...Elderly and Vulnerability Vulnerability is an idea which means susceptibility and its relationship to health care delivery system. This paper will indentify a vulnerable population; describe the population demographics based on research of professional literature and websites including locals, state or national levels. It will also describe a personal awareness of the population, attitudes, biases, and serotypes; it will state the effect of research on personal attitudes and how it might affect health care delivery. Finally, it will use self reflection to evaluate our perception before after learning about the population. Background of Focal Point Gil Martin in the ‘neighborhood’ is a fifty two year old Hispanic male married to Helen. They have been married for eighteen years. He had a son Mark from the previous marriage and a step daughter Tracy. Gil’s father recently passed away and he has been helping his elderly mother manage her home. While at the mother’s house, Gil suggested to his mother (Mary) to consider moving in with them. Mary accepted the suggestion with happiness but to Gil’s surprise. When Gil got home, he told his wife and was met with a negative reaction. Vulnerable Population The elderly in America are considered to be a vulnerable population in regards to health, wellness and provision of healthcare. While this consideration may sometimes be based on assumptions related to age and wellness, there are increased risk factors that do place a...
Words: 1504 - Pages: 7
...Personal reflections are characterized as learning through experience in gaining new insights and changed perception of self and practices. Reflection can be a difficult experience without the support and guidance of an expert (Johns, 2004). This personal reflection presents an exciting opportunity for me to consider how successful my placement in the intermediate care has been in terms of my own personal learning. By reflecting on the positive aspects of the placement, I will be able to make sense of my personal learning and apply what I have learnt into future careers. At the beginning of my placement I knew very little about intermediate care or services it provided regarding alternatives to hospital care for elderly patients. In preparation for my placement, I visited a local health center and spoke to a therapist who agreed to send me information about intermediate care service. I familiarized myself with the services that are offered by intermediate care, for instance in house provisions and therapist group run services. This helped to alleviate some of my anxiety about the placement that I experienced during my first week, reflecting on my experiences has helped. During my placement I was allocated a mentor who was a knowledgeable and professional nurse. I learnt so much from my mentor, especially what it takes to be a crucial member of a rapid response team of the intermediate care service. Shadowing the mentor gave me the opportunity to observe all the rapid...
Words: 767 - Pages: 4
...nursing management and in this essay we discuss implications of discrimination in nursing care and examine the importance of anti-discriminatory perspectives in nursing. In this paper, the case study I will elaborate is of an elderly woman who was of a non-British ethnic origin and spoke little English. A junior nurse visited her home to provide care but her attitude towards the patient has been discriminatory and abrupt, a situation that calls for serious reflection on the issues of racial discrimination at the clinical setting. The patient was apparently treated with leg ulcer. The questions that have to be considered here are: Where in the observation did discrimination occur and how this could have affected the delivery of care given? And how has discrimination influenced the lady’s care? The concept of anti-discriminatory practice as a contemporary issue within adult nursing is discussed here considering observational evidence and similar case studies. Reflection in Nursing: Reflective practice in nursing is guided by models of reflection. Reflective practice model serves as a framework within which nursing or other management professions can work. Reflective practice model is also a structural framework or learning model that serves the purposes of a profession and is particularly applicable to health related professions. Any portfolio of practice includes a model of reflection as reflection helps in determining what was positive or negative or a learning experience within...
Words: 302 - Pages: 2
...Prescribed Medication and Non Compliance in the Elderly In this article I will reflect on the issues surrounding the non compliance of prescribed medication taking in the elderly and the implications of caring for such patients within the community setting. The model of reflection that I have based my writing upon is Gibbs’ model of reflection (Gibbs 1998) which I feel allows me best, in a methodical and logical way, to explore my thoughts and feelings, to evaluate the care delivery and to reflect upon my actions and those of others. Lily (pseudonym NMC, 2008) was referred to the Rapid Response Team by her General Practitioner with pneumonia; Lily has longstanding respiratory and mental health problems. Rapid Response Teams are part of Intermediate Care, formed as a result of the implementation of the National Service Framework for Older People (DOH, 2002) to prevent unnecessary hospital admission during episodes of acute illness. Lily’s GP had requested that we visit to prompt medication and generally provide assistance during this time. I visited Lily with a colleague, prompted her medication as prescribed and asked if she had taken her other medications that morning. Lily’s other medications were in a dosette box, an aid memoir to medication administration used when multiple drugs are prescribed; each box contains an entire weeks medication and is prefilled by a registered pharmacist (McGraw, Dennan 2001). Lily had two such boxes, one which she had started...
Words: 2450 - Pages: 10
...Preamble Corporate social responsibility: a personal reflection on Clover Mama Afrika E. Vlok & E.M. Kloppers School for Communication Studies Potchefstroom Campus North-West University POTCHEFSTROOM E-mail: Elbe.Kloppers@nwu.ac.za Elain.Vlok@clover.co.za Although corporate social responsibility (CSR) or corporate social investment (CSI), the term preferred by most South African businesses, has been studied from the 1950s, up to date no universally accepted definition has been formulated. However, the basic concepts put forward in the definition of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (2000) are generally accepted as forming the core of CSR. This definition explains that CSR is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families, as well as of the local community and society at large. The South African government’s definition of CSR as proposed in the Draft Codes of Good Practice on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (2005) is closely related to the WBCSD’s definition. It states that social investment (as it is referred to in the document) is “an enterprise’s contributions to society and community that are extraneous to its regular business activities” (Department of Trade and Industry, 2005). This definition furthermore emphasises development as the outcome of CSR and that local communities should be the main beneficiaries of these...
Words: 1899 - Pages: 8
...Later Adulthood Development Report BSHS/325 Late Adulthood starting at 65+ begins to enter different stages of their lives. Aging involves biophysical changes and challenges, senescence and health issues, Pharmaceutical interventions, and closer monitoring of health and wellness. As an individual age they begin to experience Wisdom: Ego vs. Despair, This stage marks a considerable reduction in productivity and is when a person enters the retirement phase. During this stage, adults tend to look back upon their lives to figure whether they have led a successful life. If so, a feeling of contentment and what Erikson called Integrity vs. Prevails on the adult. This reflection; if not positive, leads to a state of despair where nothing can be done to turn back time and change. This stage and reflection can also be marked by regrets if the aging adult is left to feel unaccomplished. A prominent aspect of this stage is also the fear of death, which contributes to the hopelessness that becomes apparent at this stage. An adult's values at this stage are set and firm nothing can alter or change the thought process or the perception with which she/he now views the world. Late adulthood can be marked by menopause and osteoporosis, a reduction in bone density, grey hair, less skin elasticity, and a loss of muscle mass resulting in an increase of body fat. Cognitively, during late adulthood verbal skills such as vocabulary and broad-spectrum knowledge are still intact. However, memory...
Words: 1107 - Pages: 5
...witnessed, and the communication I observed between the Health Practitioner and the residents. Upon arrival at the Village we were given a chart detailing the “conceptual model for registered nurse practice in contemporary aged care environments” as used by the Veterans Village and I immediately realised that the role of Registered Nurse within an aged care facility is multi-faceted. My Grandma lives in an elderly peoples’ home in England where I have visited on numerous occasions. I have never seen a registered nurse in the facility and had made an assumption that they were present only in the Medical Centres and hospitals. According to the RSL village model the registered nurse role is complex; ranging from providing medical treatment and care for the resident to providing spiritual and emotional support for the family, resident, and community (RSL, 2006). I saw a number of ways in which the emotional needs of the residents were catered for, one being the inclusion of animals within the facility. The village housed an enclosure of rabbits and birds, and also several resident pet cats. I feel that giving the residents an opportunity to touch animals is very important as it can bring warmth and companionship to their lives; especially relevant for the elderly who may have lost life partners and friends. The presence of animals has also been found to greatly enhance social interaction and communication between people (Prosser, Staiger & Townsend, 2008) and can be a wonderful way for...
Words: 588 - Pages: 3
...stereotyped into being "an awful life stage that is erroneous, and sadly is a factor in older adults' being treated as "second-class citizens" by some people who are younger" (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010, pg. 588). Moreover, many older adults are very healthy and remain to have an active lifestyle while many still think, feel and act as if they were still in their 50’s. Society tends to respect later adults because of the knowledge of the life they have lived but tends to be frowned upon because of their age. Their social position goes from being a majority to a minority because they have reached late adulthood. Older adults have the status as being a parent and then a grandparent, but now the children take on the role of caring and taking care of their parents during this stage in...
Words: 1187 - Pages: 5
...York teaching Hospital NHS foundation trust, of York is looking for a band 5 dietitian to work in an acute hospital environment. The post holder will take a clinical role in the dietetic and nutrition service in the region of medical, surgical, and care of the elderly patients (NHS Jobs, 2015). The post holder will provide care to both inpatient beds and outpatients. This position entails working in a multidisciplinary team to certify every patient’s necessities are met. Working in a multidisciplinary team can be trying due to several factors, such as dispute with team members, absence of effective communication within a team and dissimilar acuities. To conquer these challenges, I will recurrently communicate and deliver up to date development...
Words: 449 - Pages: 2
...Windshield Survey Summary and Reflection There are many definition that define the community. The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to the community as “ a group of people, often living in a defined geographical area, who may share a common culture, values and norms, and are arranged in a social structure according to relationships which the community has developed over a period of time” (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p.397). The healthy level of the community is called public health, and the responsibilities of public health include assessment, policy development, and assurance (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012). Goals for public health are to promoting healthy status of the community as well as maintaining the community in a balanced healthy environment. The nurses who are employed by either private agencies or government departments to promote community health are the public health nurse. The public health nurse is to serve the community as the client by using the population-centered practice to seek beneficial health changes for the whole community (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012). While working in a community-oriented nursing practice, it is important to work with the community partnerships like professional groups or non-medical groups to help promoting community health. The community that the student conducted the windshield survey is in the city of San Gabriel, Southern California. The City of San Gabriel is home to a population of more than 42,000 with a diverse...
Words: 1028 - Pages: 5
...accepted. Reflection allows a nurse to improve and advance their experiences.This essay aims to discuss patient abuse within aged care facilities and a nurses duty of care are two issues that allow a nurse to reflect and develop their practice skills and person-centered practice. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines elder abuse as a separate or continuous action, or where care is absent within a relationship that requires trust, resulting in physical and emotional violence towards the patient.(World Health Organization, 2018). Nurses hold a duty of care to their patients. They additionally carry a legal obligation...
Words: 1605 - Pages: 7
...Reflection of my Observation visit For my Observational visit I attended K W RCF. For the last six years I have been working in a aged care setting which includes assisting the elderly in their own home. During my visit to K W I concentrated on observing in particular Infection control practices within the care facility, as I am currently working within the community area, and the practices we use are completely different, due to lack readily available equipment. At the entry to the facility I noticed that there were posters on the entry doors requesting that anyone displaying symptoms of cold and flu, not enter the facility. I also noted that located around the entry were several micro-shield dispensers, and posters requesting visitors to please sanitize their hands on entry and exit of the facility. As it states in Stuart, Cheng, Marshall, and Ferguson (2009) “The primary goal of infection control is to protect health care workers (HCWs), other patients and community members from acquiring a potentially serious disease.” This is a practice I was already aware of, and my observation visit just reinforced the practice. The Clinical nurse educator for the company took our group for a tour of the facility, where she pointed out several features including the facility’s wellness centre, where she explained that a local Co-op doctor’s service practiced weekly, for staff and residents of the facility. We were then informed about the annual program for providing flu...
Words: 626 - Pages: 3
...Gibbs Reflective Assignment On Non-Verbal Communication With A Patient With Demenita Introduction This assignment is a reflective account of my first experience when assisting a patient to eat lunch. For the purpose of this assignment I will refer to this patient as Mrs C to maintain confidentiality and comply with the NMC code (2008). It will discuss the importance of non-verbal communication when providing effective nursing care to the elderly. Description Thoughts and Feelings Evaluation I felt this first experience was very rewarding and a big learning curve for me in caring for others. I was delighted that I had been able to support Mrs C to eat nearly all of her meal which she clearly enjoyed. The ‘protected mealtime’ policy ensured that I had time to dedicate to assist her and as she did not have the ability to feed herself, without my help she would have eaten very little or nothing at all. In order to communicate with Mrs C, I modified the usual rules of communication. I did not speak to Mrs C in an inappropriate way or use elder talk which may have damaged her self esteem and confidence (Argle 1994). I talked to her as I would address any adult but put more emphasis on non-verbal communication which according to Caris Verhallen (1999) is the main way in which humans communicate, in order for her to receive my message, extract the meaning and give me feedback. By holding Mrs C’ gaze I was maintaining communication and encouraging engagement and interaction...
Words: 7488 - Pages: 30
... "Late adulthood is a time of reflection, enjoying friends, family, and grandchildren, and maintaining health in preparation for the final years of the lifespan. Although genetics play a significant role in the quality of life during these final years, individuals who modify destructive lifestyles and embark on healthier options will experience an improvement in their health and sense of wellbeing (Berger, 2008). During this stage of adulthood, older adults remain socially active and independent rather than subjecting themselves to isolation and withdrawal (Berger, 2008). As more aging adults continue to live healthy, socially active lives and maintain important family roles, it is important to refrain from stereotypical thought and the negativity of ageism, which can contribute to their premature decline. With technology and high quality medical care, aging adults continue to be a valuable resource for younger generations. Healthy habits and daily routines are essential for promoting health and wellness into late adulthood. Smoking, excessive drinking, lack of exercise, and overeating cost many individuals their ability to maintain an active and independent lifestyle as they age (Berger, 2008). Exercise and a healthy diet avert many common diseases and increases energy in the elderly. Changing daily habits, even late in life can help diminish some of the effects of aging (Berger, 2008). According...
Words: 1416 - Pages: 6
...a high rate of abuse among the elderly population, with even more cases unreported. Unfortunately, elderly people are abused in our country on a daily basis. They are abused by their friends, relatives, and caregivers, either in their homes or assisted living facilities. It is quite difficult for people to understand how elderly people are being abused without knowing the cause, effects and solutions to the issue. The purpose of this paper is to help one understand what causes elder abuse, the effects it has, and possible solutions to the issue. This way we may completely understand and prevent it from happening. Elder Abuse can include physical or emotional abuse by the caregiver. The elderly are also exploited financially. Abuse may range from neglect, in which the caregiver does not provide adequate care related to ADL’s, to more severe forms such as physical/sexual abuse. Understanding what elder abuse entails is important. It will help to identify the issue and prevent the person from becoming another statistic; which will also help prevent abuse of elderly people in the future. It’s inevitable that we ourselves and our family members will all grow older. In understanding this, there are many decisions to be made. Among one of the most difficult and perhaps most important decisions is where the elder person will live and how long-term care needs will be met. When the elderly person in our lives is no longer capable of performing self-care needs independently due to the...
Words: 2133 - Pages: 9
