Safety,Communication and Placement for the Older Adult - Essay Example

Safety, Communication and Placement for the Older Adult Safety, Communication and Placement for the Older Adult Discharge refers to releasing the patient from a health care facility after undergoing a treatment. It should be done such that there will be less chances of the patient to be readmitted. There are simple discharges – those which a patient will be allowed to go home with no plans of follow-ups and home delivery – and complex discharges – ,which patients needs extra care and referral to a care facility. Discharge planning is meant to decide the requirements of a patient when there is a transition from the health care facility to a different environment. As the case manager, my colleagues and I analyze the information got from Mr. Trosack and his family. We identified the health care issues to consider when devising the discharge plan. One of the issues is that Mr. Trosack has a hearing impairment on his left ear and does not have an accurate eyesight. This is because he wears glasses when reading. This is an imperative issue to consider in formulating a discharge plan. If Mr. Trosack is to go to a referral facility, they have to be informed on this condition so that proper care can be accorded to him. For instance he may decide to stroll around the facility some day and a hurrying vehicle can injure him because he will not hear the caution from the driver. They also need notify him the time to take the prescribed drugs, as he may not be able to read for the time well. The other issue is that he has been diagnosed with hypertension and non-insulin dependent diabetes. There were prescriptions given to him to control the conditions. The discharge plan has to include these prescriptions and someone who will be ensuring that he is given the medicine. It has been found that Mr. Trosack does not complete his doses because during the assessment of his home, the bathroom cabinet was filled with old prescriptions. This provides evidence that he needs proper follow up in his discharge plan. Mr. Trosack’s apartment is small and has many memorabilia of the second world war. This is a health issue to consider because a person being discharge needs a comfortable place. The place should have plenty of space to help the patient avoid much struggle when moving around. A recovering patient should not be subjected to anything that will trigger negative emotions. The souvenirs in Mr. Trosack’s apartment will definitely keep him thinking. This will alter the smooth recovery process that he is meant to undergo. He should be having things or people to help him affirm that his health will get better and not the memorabilia. It was evident from the assessment that his close family – his son and son’s wife do not visit Mr. Trosack regularly. This is an important health issue to address, since there are times when he might need an emergency. This is reinforced by the fact that Mr. Trosack lives in the second floor of an apartment. His hip condition does not need disturbance which might be caused by the movement upstairs. From the findings, his food is not kept at the apartment but at the bakery. Given that he is overweight these factors should be given consideration when formulating his discharge plan. Apart from the case manager, there are other important interdisciplinary team members to help determine a suitable discharge plan for Mr. Trosack. A social worker will be needed in the team. The social worker will work together with the team to give psychosocial support to the patient and the family. They will also be helpful in providing services in the hospital before the discharge. Such service is like convincing the patient and his family of the importance of a care after discharge. A dietitian would aslo be necessary to coach the patient especially given his diabetic condition. They will advise the kind of diet required in the plan. Physicians will be needed to check the condition of the patient and recommend the best discharge plan. Rehabilitation nurse will be helpful to provide health to give the reality of referral facility as thye have dealt with them before (Hospital for Special Care, 2011). The size of Mr. Trosack’s apartment is small and it would not be prudent to be discharged there. Adequate space with no souvenirs is imperative to ensure quick recovery of the patient. His emotions should not be distorted by the memorabilia found at his home and another place is preferable for discharge. His apartment has no elevator and his recently operated hip might not tolerate the stairs. Groceries are not in the apartment which would make it harder for him to access them whenever he needs a meal. The bathroom has no safety measures and since his family does not visit frequently, this poses a danger in his safety. Mr Trosack, in his current condition, uses a walker to move. The condition at his apartment is not suitable to let him be discharged there. Mr. Trosack needs constant attention, which his family may not be able to give. Peter and his wife seem to be busy. The patient needs personalized care such as toileting and eating. This will be impossible because they are not frequent visitors. He also needs companionship and emotional care to avoid being preoccupied with issues that could trigger negative emotions. household care is also important as he cannot clean and cook for himself. His family cannot be able to provide such care for him since they are very busy (Family Caregiver Alliance, 2009). Social isolation will decrease the self-esteem of the patient as he will think that he is being discriminated because of his condition. This will lead to slow recovery or lack of it because when they are isolated, mental stability. When they are alone they will be vulnerable to stress and eventually depression. This will lower the rate of recovery. Psychological factors have a role to play in the recovery process. Positive factors such as affirmations will help the patient imagine they are well and this can be realized because they will not have emotional stress. To achieve this, they can be placed with other people to interact with and psychological counselors to help them with affirmations. Mr. Trosack should be discharged to a referral facility to help him fully recover from his condition. His family cannot give adequate attention to him because they are so busy. His apartment is not suitable for his hip condition due to stairs and small space, and thus cannot use the walker. He needs proper diet because of the diabetic condition. He should also be in a place where someone will give him the prescriptions because he does not finish his doses and the family does not believe in timely intake of prescribed drugs. The best suitable discharge place for him is a referral facility where he will be able to get the personalized care. References Family Caregiver Alliance. (2009). Hospital Discharge Planning: A Guide for Families and Caregivers. Retrieved from . Hospital for Special Care. (2011). Interdisciplinary Team. Retrieved from < http://hfsc.org/areas-specialization/complex-pediatric-care/your-special-care-team>. Read More