Professional Perspectives in the Care of the Older Person - Term Paper Example

Professional Perspectives in the Care of the Older Person Student’s Name: ID Number: Lecturer: Date: Professional Perspectives in the Care of the Older Person Introduction There is significant increase in number of older people in United Kingdom as a result of improvement in life expectancy rate. Note that most people who are sixty five years and above face various health and social challenges that call for special attention from care givers (Cameron, Murray, Gillespie, Robertson, Hill, Cumming, & Kerse 2010). At this age, people struggle with adaptation problem after retirement, loss of spouses & friends and chronic ailments among other challenges. Some even face extreme social problems such as rejection from family members which make the matter worse (Moyle, Borbasi, Wallis, Olorenshaw, & Gracia 2011). In respect of this, most of them prefer living in nursing homes where they can access social and health care from professionals. In delivering proper care to the older persons, it is necessary to understand some of the health and social challenges that are common to them. At this age, significant percentage of them complains of pain in several parts of the body such as legs and back. Some even find it difficult to walk without any assistance. Others who may have chronic diseases from childhood suffer from severe pain since such ailments are usually at their peak (Nilsson, Rasmussen, & Edvardsson 2013). In addition, due to loss of spouse, most of them develop social and psychological problems. Loneliness and lack of family support are among the aspects that contribute to this situation. These cases are increasing at a high rate in UK and other developed countries across the world. There is therefore increasing need for social and health care for these people. To provide essential care for older people, it is vital for the nurses, social workers and other relevant professionals to clearly understand these challenges. Such understanding enhances service delivery to patients (Low, Pattenden, Candy, Beattie, & Jones 2011). This assessment provides professional perspective necessary for care of people in this particular age group. It also enumerates advantages of such perspectives in the life of both patients and their families at large (Leathard 2013). Reflection The assessment provides information on general care of older person in clinical setting. In particular, it dwells on that older adult who is going through various social and physical challenges. These social challenges include life after retirement, loss of a spouse and close friends as well as lack of family support since children lives far from home. Some of the identifiable health challenges this particular person is facing include communication difficulty, severe muscle pain and walking difficulty. Throughout this paper, several aspects of care to this person are provided. There is also involvement of various professionals to deal with each problem separately. Moreover, there is significant role of a nurse in ensuring proper pain management and other essential therapies (Nilsson, Rasmussen, & Edvardsson 2013). Description of the event The social work department received the information concerning the older adult who was in urgent need of care. Concerned neighbour provided the details of the patient’s address so that social workers could access the house easily. Surprisingly, the old man was alone in the house lying in bed. From the look of things, he was in great pain and distress for a long time. The case needed urgent social support and healthcare to alleviate the distress. In respect of this case, there was need to transfer the older person from his home to a nearby nursing home. According to social workers who were handling the case, nursing home environment could help the man get constant attention from care providers. After thorough diagnosis, nurses discovered the need for multidisciplinary approach. This is the situation where various professionals such as psychologists, counsellors and nurses were required to provide the much needed service to the older person (Leathard 2013). In other words, the patient required palliative approach which provides holistic care to the patient. The patient was able to receive social, physical, spiritual and psychological support while undergoing treatment (Lillis, LeMone, LeBon, & Lynn, 2010). Feelings and Thoughts Due to this unfortunate event, I was able to develop critical and analytical assessment of the problem. Before the involvement of other professionals such as counsellors and psychologists, there was a growing concern about the complexity of the case. There was a growing concern about the complexity of the case. The task was heavy and hectic for nurses alone. Despair in the face of my colleagues demoralised me to an extent that I was almost giving up. After carrying out the initial diagnosis and vital treatment, there was a suggestion of incorporating professionals of other disciplines in this case. Each case that was detected during diagnosis was to be handled separately (Leathard 2013). This provided a sigh of relief to me and the hope was revived. Signs of pain relief from patient provided courage to me as a nurse. There was drastic reduction of pain mainly because of administration of effective pain killers. This eased the situation and the patient could start communicating though with a lot of difficulty. Unlike earlier experience where the patient was in great pain, we could try to make simple conversation. This made me feel better and could sense the improvement of the patient. Psychologists and counsellors made the difference by taking the patient through several sessions. As a result, the patient could understand his situation better and appreciate his condition. To me this was the greatest milestone since there were signs of recovery from his face and in turn it made me happy and excited. Involvement of different social workers and counsellors also provided moral and cordial support not only to the patient but to me as a nurse. I felt the warmth of other people around me who assisted in taking care of the older person. Frustration disappeared completely and I could work with confidence that other professionals are there for me. When the ailment is tackled from different perspectives, it becomes easy to manage it. The role of nurses is simple such that they only concentrate on providing health care and basic social support. Psychological and spiritual issues that may be complicated are dealt with by relevant professionals (Cameron, Murray, et al 2010). If all these issues could be left under my care, situation could be worse. In providing nursing care, nurses also need support from other professionals especially when dealing with critical cases. Without such support, the patient may even fail to respond to medication which is frustrating for nurses (Gardiner, Cobb, Gott, & Ingleton 2011). For now, I am able to offer a better service since I understand precisely the problem of older patient than before. Whatever the patient is going through is well known to me hence can provide the necessary care. This is due to briefs from every professional who handles the patient. They ensure the nurse gets the crucial information since I am the one in charge of patient’s care. Consequently, for now I feel competent to handle the case as well as assist others with similar condition. I have the sufficient information from reliable professionals particularly concerning the patient. Analysis of the Case Obviously, pain management is the most urgent exercise when handling older person in clinical setting. In this particular case, this was addressed by administration of relevant medication which relieved pain. This contributed to patient’s composure and concentration such that he was able to cooperate with health workers. Note that this is an ideal aspect in nursing since there must be cooperation between patients and nurses (Brereton, Gardiner, Gott, Ingleton, Barnes, & Carroll 2012). As a result, nursing professionals are able to carry out proper medication. Again, there is an aspect of patient-centred care as integral part of professional perspective in nursing. It can only be possible in environment where there is cooperation between the nurse and patients (Pulvirenti, McMillan, & Lawn, 2011). Fast pain relief was the greatest milestone in this process since it enabled the patient to cooperate and concentrate on the treatment. Involvement of other relevant professionals also contributed to the success of the process. There was faster response of psychologists and counsellors who provided their service to the patient. Proper counselling was carried out until the older patient could accept the reality hence was able to cope with prevailing circumstances. Issues of death of a spouse and close friends were scrutinised during counselling session. Consequently, there was drastic improvement due to change of attitude. The patient started responding positively to the treatment hence management of the situation became easier in the long-run. This is one of the advantages of using palliative approach when handling patients. It emphasise on dealing with root cause of the problem from different perspectives. Age appropriate care was another aspect that contributed significantly to the impressive improvement of patient’s condition. We were able to single out several health and social challenges that are common to older people. We addressed these challenges separately and in details which led to physical and mental improvement of the patient. Age appropriate care is where the patient is given special treatment depending on the social and physical needs of specific age-group. Nurses are in position to deal with particular age-related challenges hence high chances of quick improvement (Nilsson, Rasmussen, & Edvardsson 2013). This kind of care perspective is among the factors that led to successful treatment and support process. On the other hand, the process could not incorporate family members of the patient since no-one was available. Normally, palliative approach caters for both patients and immediate family members or home care givers (Lindahl, Lidèn, & Lindblad, 2011). The patient had adult children who live far from him and at that time we could not access them. Nurses and other social workers concentrated with patient only. Initially there was no deliberate effort to find patient’s children. The urgent need for nursing care actually contributed to this circumstance. However, there is a need to take the immediate family through social support and counselling with an aim of preventing the occurrence of the situation. At least members of the family could get counselling on the need to take care of the older person in terms of offering social support to avoid loneliness (Steen, Radbruch, Hertogh, Boer, Hughes, Larkin & Volicer 2013). Evaluation of the Case Initially, care of the older person was the responsibility of the immediate family members and the respective community (Lindahl, Lidèn, & Lindblad, 2011). However, things have changed and this responsibility has been passed on to nursing homes and hospitals. Basically, home environment is ideal and preferable in the case of older person. It is more convenient in terms of adaptation than when one is in the hospital. Nowadays, older persons usually prefer being in nursing home where he or she can get sufficient attention whenever in need. Separation of adult children from their parents is among the aspects that have led to shift of this responsibility (Rydeman, Törnkvist, Agreus, & Dahlberg 2012). In reference to this case, the patient had no one to share experiences hence deterioration of social and physical health. From this particular experience, there is need for all health facilities across the world to adopt age appropriate care using palliative approach. The approach enables the patient to expose all issues they go through thus giving care providers an opportunity to realise exact need of the patient (Holland, & Hogg 2010). It also allows interaction of nurses, patients, family members and other professionals. It is an interactive process which develops deeper interest of providing care especially to older patients. The nurse is not left alone in this approach due to support from psychologists and counsellors among other health and social workers. Consequently, nurses do not develop fatigue in the course of their duty due to constant interaction during consultations (Gardiner, Cobb, et al 2011). In the long run, there is a shared advantage between the care providers, patients and family members. There was a negative experience during initial stages of care process. Since it was the first time to handle such situation, there was a feeling of despair due to patient’s agony and distress. The pain was too much and challenges were beyond my imagination. My colleagues could also not help in this situation since they also lacked sufficient experience in handling extreme cases. There were lapses in communication both with the patient and other nurses which caused unnecessary delay in offering support to the patient. Nevertheless, after carrying out diagnosis and cross-examination of the patient, the situation became simpler. Administration of pain killers through injection also helped in relieving agony in patient. This was the beginning of successful process due to signs of improvement and patient’s cooperation. From this experience, it was realised that communication difficulty was due to extreme pain which could not allow the patient to concentrate on any conversation. Failure to make a follow-up on patient’s family members especially children was another pitfall on nursing part. Palliative care is not considered complete until everybody concerned with the patient’s ailment is brought on board (Holland, & Hogg 2010). Although the case was still handled successfully, members of his family were not involved. For this reason, chances are high for the re-occurrence of psychological related challenges due to loneliness. For sustainable results, the patient requires social family support where he can share his feelings and thoughts. Lack of such support may develop other ailments and disorders (Griffiths, Knight, Harwood, & Gladman 2013). Conclusion Professional perspectives in care of older person include age appropriate care, palliation as well as patient-centred approach. Each of these approaches plays an essential role in achieving impressive results after treatment and support process. Age-appropriate care singles out particular health and social challenges that contribute to individual ailment in specific age-group. Patient-centred approach on the other hand entails involvement of the patient or close relatives about every aspect of treatment (Marshall, Zeitz, & Kitson 2011). This is where communication comes in such that patient is aware of every aspect that concerns the on-going treatment (Holland, & Hogg 2010). The patient may be given several treatment options and allowed to provide his personal input. Finally, palliative approach recognises the use of different professionals to deal with each problem separately (Gardiner, Cobb, et al 2011). It is a pro-active approach which seeks to provide sustainable solution as well as proper management of pain. End life support is also provided through palliative approach which gives support to both patients and family members (Low, Pattenden, et al, 2011). Combination of all these approaches produces professional approach in the care of older person. In this case, element of professional perspective was evident although not complete due to nursing failure during initial stages (Gardiner, Cobb, et al 2011). There was an aspect of multi-disciplinary approach which is palliation. There was also singling out special needs of older person which necessitated involvement of psychologists and other care givers. However, this could not be successful without critical role of a nurse. Nursing professional carries out the diagnosis to identify all these challenges (McCormack, Manley, & Titchen 2013). It is the role of a nurse to consult and demand the attention of other professionals. In this respect, the nurse is the major link between the patient and other parties. Nurse plays a central role in providing professional health and social care to patients in clinical setting. He or she also conducts follow-up program especially after discharge from the health facility (Rydeman, Törnkvist, et al 2012). This implies that one cannot ignore the important role of a nurse in providing health and social care using professional perspectives. The first twenty four hours of admission are always important to the care process. They affect the rate of patient’s recovery hence final outcome. In this regard, nurses should exercise professionalism during this particular period. Lose of composure and confusion complicates the whole process due to unnecessary delay. The nurse may even fail to record basic observation when conducting initial diagnosis which is crucial to the treatment. Initial delay caused by nurses remains a drawback and essential lesson for future practice. There was no patience on the side of nurses since they got frustrated too early. They even never communicated with family members whose details would be provided by the neighbour who alerted social work department on this fateful event. Action Plan There was need for taking the matter professionally by being relaxed and composed. The neighbour could be asked to either trace patient’s children or provide address details. This could help them get to the bottom of the matter and be aware of their parent’s situation. It could also help the health workers to know more details from the family. This could deliver timely care to the patient thus helps in achieving sufficient benefits of professional perspectives in nursing (McPhee, & Papadakis 2010). In the event the similar or the same case arises, things would be different. Maybe a different approach would be necessary where that patient will be taken through thorough process. Unlike this case, the nurse may access further details concerning the patient from the children or those who know him better. In the process, all challenges are addressed comprehensively. Note that this may not be possible in absence of accurate information which the nurse may not access from the patient alone (Holland, & Hogg 2010). It requires involvement of family members where nurses consult them whenever they feel there is need for extra information. At the same time, family members receive counselling on how to take care of the older person at home (Lindahl, Lidèn, & Lindblad, 2011). This is necessary since it prevents regular occurrence of the same challenges. Personal experience is vital in delivering satisfactory care in nursing. Professional perspectives recognise the need to apply professional ethics as well as exercising caution in the course of duty. These aim at providing sufficient support to the patients in old age and better working environment for nurses. Advantages that come along with professional perspectives are shared among all parties in the care of older person. Reference Brereton, L., Gardiner, C., Gott, M., Ingleton, C., Barnes, S., & Carroll, C. (2012). The hospital environment for end of life care of older adults and their families: an integrative review. Journal of advanced nursing, 68(5), 981-993. Cameron, I. D., Murray, G. R., Gillespie, L. D., Robertson, M. C., Hill, K. D., Cumming, R. G., & Kerse, N. (2010). Interventions for preventing falls in older people in nursing care facilities and hospitals. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 1. Gardiner, C., Cobb, M., Gott, M., & Ingleton, C. (2011). Barriers to providing palliative care for older people in acute hospitals. Age and ageing, 40(2), 233-238. Griffiths, A., Knight, A., Harwood, R., & Gladman, J. R. (2013). Preparation to care for confused older patients in general hospitals: a study of UK health professionals. Age and ageing, aft171. Holland, K., & Hogg, C. (2010). Cultural awareness in nursing and health care: an introductory text. London: Hodder Arnold. Leathard, A. (Ed.). (2013). Interprofessional collaboration: from policy to practice in health and social care. Routledge. Lillis, C., LeMone, P., LeBon, M., & Lynn, P. (2010). Study Guide for Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Lindahl, B., Lidèn, E., & Lindblad, B. M. (2011). A meta‐synthesis describing the relationships between patients, informal caregivers and health professionals in home‐care settings. Journal of clinical nursing, 20(3‐4), 454-463. Low, J., Pattenden, J., Candy, B., Beattie, J. M., & Jones, L. (2011). Palliative care in advanced heart failure: an international review of the perspectives of recipients and health professionals on care provision. Journal of cardiac failure, 17(3), 231-252. Marshall, A., Zeitz, K., & Kitson, A. (2011). MISSION‐patient centred care‐myth or reality. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 9(3), 314-315. McCormack, B., Manley, K., & Titchen, A. (Eds.). (2013). Practice Development in Nursing and Healthcare. John Wiley & Sons. McPhee, S. J., & Papadakis, M. A. (Eds.). (2010). Current medical diagnosis & treatment 2010. McGraw-Hill Medical. Moyle, W., Borbasi, S., Wallis, M., Olorenshaw, R., & Gracia, N. (2011). Acute care management of older people with dementia: a qualitative perspective. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20(3‐4), 420-428. Nilsson, A., Rasmussen, B. H., & Edvardsson, D. (2013). Falling behind: a substantive theory of care for older people with cognitive impairment in acute settings. Journal of clinical nursing, 22(11-12), 1682-1691. Pulvirenti, M., McMillan, J., & Lawn, S. (2011). Empowerment, patient centred care and self‐management. Health Expectations. Rydeman, I., Törnkvist, L., Agreus, L., & Dahlberg, K. (2012). Being in-between and lost in the discharge process—An excursus of two empirical studies of older persons’, their relatives’, and care professionals’ experience. International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 7. van der Steen, J. T., Radbruch, L., Hertogh, C. M., de Boer, M. E., Hughes, J. C., Larkin, P., ... & Volicer, L. (2013). White paper defining optimal palliative care in older people with dementia: A Delphi study and recommendations from the European Association for Palliative Care. Palliative medicine, 0269216313493685. Read More