Implement and Monitor Nursing Care for Elder Patients
Question 1
A common negative attitude that the society has is the association of the elderly with ill health and death. Many people assume that the older adults are weak, sick and always in constant fear of death. The society assumes that the older people constantly require support due to their decline in physical ability or other competencies such as hearing eyesight. This assumption contributes to the formation of a negative attitude towards all the elderly despite evidence that suggests the older people have the ability to live long and independent lives (Lyons, 2009). The implication is that the assumption made by the society is a myth as opposed to being the reality.
Another negative attitude within the society is the assumption that the elderly are mentally incapacitated. The attitude is informed by the stereotype that associated aging with declined mental ability. The old people are therefore assumed to be intellectually lacking when compared to younger people. This argument is faulty since young people also have instances of memory loss just like the elderly and are not assumed to be mentally incapable. The attitude that the elderly have poor cognitive functioning is ill informed since literature suggests that such adults have very valuable experience and wisdom (Lyons, 2009).
The first way through which Enrolled nurses may assist the development of positive attitudes towards older persons is by integration of concepts of leadership in their practice. Transformational leadership entails a leader who applies charisma to offer institutional vision and direction, which contributes to transforming organizations (Welford, 2014). When gerontological nurses apply transformational leadership concepts, they can contribute to wider organizational change to view the elderly more positively. Enrolled nurses can also opt to engage in practice development whereby they focus on services that are highly beneficial to the older patients. Through such activities, they can become role models for the society, showing the wider society how to treat the older people (Welford, 2014).
Question 2
The HACC Program is an assortment of services that are geared towards offering support to the older adults and other people with disabilities to ensure that they live comfortably in their homes, independently. The program enables an older adult to engage in everyday activities that would otherwise have required them to be moved to nursing homes or various forms of residential care. The program offers the said services to the point where they become impracticable.
One of the services offered in the program includes aged care assessment. This is a service that enlists the help of a team to cooperate with the medical advisors of the elder adults. The purpose of this cooperation is to identify ways through which the older adult can live fully independently. Some other activities within this service include giving advise on aids and equipment for older adults, guidance on home modification and offering career support. Besides, the service ensures that the individuals get informed on financial issues while accessing various educational and recreational activities within their communities (Low, Yap, & Brodaty, 2011).
The HACC Community Transport is another service available for the aged people and arises from the difficulty the people have in using public transport services. Through this service, door-to-door transportation can be provided for individuals going for medical check-ups, therapy, and shopping. The HACC Program also allows for collaboration with the government with other independent community service providers, who may offer various care packages. Some of the typical packages targeting the older adults include Community Aged Care Package, Extended Age Care in the Home and Extended Age Care in the Home with a focus on Dementia (Low, Yap, & Brodaty, 2011).
Question 6
Emotional abuse, on the other hand, refers to the Verbal or nonverbal actions targeting the older adults, which results in mental distress. Another form of abuse is financial, where a caregiver or any other individual in a trusting relationship with the older adult illegally uses the older person resources. Another form of abuse is neglect where the person required to offer help fails to meet the essential needs of the older person (Elder Abuse: Definitions, n.d).
Question 7
The Older Americans Act (OAA) can be viewed as the American legislation that focuses on the protection of the rights of Aged Care Residence. The act came into place in 1965 and has undergone various revisions. The act supports a variety of services that should be provided to the elderly whether at home or through community-based service providers. These programs include abuse prevention, feeding programs, legal services and transportation. The act also helps the elderly avoid institutionalization, which would otherwise be costly to older persons and the government (Older Americans Act, 2015).
There are different sections in this act, which represent the specific benefits that the act provides to Americans. The first and second sections cover the objectives of the OAA and the services that should be offered. The third title within the act touches on grants that are available and the formulas that are used to distribute the finances to actors involved in elder care. The title also highlights the nutrition programs that are necessary. Titles four, five and six touch on aspect of research, Senior Community Service Employment Program and Funding for Services for Native Americans. The last title then tackles the issue of long-term programs that protect the rights of the older adults such as the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (Older Americans Act, 2015).
Mandatory reporting laws
In America, states have for long had the responsibility of enacting legislation that touch on cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation of the elderly residents. Many laws that touch on these issues, therefore, can be found in various state legal codes. Mandatory reporting laws place the responsibility of communicating the abuse of the elderly in the hands of some people. These include physicians and other health practitioners offering help to the elderly. Others may include social workers, peace officers and anyone providing help for the elderly and vulnerable adults (Stiegel & Klem, 2007).
The state laws require the past people who have any form of suspicion that a vulnerable adult has been subject to any form of abuse neglect or exploitation to make a report to the authorities. Different states offer different ways through which the reports can be submitted. In most states, the report must be written and should follow the rules of the State’s Board of Health. The mandatory laws provide that investigations on the alleged misconduct be conducted within seven days after reporting, with the form of abuse, neglect and exploitation clearly pointed out. After the investigations, the appropriate state departments will take the required actions (Stiegel & Klem, 2007).
Bibliography
Older Americans Act. (2015). Retrieved March 7, 2016, from http://www.ncpssm.org/PublicPolicy/OlderAmericans/Documents/ArticleID/1171/Older-Americans-Act: http://www.ncpssm.org/PublicPolicy/OlderAmericans/Documents/ArticleID/1171/Older-Americans-Act
Elder Abuse: Definitions. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2016, from cdc.gov: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/elderabuse/definitions.html
Low, L.-F., Yap, M., & Brodaty, H. (2011). "A systematic review of different models of home and community care services for older persons.". BMC health services research 11.1 , 1-27.
Lyons, I. (2009). Public Perceptions of Older People and Ageing. Natioonal Center for the Protection of Older People.
Stiegel, L., & Klem, E. (2007). Reporting requirements: provisions and citations in adult protective services laws, by state. . Retrieved March 7, 2016, from americanbar.org: http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/migrated/aging/docs/MandatoryReportingProvisionsChart.authcheckdam.pdf
Welford, C. (2014, August 15). Attitudes and knowledge in older people’s care. Retrieved March 7, 2016, from nursingtimes.net: http://www.nursingtimes.net/attitudes-and-knowledge-in-older-peoples-care/5073903.fullarticle
