Influences
A 78, year old man is a retired banker whose wife died several years ago. He is able to perform all ADLs but needs help with meal preparation and transportation. He lives in a deteriorating neighborhood and no longer feels safe. He does not want to live with family members or completely give up his independence. What housing options would be appropriate for him? Why? What advantages would such housing options offer over living alone?
• Your response should be 70+ words
• Read the scenario and the post below, then respond to it
• Response should ask for clarification or describe a situation that illustrates the points being made. Simply agree or disagree and state why you agree or disagree
As people get old, they have trouble in their daily activities and instrumental activities of daily living. Some have trouble realizing that they need more help than they thought, and some are open to other housing options. Of course, no one wants to give up their independence. Furthermore, there might be cultural barriers that can hinder their decision of choosing to live in other housing options.
In this situation, because he is able to ADLs but only needs help with meal preparations and transportation, this patient has the option to transfer to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CRC). He can still have his independence, but now he will have just a little bit of help. Furthermore, he will be in a safer neighborhood and he will be exposed to other people who are maybe just like him who he can interact with and share his interest with. That is one of the advantages of living in a CRC because he won’t be lonely. He also has access to many amenities like restaurants, fitness centers, or pools (Cronk, 2021). Having access to these activities and having more social interactions can prevent the effects of loneliness like withdrawal from others, sadness, and in severe cases, depression.
towards palliative care. Coming up with different options will make it easy for the daughter to decide on her mother’s care during her last days. Taking the daughter through the advantage and disadvantages of each available option to help her make an informed choice not only for her mother but also for herself. According to Meiner and Yeager (2018), having a care plan is very important as it helps prevent family conflicts when caring for a patient. I will support the daughter in creating a written plan that specifies the roles of those involved in the care of her mother.
Help with Decision Making
It is painful when a person close to you does not recognize you, and in this case, it is her mother. Placing one's parent in a long-term care facility is not always easy; it takes up many emotions and guilt as people feel that they are not making the right decision most of the time. As a professional nurse, I will help the daughter deal with her emotions as she takes care of her mother. I would ask the doctor to make a referral for the daughter to speak to a social worker or case manager. I would give the daughter different types of long-term care facilities her mother could live in.
Additional Information
I will inform the daughter on what to expect as her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease progresses. I will also advise her to keep seeing her friends, have an active life outside the facility, and take care of her mother. All these are meant to encourage the daughter to take care of herself in the long run, thus avoiding emotional distress and being burnt both physically and mentally.
Exercise
You are checking blood pressures at a senior citizen health fair. After you check the blood pressure of an older woman, she asks you about starting an exercise program. She has not been exercising, but some of her friends have told her that she should start to exercise regularly. What recommendations do you give her? What precautions do you include in your recommendations?