Six Ways Nurses Can Be Better Caregivers For Adults Throughout Their Lifespan

Published on: 22 April 2022 Last Updated on: 30 April 2022

Nurses are often the unsung heroes of the medical community. They are the caregivers who profoundly touch patients’ lives, providing comfort and healing during difficult times.

Nurses extend care to patients of all ages, from newborns to the elderly. While each group presents unique challenges, there are some general ways nurses can be better caregivers for adults throughout their lifespan.

We can’t defy aging, but we can slow down its effects with a healthy lifestyle. Eating nutritious food, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep are critical for maintaining good health as we age.

Nurses can encourage their patients to make healthy choices and provide resources for making those choices easier.

Gerontology – An Overview:

The scientific study of aging that includes research on the physical, mental, and social changes that occur as we age is called gerontology.

As the population of older adults grows, nurses will play an increasingly important role in providing care for this population.

It is critical to train future nurses and nurse researchers in aging to best satisfy the needs of an aging population while also improving health among older individuals.

For this reason, healthcare facilities encourage R.N.s and BSN nurses to enroll in MSN program online programs and degrees to earn a master’s degree in gerontology. This additional education will allow nurses to provide the best possible care for their patients.

Challenges in Elderly Care:

The challenges of caring for elderly patients are numerous, but so are the rewards. A few challenges include:

Many elderly patients have chronic health conditions that require ongoing management.
Elderly patients are often more susceptible to falls and other accidents.
Cognitive decline is a common part of aging and can present challenges for both patients and caregivers.
Elderly patients don’t like to feel like a burden, so they may be reluctant to ask for help.

Despite these challenges, there are many ways nurses can be better caregivers for elderly patients. Let’s unfold some compelling ways nurses can improve the way elderly patients are cared for:

1. Understanding Their Requirements:

Aging is a phase of life that strips individuals of their physical strength and energy levels. As we age:

Our skin becomes thin and delicate, making it more susceptible to cuts and bruises
Our bones become brittle, and our joints ache more easily.
We may not be able to see or hear as well as we used to.
Our bodies don’t process medications the way they used to.

These changes can be challenging to adjust to, and the caregiver must be understanding and patient with the elderly.

That’s when nurses can enter and take over. With years of experience and unmatchable empathy, nurses are the perfect people to care for elderly patients.

They know how to handle them with care, how much medication to give and when, what food to serve, and how to keep them active without tiring them out.

2. Creating A Routine:

A routine is vital for everyone but especially for the elderly. It helps them know what to expect and gives their day some structure.

A routine can also be helpful for better caregivers, as it can make it easier to keep track of medications, meals, and activities. Nurses can work with patients and their families to create a personalized care plan that includes a daily routine.

Routine care plans should consider the patient’s abilities, interests, and preferences. They should also be flexible enough to accommodate changes in the patient’s condition.

For example, a generally healthy patient may need more help with activities of daily living after a hospital stay. Or a patient who is used to being active may need to scale back their activity level if they become weaker.

Nurses should also be aware of the signs that a routine is no longer working for a patient. If a patient becomes resistant to following the routine or if it starts to cause more stress than it relieves, it may be time to make some changes.

3. Involving Family and Friends:

Our emotions and feelings can be everywhere. When we are old, we need support from better caregivers and loved ones.

However, several sad circumstances testify that not all families are supportive. In some cases, family members may be too busy or live too far away to be involved in their elderly relative’s care.

Family dynamics may make it difficult for everyone to agree on a care plan.

When nurses are involved in the care of an elderly patient, they can help to facilitate communication between the patient and their family.

They can also provide support and resources to families struggling to cope with a loved one’s declining health.

4. Making Them Comfortable:

Many elderly patients in nursing homes or long-term care facilities are there because they can no longer live independently.

They may be unable to walk, dress, or take care of their personal needs. It is imperative that these patients feel comfortable and safe in their surroundings.

Nurses can help create a comfortable environment for their patients by paying attention to the little things.

Ensuring the room is cozy, providing soft bedding and pillows, and offering gentle massages can all help make an elderly patient feel comfortable.

Nurses can also help reduce anxiety and boredom by providing their patients with stimulating activities and exciting conversations.

In some cases, sitting with a patient and listening to their stories can be a great comfort.

5. Advocating for Their Needs:

As people age, they become more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Unfortunately, elder abuse is a problem that is often hidden from the public eye.

Elder abuse affects many Americans, with one in ten aged 60 and above have experienced it.

Some studies have suggested that more than 4 million adults are abused each year in the United States. According to one research, only one in 24 instances of abuse are reported to authorities.

What’s worse is that in 60% of the cases, it’s a family member that is the abuser.

Nurses can help protect their elderly patients by being aware of the signs of abuse and neglect. They can also advocate for their patient’s needs, working to ensure that they receive the best possible care.

6. The Scope:

We live longer today, but we are becoming increasingly prone to chronic diseases and disabilities as we age. According to current projections, approximately 80% of people aged 65 and older have at least one chronic illness.

Chronic illnesses often involve physical and emotional pain, functional limitations, and the requirement for long-term self-management of symptoms.

These conditions impact the quality of life of older adults and are also associated with considerable economic costs. It is because 75% of health care costs in the U.S. are due to chronic illness.

In a period of tightening budgets, we will be required to give excellent care to an ever-growing number of older people with several health issues and complicated healthcare demands.

Therefore, a career in geriatric nursing is not only personally rewarding but also essential to meeting the needs of our aging population.

And, if you’re wondering, there is a lot of scope for professional advancement in this field.

Ending Note:

Nurses play a vital role in the care of elderly patients. They often see their patients the most and are uniquely positioned to advocate for their needs.

If you’re considering a career in nursing, consider specializing in geriatric care. It is a rewarding field with a lot of scope for professional advancement.

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Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory In Adult Gerontology Nursing

Any Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP), or individual considering moving into this booming area, will probably be aware that it involves more than supporting patients through short term illnesses or meeting their needs in a hospital or nursing home. As a rule, the older a patient gets, the more likely they are to experience chronic health complications which interfere with their day-to-day tasks. For much of history, such patients were written off, encouraged to take to their beds and be supported entirely by others, doing very little. They often didn’t live very long. But all that changed on account of one remarkable nurse, Dorothea Orem, whose legacy continues to shape the nursing profession today. This article examines her groundbreaking self-care deficit theory and looks at how AGNPs might use it for their nursing career. Dorothea Orem Dorothea Orem was born in Baltimore in 1914 and studied nursing in the late 1930s. This was a time when nursing schools were still a new phenomenon and there was a lot of experimental thinking in the nascent profession. Though she spent time on the wards as a staff nurse, she also worked as an administrator and consultant over the course of her career, spending her later years focusing on theory. A naturally focused and attentive person, she soon began recording observations about the patients she worked with, leading to her self-care deficit theory of nursing, for which she strongly advocated for her entire life. It was theory which, in its early years, transformed the way nurses thought about patients and their duties. It laid the foundations for nursing today. Universal Self-Care Requisites Orem’s theory recognizes eight universal self-care requisites, or SCRs. Here, universal refers to things every human needs, regardless of circumstance. Air is needed for respiration. Water is needed to maintain a healthy level of hydration. Food is needed to maintain healthy energy levels and prevent starvation. Elimination or toileting, a polite way of referring to the expulsion of urine and feces from the body, is required too. In addition to these four things, Orem posits that every patient needs a balance of physical activity and rest. Everyone needs social interaction, but also some alone time. People need to manage their lives to avoid or remove hazards, and, finally, they need to promote normality. This means that they need to achieve and maintain a way of living and relating to the world which is normal for them as individuals and does not involve psychosis. Health Deviation Self-Care Requisites When patients are recovering from injury or illness, or living with a chronic illness or disability, they can be described as experiencing a health deviation. This is not pejorative – it simply establishes that they differ from the norm. Health deviations are more common in older demographics, as they have additional self-care requisites. These requisites include following doctors’ instructions (taking medicine on time), identifying problems caused by their conditions and attending to them effectively (sitting down until a dizzy spell passes), and knowing when and how to seek help from a caregiver or healthcare professional. It is also important that these patients can understand and accept that their bodies have changed and can adjust psychologically to cope with it. What Is A Self-Care Deficit? A self-care deficit occurs when people are no longer able to carry out basic tasks. This can be because a disability makes them physically impossible to perform, or a number of other reasons. For example, some people get so overwhelmed by the way their bodies have changed that they stop trying to live. This doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve sympathy – it is an understandable response to an extreme situation – but it might mean that there is potential for improvement. For some people, self-care deficits are permanent or are likely to worsen due to progressive illnesses. For others, however, they can be temporary, even in extreme old age. Self-care deficits stemming from a broken arm, for example, will normally dissipate after the arm heals, but this is less likely if the patient has learned to feel helpless in the meantime. Assessment, Diagnosis, And Implementation When using Orem’s theory, nurses have three steps to work through. The first is undertaken during the initial assessment of a new patient and involves identifying any self-care deficits. These are not always obvious from looking at a patient and the process may require gentle but persistent questioning. Some people may be embarrassed and hesitant to talk if they are unable to care for themselves. The second involves full diagnosis of the deficits, including establishing causes. The third step is to draw up a treatment plan based on these diagnoses. In her work, Orem stressed the importance of recognizing that every patient is a unique individual, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to this type of planning. In each case, AGNPs will need to work with the patient to establish the most effective way forward. Five Ways Nurses Can Help There are five strategies nurses can use to address self-care deficits when establishing patient care plans: For the most severely incapacitated patients, it may be necessary to perform actions on their behalf, such as washing or dressing them. Patients struggling mentally or who lack confidence can be guided through actions, ideally to the point of independence. Patients can be taught new ways of approaching day to day tasks which make them easier to accomplish, such as taking a break to have a shower in the afternoon if it is too hard to find the energy at other times. AGNPs can focus on the patient’s environment, making it easier for them to carry out self-care activities, such as suggesting kitchen gadgets to reduce the physical effort involved in preparing meals. Finally, AGNPs can train a family caregiver to provide appropriate support. These five strategies involve numerous actions, skills, and tools that nurses can use. Patients may need particular assistance with the following tasks. Helping With Eating Patients should always be encouraged to do as much for themselves as is reasonably possible. When it comes to eating, nurses should start with encouragement. Many older people lose their appetite and don’t feel motivated to eat, especially when it requires effort. So, an AGNP can point out that they have more energy when they manage to eat regular meals. If the patient can get food to their mouth by themselves, nurses should resist the temptation to assist, even if they sometimes drop the food. Instead, nurses can reassure them that this is not uncommon and all they need to do is take a little more time. Nurses should also be alert to the possibility of choking issues and arrange X-rays if concerned. If some food proves difficult to eat, they can discuss the possibility of dietary adjustments. Helping With Toileting Nurses should reassure patients that, awkward as they may feel, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. The nurse must ensure they can transfer on and off the toilet safely and consider options like raising the height of the seat or installing grab. If there is a risk of falling, AGNPs may suggest bedpans for use when no caregiver is present. If adult diapers are needed, nurses should ensure that patients know how and when to change them (even if they are not soiled) and how to protect their skin against rashes or bruises caused by wearing them. Finally, nurses can also discuss medical options for softening stools or speeding up or slowing down digestive transit. Helping With Dressing And Grooming A balance must be struck between helping patients be more independent in dressing and grooming themselves and enabling them to maintain a style or standard of appearance that is natural for them. Some older men prefer to be clean shaven but end up growing beards because it is easier to trim a beard than it is to shave safely and neatly, for example. Some clothing options can be easier to get into than others, depending on a patient’s particular mobility difficulties. Simple devices such as a stick with a hook on the end can make adjusting the back of a garment or doing up a zip much easier. Nurses should pay particular attention to footwear to make sure patients can stand or walk safely. Reducing Hazards Whether a nurse is helping a patient to move around and complete self-care tasks in a hospital ward, a care home, or their own home, they must always pay attention to hazard prevention. Hazards can include mess, a layout created without regard for disability, or other people or pets moving around. Nurses can start by ensuring that the patient is aware of the risks and can recognize dangerous situations. They should discuss simple measures like installing handrails or changing routines to make it easier to keep the area tidy. Nurses can also ensure that the patient can summon help if something goes wrong, by persuading them to install an alarm system or carry a charged mobile phone at all times, for example. Care With Communication Often, older patients who have self-care deficits also have difficulty with communication, whether due to physical or cognitive disability. Depending on their lifestyle in recent years, they may also be unfamiliar with modern technologies, but shy about admitting this. It is important for nurses to make sure that when they are addressing issues around essential needs, the patient understand them properly and vice versa. It can be helpful to use pictures in communication, which are often available in support materials. When meeting a patient in the place they are going to be living, the nurse and patient can explore it together (in stages, if necessary) so both parties can directly identify issues. Seeing Each Patient As An Individual An essential tenet of Orem’s theory is that patients must be treated as individuals. This increases the chance that they will stick to treatment plans, as well as directly improving their psychological wellbeing. Any nurse that’s interested in Orem’s theory and is considering joining this field will be looking into gerontology nurse practitioner programs online. The best courses place a lot of emphasis on adaptability and on learning how to manage different types of patients in different environments. The program at the University of Indianapolis, for example, encourages students to develop the patience and listening skills essential to getting to know patients and making them a part of the process. This communication and relationship building is essential to developing plans which will really benefit patients over the long term. The course at the University of Indianapolis is an eight-semester program designed for working nurses, involving part-time study and an intensive clinical placement. The Nursing Profession Continues To Benefit Thanks to Orem and her self-care deficit theory, patients are no longer left to waste away as they begin to struggle with old age. Generations of nurses who have practiced this theory have observed that, even in later life, patients can often improve and regain their self- care abilities with the right support. Advances in assistive technologies continue to make this even easier. The right support, focused on facilitating and encouraging independence, enables seniors to go on living satisfying lives on their own terms for much longer. Even when they need extensive practical support, giving them more control helps to maintain their morale and ability to navigate the final chapter of their lives. In the process of providing this support, AGNPs also get what they really want; to see their patients thrive, no matter what they must overcome to achieve it. Additionals: 8 Awesome Health Benefits Of Dark Chocolate Psychedelic Therapy for Mental Health Conditions How Does Children’s Health Impact Parental Lifestyle?

E-Cigarettes: How They Effect On Your Oral Health

Smoking is a trend that comes and goes with decades. Sometimes in history is was a class distinction and in some other times, it was only a practice of criminals and drug addicts. But, what is smoking? Smoking refers to the process or burning a substance and breathing the smoke to be tasted and also absorbed into the bloodstream. Many different substances can be smoked, mostly leaves of plants. The most common plant to be smoked is tobacco. It can be found in many different presentations and with different additives for flavor or fruit scented. After discovering the damaging effects of the combustion of tobacco in our lungs, many people and institutions have devoted their efforts to ban the consumption of cigars and cigarettes. It was the combination of higher life expectancy rates and the popularization of tobacco consumption that gave rise to studies and research of their negative effect on lungs and their direct relation to lung cancer. Read also: The Disturbing Trend Of Multiple Chronic Medical Conditions Once the studies showed that the combustion of tobacco created tart and tar was the main toxic element when smoking, the effort was deviated to eliminating the intake of toxic tar into the system. Longer filters, water filters, and many more devices were then created to achieve this goal. And following the creation of these items, the electronic cigarettes offer smokers the possibility of enjoying nicotine without the negative side effects of tar. Electronic Cigarettes, How Do They Work Electronic cigarettes are battery-operated devices, they can look like a pen, and some others have new designs that may look like cigars or cigarettes. These devices convert liquid nicotine into a vapor or mist that the user – smoker- inhales. Since what the user is inhaling, is not smoke, the community of supporters has decided to call themselves vapers. With these e-cigarettes, there is no fire and therefore no ashes and smoke to be inhaled. E-cigarettes are offered to the public as a healthy alternative to tobacco cigarettes. They started being sold in 2003, and now, multiple houses offer different kinds of electronic cigarettes to suit different audiences and moods. Are They Safe The research on electronic cigarettes is not thorough yet. Many laboratories are carrying out diverse tests to examine the effect of the use of electronic cigarettes over time. Apparently, the absence of fumes makes them already a lot healthier than smoking a regular cigar. However, this does not mean they are completely exempt from doing any harm. Any substance is dangerous when it is excessively consumed, even water! Studies have shown that nicotine present is not associated with the traditional danger of smoking. It was the tar that was to blame. In the case of nicotine vapor, it is still necessary to carry out more extensive research to assess the long-term effect it could have on the human body. Nicotine And Oral Health Nicotine acts as a vasoconstrictor, and this means that the flow of blood is reduced because of the consumption of nicotine. After consuming the tobacco e-liquid and without sufficient blood flow, the gums in your mouth could be affected and be left without the nutrients and oxygen they need to stay healthy. This can cause gum recession and gum death through the death of the tissue. It is also important to point out that gum disease may be harder to diagnose when inhaling tobacco vapor. This is due to the same fact explained earlier, the vasoconstriction created by the nicotine reduces blood flow through the gums, and therefore when you brush you don't bleed anymore, or maybe the bleeding is drastically reduced, but the original causes of the gum disease are still there. Read also: The Relationship Between Oral Health And General Health Because of the same effect, your mouth will also find harder to produce saliva. This can cause some other minor issues. Eating, for example, could be affected because of the missing saliva, since saliva is an important element in the digestive process. Another issue derived from not producing enough saliva is bad breath. Saliva stops bacteria from forming inside your mouth, and without it, bacteria can reproduce quickly and give you terrible breath. The recommendation would be to stay alert to the symptoms of gums disease even if you notice that you have stopped bleeding for a while. It is always good to remember that you should not take this article as the replacement of a visit to the doctor. A health professional would always be the best option when it comes to assessing the health of your mouth. If you are thinking of switching from regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes, there will be an immediate improvement in your quality of life. The elimination of the toxic tar and smoke that was being inhaled is a real plus for your health but be concerned about other negative effects due to nicotine as highlighted in this article.

The Connection Between Melatonin And Hair Loss

We can suffer from hair loss as we grow old, and it can happen if we go through a stressful time in our lives. The change in our appearance can lead to us feeling self-conscious and can have a detrimental effect on our mental health. Thankfully, there are ways of promoting hair growth being developed every day, so you can restore your locks to their former glory. A hair transplant in Turkey could be advantageous and making changes to your lifestyle and diet can have a positive result. Read on to find out more about hair loss, and how melatonin could be the answer. Common Causes Of Hair Loss Hair loss is not uncommon for both men and women, and it can happen throughout our lifetimes – generally, for men, it happens after puberty. Pattern baldness is caused by both genetics and hormones and often leads to total hair loss in males, but it can also be an issue for females too, with thinning hair being the main indicator. There are other causes of hair loss like alopecia, an autoimmune condition that attacks the hair follicles not just on the head, but everywhere from eyebrows to eyelashes. Those of us that have suffered a stressful or traumatic period, like childbirth, surgery, or injury may also suffer from hair loss, but this tends to grow back as normal after time has passed. Usually, hair loss is nothing to worry about and is simply a part of growing older – however, if you are having other symptoms along with your hair loss, you should seek advice from a medical professional. Who Can Suffer Hair Loss? Anyone can suffer from hair loss throughout their lives! A lot of us associate thinning of the hair with older men, however, male pattern baldness can happen as soon as a man has been through puberty. And as we mentioned above, even females can be affected by pattern baldness. Alopecia can happen at any time during our lives, as can hair loss that happens due to trauma. We lose hair every day, but when it becomes an issue, it can affect our self-esteem. Below, we’ll look at some of the known treatments that can help with hair loss, including some breakthroughs! Hair Loss Treatments If you suffer from hair loss due to genetics or aging, unfortunately, it cannot be prevented. However, there are treatments that you could implement into your routine that could help to slow down the process. You can buy medicated shampoo over the counter that can be applied directly to the scalp to promote hair growth. You could also talk to a specialist about a hair transplant – this is a more permanent solution, and with pain-free procedures, you can benefit from a natural-looking hairline. You could also make a few changes to your lifestyle, for example, quitting smoking, eating plenty of nutritious food, and reducing your stress levels. Below, we’re going to look at a relatively new breakthrough that could help restore your confidence. What Is Melatonin? You may have heard of melatonin in terms of sleep. This is because it helps us to regulate our sleeping patterns and helps our body clock establish when we’re ready to wake up. It also helps with other systems around the body – it can boost the immune system, treat inflammation, and protect the cardiovascular system. It has been said that melatonin used topically on the scalp can help slow down the process of hair loss. So how does it work? How Can Melatonin Aid Hair Loss? It is said that melatonin works in two ways, it can protect the hair follicles as it is an antioxidant meaning that it can fight oxidative stress (pollution, UV rays, smoke). And applying it directly to the scalp can extend the growth phase within the follicles. Melatonin can also stimulate hair cell growth. This causes a decrease in hair loss and an enhancement in hair density. Applying melatonin topically to the scalp once a day could mean an increase in re-growth. Read Also: How To Spot Hair Loss EarlyHow Can You Let Your Hair Regrow Naturally?6 Proven Ways to Deal with Hair Loss for Women

Six Ways Nurses Can Be Better Caregivers For Adults Throughout Their Lifespan

Gerontology – An Overview: