assistance to prevent potential falls. Screening residents for cognitive impairment in order to provide the basic needs is highly crucial. Those that are risk of elopement require a guard in place to alert staff when a resident is attempting to leave the facility. Tertiary prevention can offer a referral to those residents in need of therapy for further evaluation and treatment to decrease muscle atrophy. Conclusion My experience at Sunrise Assisted Living was incredibly rewarding. The staff and residents were very friendly and welcomed me as a member of their team. I was also educated on how different fluid and snacks were served throughout the day. Since dehydration is a major problem in this population, providing adequate fluid is extremely vital. I was able to establish a rapport with some of the residents, many of whom wished me good luck. Reference Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2012). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in Community. Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Read More