Responsibilities Of A Patient 's Circle Of Care

Nursing homes and assisted facility homes are all examples of long term care facilities. These facilities are usually targeting individuals who are of geriatric age or need around the clock care (mental health and physical health). The residents in these communities have access to individually-tailored levels of individual or group-centered activities, programs, and assistance whether it is with home or personal care. Long term care facilities are generally for those who are unable to manage independently in the community. Specific types of long-term services include nursing homes, hospice care, home health agencies, and residential care facilities. The goal of these programs is to make sure each patient has a safe and comforting environment

Abuse is a big hazard in the nursing home setting for example a member of staff could be secretly treating the patient with disrespect by calling them names, not washing them, and hurting them physically. This could lead the patient feeling worthless, upset and angry which would affect the patient emotionally and physically and may cause them to stop eating.

Choosing a long-term care facility can be very difficult because of incidents of abuse and/or neglect reported against care facilities can be overwhelming. For example in “Ending Elder Abuse: A family guide”, Diane Sandell lists many elder abuse incidents from her files such as: neglect of decubitis ulcers led to infection, sepsis, gangrene, and death. Facility failed to provide necessary diabetic diet; improper insulin administration, insulin overdose; dehydration and death. Resident left alone in chair in shower room fell, became paralyzed from neck down. Many reports of pinching, rough handling, slapping, yelling, threats (2000). It is believed that abuse is most likely to occur if the caregiver not only finds the work difficult but also (1) works full time, (2) cares for young children, (3) is poor, (4) feels little affection for the older person, (5) finds the elderly person very difficult, and (6) gets no support or help from others (Macionis, 2005). Although there is no excuse for abusing elderly Americans, it is still very prominent in today’s society. Diane Sandell explains in Ending Elder Abuse, that her 91 year old mother was beaten by a long-term care facility employee in the middle of the night for reasons unknown. It is stated that her mother died 6 weeks after the incident, unable to recover mentally from the abuse (2000).

A person’s life can end at any age. They can depart quickly or slowly. End of life care, also known as palliative care, is the care of patients that are not only in their final hours or days but the patients with a terminal illness that has become incurable. End of life care takes into mind what the patient desires so it is recommended that they consider an advanced care plan also known as an advance directive and living will. These documents allow the patient to formulate decisions on the future of their care if, at any point, they cannot vocally express themselves.

The care staff face many challenges even though they know just about everything about the individual; the carers still deal with many situations. It’s of importance that families and other health professionals develop a professional working relationship with carers because the carers are the one who are more involve with the individuals and supporting them as well as knowing the individual everyday activities.

Key people could be family, doctors, carers, religious leaders etc. Each may own distinctive role to play in order for the choices and preferences of the individual to be respected and carried out. [ Every person’s end-of-life trajectory is different and needs differ in intensity and quality over time. End-of-life care must adapt to the varying and changing needs of the individual over time and that it cannot be limited to certain settings or services. The provision of good

Over all, there are many types of abuse, from physical abuse to rough living conditions, that elderly and nursing home residents experience quite often.

Caring for patients at the end of life is a challenging task that requires not only the consideration of the patient as a whole but also an understanding of the family, social, legal, economic, and institutional circumstances that surround patient care.

This essay discusses the core principles of long-term conditions and management. Government guidelines and standards are also discussed in relation to how these will impact the care of the patients who are experiencing long term conditions. The reports, guidelines and plans that play an important role in directing the current nursing system today, are discussed with regard to the management of chronic conditions and lastly, palliative care and outcomes from the publication “Together for Health – Delivering End of Life Care” (2013)

Throughout Unit 6 we reviewed the continuum of care in long-term care facilities and its many aspects. The continuum of care, also referred to as the delivery system of health care, is best defined as a full range of long-term care services increasing in level of acuity and complexity from one end to the other (PowerPoint). This delivery system is comprised of three substantial components. These components are the informal system, community based care, and the institutional system.

As the healthcare system in this country has changed, so have traditional nursing homes. Families have the right to expect that their loved ones will be taken care of by professionals in a caring environment. Unfortunately, may people are being abused and neglected in nursing homes. It is very clear that abuse is a serious problem among nursing home patients, and something needs to be done to put a stop to it.

The issue of elder abuse is clearly an ethical concern. As a caregiver, the nurse has the responsibility to ensure that the environment of the patient is safe and supportive of health and wellness. In the case of an elderly patient who is too frail to engage in effective self-care, the demands upon the nurse increase as the nurse must

Long-term care and hospice are just two of many healthcare delivery systems available across the World. According to textbook, Comparative Health Information Management written by Ann H. Peden, long-term care refers to caring for elderly, institutionalized people and those who are permanent residents of a nursing facility (2015, p. 354). On the contrary, Peden defines hospice as "a facility or program designed to provide a caring environment to meet the physical and emotional needs of terminally ill patients and their families and significant others" (2015, p. 479). Although on the surface each of these facilities may seem alike, when comparing the two as this paper will do, there are many differences.

There have been problems within Long-Term Care and many of these abuses were turned over to the patients, there was hardly any direction on how to handle Long-Term Care. “Poor houses and Almshouses and developed in response to an impoverished, aging, and

Abuse in Nursing Homes can vary between physical and emotional, verbal, sexual, and neglect. In some cases can even be catastrophic by causing death. The medical personnel that work these facilities are highly trained, so what are causing these problems one may ask? Most medical facilities are understaffed and have a high rate of