Introduction
Safety and taking good care of the elderly in the society has been a subject of interest to many in the nursing field. In fact, elderly safety remains an essential part in taking good care of the elderly parents. It encompasses two major issues, one of them is making sure that the elderly are safe and secure in their homes. It is vital to ensure that the elder are safe and to achieve this, one must be ready, proactive, and keep an eye on how the elderly is doing. Why is it vital to take care of the elderly? One of the reasons why we should take care and ensure the elderly are safe in their homes is because elderly persons are vulnerable to a number of issues. In some communities, the elderly are victims of rape and other issues (Information Resources Management Association, 2017). Additionally, aging comes with issues such as decreased vision, sense of smell, immobility, cognition, and hearing problems. These are changes that occur gradually and they may not realize that these issues usually hinder their safety in the society.
In most cases, human body undergoes through a number of stages and without proper care, one is likely to face such challenges. One such process is aging whereby people’s musculoskeletal changes and a person gradually lose strength. Such cases among many others usually cause immobility and falls in mostly geriatric persons. Unfortunately, the elderly people are the people who fall the victims in such cases (Information Resources Management Association, 2017). However, recent technological advancement has helps the elderly in various ways when it comes to improving their health and eventually their lives. The care of the elderly in the society has improved subject to technological development such as electronic sensors, remote health monitoring, video monitoring and equipment such as fall detectors, bed alerts, door monitors, pressure marts and heat alarms that have greatly improved the elderly safety and care at home. These systems using advanced technology are always essential because they help most elderly patients. This research paper explores the one of the major problems facing the elderly in the society, it highlights on the safety in the care of the elderly.
Falls
According to the World health organization (WHO), a fall refers to an occurrence whereby an individual comes to the ground involuntarily. The input from the sensory systems that sends signal to allow enough musculoskeletal function controls balance and movement (Information Resources Management Association, 2017). Such systems are affected in elderly because of aging, certain medications and diseases hence, increasing the risk of an individual to fall.
Polypharmacy
According to Information Resources Management Association (2017), polypharmacy refers to the multiple the use of concurrent medications. Consequently, the risk of drug interactions upsurges and may cause negative effects. Changes in blood pressure, deficiency in mechanisms accountable for postural reflexes and metabolic variations generating muscular weakness are some of the mechanisms through which drugs can leads to falling. Old people are highly susceptible to having a mixture of severe disorders, and generally, each condition needs at least one medication. In addition, a person can have two or more doctors and every doctor may prescribe varying medicines to heal same symptoms. However, drugs are available over the counter and furthermore, the older individual can also choose to use herbal medicines beside prescribed drugs (Information Resources Management Association, 2017).
Information Resources Management Association (2017) assert that long-acting benzodiazepines like diazepam, can lead to many severe side-effects such as confusion and sustain sedation, which as a result causes an increase in the risk of falling since an elderly individual is highly sensitive to drug, which injures the nervous system. Some beta-blockers, antidepressants and diuretics similarly have propensity to cause misunderstanding as their side-effects and hence, goes on to render elders to being susceptible to falling. Thus, it is vital for nurses to prevent the likelihood of complications and injuries by advising the elders to use a single pharmacy and have one physician if necessary, and inform their doctors in case they are using any herbal medicines. Additionally, nurses ought to makes sure that drugs and medicines are taken timely and as per perspirations. In order to ensure the accuracy and reduction in the possibility of prescribing many/different drugs for the similar signs or conditions, nurses should keep a detailed history chart (Information Resources Management Association, 2017).
Vision Impairment
Changes in an individual’s vision happen as he/she gets old hence, making it harder to balance and uphold their center of gravity. There is slowly decrease in depth perception, peripheral vision and perception, and glare tolerance. In most cases, these are affected by cataracts, age-related muscular degeneration and glaucoma (Netting & Williams, 2014). It is vital to encourage patients to regularly visit the ophthalmology clinic so as to manage and treat diseases like cataracts and glaucoma. In addition, elders should be educated to use different colors to recognize objects like handrails in the areas where they live, and use secure colored strips on the initial and final step of staircases to recognize a reduction or increase in the ground surface.
Parkinson’s Disease
Netting & Williams (2014) state that this is a chronic progressive illness, which most commonly happen in individuals who are more than 50 years old. Tremors, postural abnormalities, dyskinesia and stiffness are some of its classic symptoms. Old people affected by Parkinson’s disease normally have troubles with their center of gravity because it normally changes from his ground of support. Consequently, it is not strange for those kind of people to have imbalance when rising up from a chair or moving their heads when talking. In addition, these kinds of individuals also suffer from hypertension when standing from a supine position that results to minor headedness and facilitates falling. Researches also established that dyskinesias accompanied with Parkinson’s disease inevitably lead to immobility (Netting & Williams, 2014).
Alzheimer’s Disease
This is the most common type of dementia among the aged. Difficulty in memorizing newly learnt information behavioral changes, confusion, and trouble with speaking, swallowing, walking and speaking are the common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. As a result, elderly people are highly susceptible to falling. Old people suffering from the disease are susceptible to fracturing their hip when falling, leading to the requirement of surgery and lack of movement. There is continuation in the weakening of muscle power, balance and walking during the middle and late stages of Alzheimer’s disease (Netting & Williams, 2014). In addition, the person can misunderstand steps or changes in texture of the floor and appearance because vision is affected.
Caring for the elderly in America
In the 21st century America, there are numerous options that are available to substitute or supplement providing for the elderly when necessary unlike in the past when the care of the elderly was provided by either the individuals themselves or their relatives or community. About two-third of the aged Americans remains in their homes or that of their children (Netting & Williams, 2014). Nonetheless, the remaining third require care of a long-term facility. As their health deteriorates, even majority of those who remain at home require extra care and services from now and then. Enhanced longevity and reducing birth rates in combination with the high cost of care make paying for elder care to be a major problem that needs to be addressed urgently. In order to create plans, which can assist all Americans to access care that they require and deserved as the get old, a lot of work is required (Netting & Williams, 2014).
Creating a secure atmosphere for both the employees and the clients is the general aspiration for all rregistered nurses and workplace atmosphere. It is responsibility of the RN to guarantee the culture of security by using setup professional health and safety practices, and other security precautions to protect customers, self and workmates from harm possibly abusive circumstances (Netting & Williams, 2014). RN is guided by this competency to offer and promote secure practice atmospheres. Hence, study will be discussing Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). Home care, which refers to the care offered to elders in their homes in order to regain their functional ability, to allow them to manage their care without relying on other people, and to permit them to maintain safety in their communities is the targeted population.
Management Challenges
OH&S within a home care setting and the problems related with enactment of reducing occupational dangers is the problem, which the interview concentrated on. OH&S protects and prevents workers from workplace risks. Biological, chemical, physical, ergonomic, safety and psychosocial are the six kinds of safety and health risks. Poor housekeeping, severe weather conditions, falls, violence, needle stick injuries, second hand smoke, and stress are some examples of common risks specific to home care that were noted by O.S. (Netting & Williams, 2014). if OH&S regulations are not enforced accurately, workers may not report the incident or possible incident, which happened at home is the considerable implication of enforcing a secure work atmosphere in home care. Safety in home care is exceptional, mostly for the reason that a home is made for living and not for healthcare, supported by the absence of home care based technology and absence of team support at home. Unlike a customer’s home, in a hospital environment help from other employees is down the hallway. Nearly all customer safety study happened in an institution environment, hence, making the findings hard to generalize to a home care atmosphere (Netting & Williams, 2014).
Aging and elderly issues
Overview
According to Netting & Williams (2014), the truth is that all people will require some type of help in our later years. In some instance, individuals require nothing more than occasional visits from a home nurse, some light housekeeping, meals on wheels, and visitors eager to talk and run errands. Such aging in place is the ideal circumstance in numerous ways with studies having established that older adults who stay independently instead of a nursing home tend to live longer lives in contrast to those who live in nursing homes. It is not always an option for aged to live at home even though there is a movement to make aging in homes possible for numerous people. Dementia and other debilitating diseases can need around the clock medical care and monitoring, things usually more easily provided in a professional facility than at home. The realities of 21st century society are not essentially favorable to this kind of care from the family, especially when the adult children of the aging person work even in cases where taking care of an elder is theoretically probable via constant or partial care by a family member. The sandwich generation normally feels caught in between concerns for their children and concerns for aging parents, and is usually left with the feeling of putting their own lives on hold (Netting & Williams, 2014).
The inability to be capable of physically continue taking care of oneself and one’s property as was the case earlier, fears of loosing cognitive abilities or the beginning of dementia, and the need for lasting care are the major concerns that comes with the realities of old age (Netting & Williams, 2014). These are queries that nearly every adult is supposed to encounter as he/she continues to age. Most people accept the fact that abilities will reduce in old age. However, the most difficult question is how they will accommodate such changes and how they care will be given in such an eventuality. Members of the sandwich generation usually find it hard to balance the demands of children, careers and aging parents without feeling overstressed as discussed above. In most cases, this implies that other arrangements ought to be made for the care of their aging parents (Netting & Williams, 2014). This is minor in some instances: running the common errand, eating together, and doing grocery shopping for both families. Extra support services to take some of the burden off family members like finding adult day care programs or finding assistance for the instrumental activities of daily living are usually offered by the local area agencies. However, in such cases, lasting care requirements are highly wide and arrangements ought to be made for other caregivers and services to support the aging adult. Hence, this is a major concern for most elders (Netting & Williams, 2014).
Aging in place
Aging in place refers to the capability to live in one’s own home and community securely, without relying on other people and comfortably, not withstanding age, sex, ability level and income. According to the 2010 national survey by the AARP, 75% of Americans aged 45 years or older strongly concurred that they preferred to age in place (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017). According to the advocates of aging in place, aging in place is perfect for older adults who own their own homes and have means to make them accessible, safe and low maintenance. Living in a familiar home and neighborhood, and the independence of living on one’s own are the benefits of aging in place. There is even a trend in technology and industry to accommodate the increasing population of elders over 60 years who wished to live independently, with improvements in senior-friendly tablets, robotic aids and Smartphone. Personal issues like emotional isolation, problem in detecting changes in nutrition, hygiene and health, and susceptible to abuse, as well as community issues like lack of public transportation, supportive infrastructure, and home maintenance and modification for aged residents are some of challenges of living in place. In addition, the total number of existing caretakers is anticipated to stabilize whilethe population of older persons is anticipated to grow through the middle of the 21st century, and this may render aging in place to be more difficult to attain (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017).
Long-Term Care
Long term care comprises of the long-term care offered to the individuals with health care needs, and the elderly are not exception. The greater part of long haul care to the elderly comprises of non-talented help with every day exercises. Long-term care is expected to help expand the freedom and capacity of those with an endless sickness or incapacity, which the elderly are not exception. In fact, the elderly are always the vulnerable people to such problems. Despite the fact that the idea of long-term care is frequently connected with mind in a nursing office, board-and-care office, helped living group, or hospice, 67% of the entire population requiring long-term care gets it in their own particular homes or in the home of a relative (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017). In the last cases, the essential guardians are typically individuals from the individual’s family, despite the fact that human services specialists and other specialist co-ops may likewise visit and give extra care. Regardless of whether long haul care can be performed in the home or if the individual should be moved to an office relies upon a mix of what the person’s needs are for average, utilitarian, social, and enthusiastic care and the person’s inclination, funds, and social help for different game plans (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017).
Outside Care
There are various choices accessible for Long-term care outside one’s own home. There are numerous places where the elderly can be taken care of and feel safe in such places as compared to their homes. Just like children homes, elderly persons also have such homes where they are safe and taken care of (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017).
Assisted Living
The idea of assisted living remains essential for the elderly as they are vulnerable to numerous health problems. Assisted living groups are intended for individuals that can deal with themselves with a little assistance. These offices give dinners, social and recreational exercises, and help with every day exercises for the elderly individuals who need long-terms care. Run of the mill living courses of action in helped living groups include condos by and large, albeit a few offices just furnish rooms with private showers (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017). In others, dinners are offered either in a mutual lounge area or in the individual’s room. Some helped living groups additionally utilize radios and individual crisis reaction frameworks to screen for crises or have accessible the administrations of medical attendants, physical advisors, or 24-hour supervision as important. Despite the fact that in a few states Medicare may help pay for the expenses of a helped living group, subsidizing ordinarily originates from either long haul mind protection or from private assets.
Board-and-Care Facilities
Board-and-care offices (or rest homes) are another alternative for long haul mind. As in helped living groups, dinners in board-and-care offices are given in like manner lounge areas or the person’s room. Board-and-care offices likewise give transportation to restorative arrangements or shopping, and offer social exercises (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017). Board-and-care offices likewise offer assistance with individual care and, sometimes, help with taking solutions. The regular living course of action in a board-and-care office involves rooms along a typical corridor. Subsidizing for board and-mind offices ordinarily originates from private assets.
Life-Care Communities
Life-care groups (or proceeding with mind retirement groups) give to such an extent or as meager care as the more established individual needs, with mind levels changing as the person’s needs change. These offices are especially useful for those more established people who need to move just a single time instead of from office to office as their needs change (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017). Life-mind offices likewise ordinarily give transportation and social and recreational exercises for their occupants. Despite the fact that Medicare and Medicaid may pay for talented nursing care when required, the costs of life-mind offices are typically paid out of private assets.
Nursing Homes
Despite the fact that the expression “nursing home” is frequently connected to any long haul mind office, it is all the more legitimately connected to those offices that are particularly intended to help people with constant therapeutic conditions that require gifted social insurance yet don’t require in-understanding hospitalization. Nursing homes give gifted care via prepared medicinal specialists notwithstanding other care. Notwithstanding suppers and help with day by day exercises, nursing homes give 24-hour talented nursing care and physical, respiratory, and language instruction as required (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017). Nursing homes likewise give hospice mind including palliative administer to the passionate, otherworldly, social, and different needs of in critical condition patients. Rooms in nursing homes are ordinarily organized along a typical foyer.
One of the greatest choices a family may need to make is to decide how to give care to elderly guardians or relatives when those older folks are not any more ready to live freely. Families settle this complex and sincerely charged issue in an assortment of ways. A few families discover approaches to furnish senior citizens with adequate help to such an extent that they can securely stay in their own homes (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017). Different families move their older folks in with them in order to offer good care to the elderly. Still different families find that putting their senior into a care office is the best answer for all included.
According to In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global (2017), getting the most fitting and moderate elderly care and help is always a challenge. Deciding precisely what kind of care will best fit older folks’ needs is a tedious procedure that regularly requires meeting with medicinal and eldercare experts. Finding reasonable proper and dependable care alternatives is likewise tedious. Distinctive sorts of care are accessible in better places, while expenses and quality differ generally. Indeed, even managers and colleagues can be influenced when the strain of eldercare arranging makes parental figures less powerful at their working environment.
Conclusion
As the population of the elderly continues to grow, there is need to have measures in place to guarantee their health and care, both at homes and outside their homes. Many people are aging at a higher rate, and they need to feel safe and healthy all the times. As demographics show, there are numerous social challenges faced by the population of aging individuals is growing tremendously (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017). The quality of aging experience is affected by a number of issues such as economic status, race, gender, social class, ethnicity and the accessibility to health care. Biological health is more critical than chronological aging when it comes to determining the elderly person’s health status. However, it is vital to make sure that elderly persons lead a healthier lifestyle. In this process, this paper has indicated how technological advancement in healthcare is essential through technological equipment that will facilitate medical health of the elderly. The other problem is falls, which also affect most elderly persons, it is vital to ensure that such issues are addressed for the elderly persons to feel safe and secure. Another area that needs to be addressed is the attitude of the healthcare professionals, which will help in addressing the problem of elderly population (In Wickramasinghe & IGI Global, 2017). It is equally important to emphasize the significance of educating mental and psychological experts with regard to issues associated with aging. Above all, it is vital to improve the economic, social and physical health of the elderly persons to ensure that elderly patients since these will address aging problems.
As everyone knows, it is evident that as the human body undergoes through various physical, social and mental changes, elderly person remains vulnerable. However, it is vital for everyone to ensure that they eat well and do a lot of exercise to remain fit and fight other diseases. Although no individual’s aging is predictable but it is important to have essential approaches to guarantee the safety and good care of the elderly persons in the society. All these are achievable acquiring knowledge on age-related problems and how to address such problems, which will guarantee that safety and care for the elderly persons meets the required standards as the elderly patient population continues to grow.
References
- In Wickramasinghe, N., & IGI Global, (2017). Handbook of research on healthcare administration and management. Hershey, Pennsylvania (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, PA 17033, USA): IGI Global.
- Information Resources Management Association, (2017). Health literacy: Breakthroughs in research and practice. Hershey, PA: Medical Information Science Reference.
- Netting, F. & Williams, G. (2014). Enhancing primary care of elderly people. New York: Routledge.