Characteristics and Challenges of Geriatric Patients and Nursing Considerations
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Characteristics and Challenges of Geriatric Patients and Nursing Considerations
As age advances, people tend to develop various health issues which are associated with a decline in body functionality. As aging progresses, complications associated with old age set in common for people over 65years old. At this stage, humans are characterized by illnesses that affect them both physically and psychologically which may significantly interfere with their autonomy. Therefore, aging is depicted with illnesses and abuses, however, careful nursing considerations in geriatric care are expected to mitigate the effects.
Aging is associated with ailments that deter normal operations of a person. Although geriatric age is distinguished to start from 65 years, most people tend to start exhibiting associated conditions at a later age. Common diseases among older people are hearing impairment, poor eyesight, osteoarthritis, respiratory complications, diabetes, and dementia (WHO, 2021). These complications affect the old physically and mentally and may occur simultaneously also referred to as geriatric syndromes (WHO, 2021). Geriatric patients due to diseases’ effects exhibit high dependency on physical aid and are psychologically distressed.
The decline in physical and mental abilities among the old exposes them to exploitation due to memory challenges and makes them vulnerable to other forms of abuse. Elder abuse is in physical, psychological, and sexual forms, financial exploitation, and neglect (Lachs & Pillemer, 2015). Physical and sexual abuses are bound to cause bodily harm while psychological abuse and neglect are causes of emotional pain. Financial exploitation leads to mismanagement of the elderly possessions such as money the misdoings are resultant of conditions such as dementia that jeopardize a geriatric patient’s mental capacity.
Appropriate nursing considerations should be put down in caring for geriatric patients to win their confidence in the process. To achieve efficacy in geriatric care, emphasis should be on patient and family, the process, and self-care development (Purfarzad et al., 2019). Nurses should be patient and family-oriented to assure the old patients’ comfort through the treatment process through family incorporation, supportiveness, and timeliness in making responses to patient health and basic needs. Process-centered care focuses on comprehensive health examinations and supporting the old socially with self-care development essential in ensuring nurses are considerate in drugs administered to the old patients. Therefore the role of nursing in offering effective geriatric care.
References
Lachs, M., & Pillemer, K. (2015). Elder Abuse. New England Journal Of Medicine, 373(20), 1947-1956. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmra1404688
Purfarzad, Z., Bahrami, M., Keshvari, M., & Rafiei, M. (2019). The components of nursing competence in caring for older people in Iranian hospitals: A qualitative study. Iranian Journal of Nursing And Midwifery Research, 24(2), 124. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_83_18
WHO. (2021). Ageing and health. Who.int. Retrieved 2 June 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health#:~:text=Common%20conditions%20in%20older%20age,conditions%20at%20the%20same%20time.