Clinical Management of Complex Cases in the Residential Care Setting

Clinical Management of Complex Cases in the Residential Care Setting

Introduction

Elderly patients usually suffer from more than one disease at a time. The clinical management of multiple diseases in elderly patients is unusual and requires the appropriate treatment with respect to each ailment. This paper illustrates the clinical management of the elderly population in residential care setting with respect to dementia, incontinence, Gastroesophageal Reflux and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Moreover, it elaborates the techniques of clinical management for managing the various disease conditions of older adults in residential care setting. The health care professionals working in residential care possess a lot of challenges and risks in providing the clinical therapies to the older adults. Dementia, incontinence, Gastroesophageal Reflux and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are commonly found in the elderly population. The effectual medical procedures for older patients include the surgery, medication and other therapies. These treatment procedures are essential for the enhanced quality of life.

Discussion

Risks and Challenges of the Relocation into Residential Care for Older Adults

There are two prime reasons of transiting the elder population into the residential care setting. When the older age patients do not have any member at home to care, or the health of elder patient is continuously debilitating. Such conditions are most frequent confronting by elder patients to relocate. The elder patients possess sensitive feeling and want to live with their family members. Therefore, they face emotional imbalance and distress in moving or relocating from one residential place to another. The relocation may harm and make upset the patients as they get the emotional shock. When they have to leave the place where they have been living for a long time and have a strong bonding to that place, as well as the residents. However, the residential setting provides the required quality and cost effective care, which is not possible at home.

The elderly population has to face two sorts of challenges in the resident care setting; acceptance of novel traditions and safety of relationships. The older adults do not satisfy with the new culture and feel obscurity in making new relationships. In Australia, the elderly patients with critical health status used to move from home to residential care. The elderly patients are in need of extensive care. Older patients have an acute illness most of time, for which the healthcare professionals cannot provide care at home. The main issue is the expected isolation in going away from family, community and social contacts. As a result, they have to suffer severe stress, which affects other aspects such as eating behavior leading to further complications to patients` health.

Along with the elderly population, nurses and other healthcare professional also have challenges to confront. The improvement in quality life, health status, as well as lifestyle, is a great challenge for nurses. Support from the residential and nursing staff may keep the patients emotionally attached and motivated to adjust themselves in a new environment. The nurses must possess the capabilities ...