Functional Assessment : An Essential Examination Of Every Older Adult

The assessment process is the back bone to any package of care and it is vital that it is personal and appropriate to the individual concerned. Although studies have found that there is no singular theory or understanding as to what the purpose of assessment is, there are different approaches and forms of assessment carried out in health and social care. These different approaches can sometimes result in different outcomes.

Thus, the aim of this paper is to assess the determinants of health that affect a specific client by taking into account Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns. Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns provides an effective framework for evaluating the many factors that can affect an individual in his or her day-to-day life. This method was developed by Majory Gordon in 1987, and used as a guideline for establishing a comprehensive nursing assessment. By using these specific categories, health care professionals are able to create a standardized method to collect data in order to determine aspects of health and

Health assessment is also vital in collecting information in the nursing process. In order to collect data in a systematic and standardized approach, and enable the nurse to determine different aspects of health and human function, the Gordon Functional Health Patterns which have 11 categories are usually used as a framework of the assessment.

Assessment tools are used in the care planning process to build up a holistic picture of an individual’s needs. When all the details have been recorded an assessment can be made and suitable care and support can be identified. A few of the assessment tools are information from the individual such as diaries, observations, medical histories and checklists.

As people get old a few of them will experience changes in cognition with age related capacity rather than intellectual capacity. There are some people who get both disparities of mentally and physically impaired that will led into depression due to aging process of their body. Even though, the forgetfulness is a common among older adults, we as healthcare providers must evaluate altered mental status of the patients. “The evaluation and management of altered mental status are broad and require careful history and physical examination to eliminate life-threatening situations”(Patti & Dulebohn, 2017). Therefore, it is very important to recognize the importance of difference between normal age-related symptoms and developing new health problems that can arise in this specific population. As elders get older their memory lapses it frustrating to them leading them to be more worried about changes in their memory. Nurses have a unique capability to promote a cognitive health and determine the possibilities of potential cases of the impairment in elders. The movie “On Golden Pond” Mr. Norman was a perfect example and showed that his symptoms were interfering with his everyday live when he almost burns down the house with fire, calling Bill by his daughter’s name Chelsea and getting lost in on the lake. Even though, Mr. Norman had heart and dementia problems his wife never discouraged him to do what he liked such as

(helpguide, 2012) Effective care for older patients requires an accurate assessment of the elderly's health status. Physical, psychological, social, and behavioral and health system factors may influence their health status. Functional health status includes: a) basic activities of daily living; dressing, feeding, bathing, toileting, transfer-moving inside and round the house, b) instrumental activities of daily living; shopping, laundry, cooking, housekeeping, taking medication, managing money, c) advanced activities of daily living; social activity, occupation, recreation. Cognitive function assessment includes: attention span, concentration, intelligence, judgment, learning ability, memory, orientation, perception, problem solving, psychomotor ability, reaction time, social intactness. (ispub, 2012)

Public information release is due to kids begin under the age of 18 at the time, you will need consent from the mother or legal parent in guardian to conduct the interview with the child. The mother have to filled out the form saying she give you or anybody permission to speak with her child. When the mother filled out the form, you have make sure there is a witness available to see the mother sign the form.

This substantial increase in population of those living longer with chronic illness supports that interventions need to be recognized early to decrease loss of independence. The Louisiana Community Choices Waiver provides ancillary support, such as physical, occupational, respiratory and speech therapy to qualifying residents. These services provide functional support while providing socialization in the home environment. This promotion of increased physical mobility and prevention can assist residents to maintain or increase their independence in the home. The expected growth of the elderly population in the next decade demonstrates a critical need for additional measures to support the efforts of individuals desiring to stay in their homes.

The patient’s previous function should always be considered so as to know how far the patient has deteriorated and thus be able to consider the decline as either normal or abnormal. Nevertheless, Nathan also mentioned this, saying that older people are not afforded the same history and investigation as younger ones, thus driving basically the same point home. Older patients are discharged quickly without even being properly treated, consequently making their ailment become worse as time passes. We cannot just assume that what a patient is going through is normal and thus unimportant, rather the authors make it clear that we should give older people the same options, care, and patience that we offer to the younger

Aging is a gradual, continuous process of natural change which begin to decline many bodily functions. These changes increase the risk of developing health-related problems within the older adults. The fulmer SPICES is a tool for assessing older populations that focuses on six main conditions which include sleep disorders, problems with eating or feeding, incontinence, confusion, evidence of falls, and skin breakdown. Upon interview/exam if the patient has no problems noted on chart then score will be zero, if patient problem noted on chart and history of problem then score will be 1 and lastly if the problem is found on the day of assessment either in chart or on exam then score will be 2 on the assessment tool (Fulmer, 2007). This assessment used to plan, promote, and maintain optimal function in elderly adults. Also, the SPICES assessment is done regularly that can signal for the need for specific assessment and interventions for these conditions (Fulmer, 2007). This assessment can be used for both healthy and frail older

Health Assessment of the Head, Neck, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Mouth, Throat, Neurological System, and the 12 Cranial Nerves Skin, Hair, Nails, Breasts, Peripheral Vascular System, Lymphatics, Thorax, Heart, Lungs, Musculoskeletal, Gastrointestinal, and Genitourinary Systems

The first assessment was the Tinetti balance and gait test. DM scored extremely well and showed no signs of impaired gait or balance during the test and scored the maximum amount of points. On the Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living, DM scored six out of six points, which means she is completely independent on all of her ADL’s. In assessing DM’s assessment of home safety, I did find some potential hazards in her bathroom. Loose rugs and a low toilet seat can increase her risk of falls. We also discussed the possibility of obtaining a medical alert device when and if the time is right. She was open to suggestions and removed the hazardous rugs from the bathroom floor. The last test was the Barthel Index test and DM also showed complete independence and scored 100 out of 100 points. All the tests are itemized and noted in the

Activities of Daily Living/Instrumental ADL –self-care activities due to lack of interest or pleasure, home-making, driving, dressing, and eating Addressing functional use of her right hand will optimize independence with ADLS

In order to find the patients baseline an assessment of functionality is needed for comparison. When assessing a patient it is important to pay attention to the abilities of activities of daily living regularly. An assumption of Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory is that a person’s knowledge of potential health problems is needed for promoting self- care behaviors (Nursingtheory.org, 2013).

at the time of your visit. We have divided the DGA in two parts, each with three