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Advantages and Challenges of Older People Staying at Home

Advantages and Challenges of Older People Staying at Home

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The advantages and challenges of older people remaining in their own home

1. The majority of older Australian’s continue to live in their own homes, with or without support. Discuss 2 advantages and 2 challenges of older people remaining in their own home. (200 words)

/5 marks

Response

Advantages

Staying at home with or without specialized care allows older people to enjoy family time. Bernoth and Winkler, (2016) assert that interacting with family members can relieve the feeling of loneliness that seniors often feel. Besides, staying at home can provide a friendly environment where the elderly feel useful and wanted. For many old people, the feeling of being at home, surrounded with family and friends can promote their recovery.

Moreover, in-home care allows for a personalized person to person care. Professional caregivers hire to care for the elderly at home serve one purpose, and it is to ensure the seniors recover fully. Ideally, this implies that they provide ultimate attention and quality care. Staying at home with support provides the elderly with one on one care at the necessary level to make them feel comfortable.

Disadvantages

No matter how long older adults desire to remain independent and stay in their homes, the reality is that growing old means everyday tasks become more and more difficult, increased frailty, and safety risks. All these vulnerabilities translate to increased responsibilities and increased stress level for the family members. Increased responsibility comes about due to the care they need and the financial responsibilities that can add up quickly.

Additionally, family members may not be able to provide the care the elderly need at home adequately (Coyte and McKeever, 2016). As more medical concerns may start to crop up, the problem may increase exponentially. While the seniors’ responsibility increase, the ability of their families to care for them becomes strained.

References

Bernoth, M. and Winkler, D., 2016. Healthy ageing and aged care. OUPANZ.

Tao, H., & McRoy, S. (2015). Caring for and keeping the elderly in their homes. Chinese Nursing Research, 2(2-3), 31-34. doi: 10.1016/j.cnre.2015.08.002

Coyte, P.C. and McKeever, P., 2016. Home care in Canada: Passing the buck. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research Archive, 33(2).

2. The My Aged Care website https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/ is a central repository for information about aged care services in Australia. Discuss how an older person can find out about services available through My Aged Care. (200 words)

/5 marks

Response

Older people can find out about the services available through My Aged Care by visiting the website www.myagedcare.gov.au/.The site navigation is quite brief and precise. Site visitors who are not familiar with the website can navigate to the “Not Sure, start here” page to learn about aged care, and further register and start getting the services. The page provides information about the services offered by the organization. The services are listed under the ”what help is available” header. The services provided are grouped in different categories including help at home, short-term help, and care in an aged care home. Furthermore, the page provides information about who is eligible for the services and gives the visitors an idea about costs.

Alternatively, users can find the information about services available through. Again, at the site’s homepage, service seekers with diverse needs, LGBTI people, veterans, people in remote areas or people who speak other languages can navigate to other pages where they will find useful information about how My Aged Care goes about addressing their needs (http://health.gov.au/, 2018). Lastly, the site also provides the company’s phone number for site visitors who would like to call and make further inquiries. Pressing the ”Contact us” button navigates to a new page where site visitors are given the option of either calling or emailing the organization.

References

Myagedcare.gov.au. (2018). Access aged care information and services | My Aged Care. [online] Available at: https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/ [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].

http://health.gov.au/. (2018). About My Aged Care and the changes being introduced in 2015.

3. Identify one organisation applicable to the older person and discuss how it informs the support and protection of older people in Australia. (200 words)

/5 marks

Response

Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN)

Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) is a national network that has been delivering advocacy, information and education services to the older adults in metropolitan, remote and rural areas in Australia (Opan.com.au, 2018). The OPAN network is formed by nine state and territory firms. The organization has been functional for the past 25 years. The system offers free, autonomous and private services focused towards supporting older adults and their representatives to raise or address issue concerning the access of commonwealth funded services for aged care.

In addition, OPAN looks to guarantee that aged care service users understand and practice their rights and take an interest, to the greatest degree conceivable, in the decisions influencing their care (Disability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU), 2018). OPAN achieves this goal by delivering information, individual advocacy support, consumer and service provider education. The Australian Government funds OPAN to deliver the National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP). Through the delivery of NACAP initiative, OPAN provides national voice for aged care advocacy and promote quality and national consistency in the delivery of support services under the program.

Despite being a body that advocates for better service delivery for the elderly, OPAN remains to be an independent organization with no membership or constituency aside from the nine service delivery states. OPAN’s independence is a crucial strength for both systematic and individual advocacies.

References

Opan.com.au. (2018). Older Persons Advocacy Network -. [online] Available at: http://www.opan.com.au/ [Accessed 13 Sep. 2018].

Disability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU). (2018). Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN). [online] Available at: http://www.daru.org.au/organisation/older-persons-advocacy-network-opan [Accessed 14 Sep. 2018].

4. View video 1.1, where Ray talks about attending the men’s shed. How would attending a meaningful leisure activity, such as the men’s shed, enhance the physical and psychological health of older men? (200 words)

/5 marks

Response

Men’s sheds provide a space for older men to meet and interact with new people, learn new skills and share new stories. The sheds provide older men with space where they can open up about their health concerns and experiences since they feel like they belong to something and they are in the company of other men whom they can to talk while working on their projects. In this way, the sheds function as a community-based health and social care intervention that enhances men’s emotional and physical health. The sheds play a crucial role in enabling men to live happier and lives for longer. Cordier and Wilson (2013), also report a surge in confidence and self-esteem when older men are in the company of other me who share similar interests, sharing skills and knowledge.

Besides, working in sheds also helps keep the men active and mobile. In most cases, the sheds are workshops but can also be portable cabins, other community buildings or garages. The sheds are a space where men can make things or do their leisure activities. Such physical activities keep the older men from their primary source of activity which is watching television (Culph et al., 2013). Hence, the sheds enhance the men’s physical fitness.

References

Cordier, R. and Wilson, N. (2013). Community-based Men’s Sheds: promoting male health, wellbeing and social inclusion in an international context. Health Promotion International, 29(3), pp.483-493.

Culph, J., Wilson, N., Cordier, R. and Stancliffe, R. (2013). Men’s Sheds and the experience of depression in older Australian men. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 62(5), pp.306-315.

5. What age-related changes contribute to increased risk of constipation? What strategies can the nurse use to assess, prevent and manage constipation? (200 words)

/5 marks

Response

Medications, disease states, metabolic abnormalities often coexist in older people. These factors can contribute to increased risk of constipation in older people. Diseases that are closely related to old age such as Parkinson disease, hypercalcemia, colorectal carcinoma, hypothyroidism, and stroke can cause symptoms of constipation in older people (Gandell et al., 2013). Also, Gandell et al., (2013) assert that decreased mobility, a common symptom that develops with age has been implied as a factor that causes constipation in older adults, but little evidence exists to back this claim.

Age-related changes in the anatomy and physiology of the lower gastrointestinal tract may contribute to delayed transit time and decreased water content, hence increase the risk of constipation in older adults (McCrea et al., 2008). Such changes include reduced blood supply, intestinal wall atrophy, and fundamental neuronal changes.

Nurses should asses bowel function when patients are admitted to the hospital and any concerns about constipation should be discussed; consequently, a plan of care should be devised to manage the concerns. If a patient complains of constipation, nurses should take an individualized care pathway which involves taking an accurate history of symptoms and considering the desired outcome of treatment (Wessel-Cessieux, etal, 2015). To assess constipation in older adults, nurses should take careful physical, psychological and bowel history.

Eating a high-fiber diet can play a significant role in preventing and managing constipation. Drinking lots of water and juices can also help improve bowel frequency and substantial bowel transit time.

References

Gandell, D., Straus, S., Bundookwala, M., Tsui, V. and Alibhai, S. (2013). Treatment of constipation in older people. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 185(8), pp.663-670.

McCrea, G., Miaskowski, C., Stotts, N., Macera, L. and Varma, M. (2008). Pathophysiology of constipation in the older adult.

Wessel-Cessieux, E., 2015. Managing constipation in older people in hospital. Nursing times, 111(22), pp.19-21.

6. The Safe Environments game was used in the week 6 learning materials. What did you learn about assessing for risks and hazards by interacting with this game? (200 words)

/5 marks

Response

By interacting with the game, I have learned that the use new tech such as virtual reality and e-learning can bring new possibilities with remarkable improvement in identifying safety risks and hazards. I realized that the simulated training can educate and train while entertaining users. Additionally, by interacting with the game, I learned that simulated training games represent an ideal instrument for assessment of risks and hazards, one that is cost-effective compared to the traditional training methods that use mannequins or cadavers.

Furthermore, I realized the technology behind Safe Environments can be applied to create risk and hazards assessment tool for the construction industry. In the construction industry, health and safety (H&S) remain a crucial concern. Recent and historical data indicate that the human, social, and financial burden, incurred because of H&S-related fatalities, is still significant according to the construction industry worldwide (Miller, Patacas and Kassem, 2014). While training remains an important strategy to minimize H&S risks, I think technologies such as virtual reality and e-learning can be applied to create scenario led training video games to train workers in the construction industry in identifying risk factors at construction sites. The video game can de designed such that learners interact with the same environment through predefined options in discrete game sections.

References

Usc.edu.au. (2018). Health meets gaming in new USC technology. [online] Available at: https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/usc-news-exchange/news-archive/2016/september/health-meets-gaming-in-new-usc-technology#top [Accessed 11 Sep. 2018].

Miller, G., Patacas, J. and Kassem, M., 2014. CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING: THE UTILISATION OF 4D ENABLED SERIOUS GAMES.

7. Page 48 of your textbook lists several challenges confronting aged care in Australia. Discuss the difficulty attracting graduate health professionals in aged care in Australia, using current literature to support your response. Identify strategies that could be enacted to overcome this challenge. (200 words)

/5 marks

Response

Difficulty in attracting graduate health professional has made it increasingly difficult for Australia to meet the needs of the rapidly ageing population. Wage disparity has contributed to this staffing crisis in Australia. Professional aged care nurses are looking for incentives. Aged care nurses who are qualified and ready are feeling the strain with working conditions and low wages making it challenging to recruit new bloods into the sector.

Providing personal carers as mentors to the student nurses could make them have a positive attitude towards working in residential care. Lea et al., (2015) assert that when student nurses feel well supported by care workers compromising over two third of the Australian workforce, they are more likely to join residential facilities. The study, however, emphasized that under the supervision of registered nurses, the care workers need to work with mentor students effectively.

Moreover, developing existing nurses can attract newly graduated nurses into the aged care sector. Healthcare groups in Australia should offer graduate nurse programs that place graduate health professionals into aged care facilities around Australia (NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, 2012). Moreover, health sectors need to provide courses for registered nurses to help them transition into the aged care sector. The sector could also design more courses to attract recent graduate health professionals to the aged care industry by offering both professional development sessions and hands-on clinical exposure.

References

Lea, E., Mason, R., Eccleston, C. and Robinson, A. (2015). Aspects of nursing student placements associated with perceived likelihood of working in residential aged care. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 25(5-6), pp.715-724.

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association. (2012). Attracting New Grads To Aged Care. [online] Available at: http://www.nswnma.asn.au/attracting-new-grads-to-aged-care/ [Accessed 13 Sep. 2018].

Reference List