A Discharge Plan for an Elderly Patient - Essay Example

? A Discharge Plan for an Elderly Patient A Discharge Plan for an Elderly Patient Introduction It has been proved by health care professionals that elderly patients have more needs than the much younger patients. When an elderly patient is discharged from hospital, he or she can have additional problems beyond the common ones that are associated with the physical process of recovery. This paper will report on the most appropriate discharge placement for an elderly patient by the name Mr. Trosack. Mr. Trosack is set to be discharged from hospital where he underwent a total hip replacement surgery. This case study revolves around Mr. Trosack, a 72-year old man who is recovering from a hip surgery that he recently underwent. This paper is a discharge plan for Mr. Trosack so as to ensure that his discharge is faced with the least issues possible. So far, Mr. Trosack’s recovery is going well and he is ambulating well using a walker. Because of this, Mr. Trosack can finally be discharged from hospital so that he can go and continue with his recovery at home. It is therefore the duty of the healthcare team to develop a workable discharge plan for the patient. Mr. Trosack is known to guard his independence strongly. This is evident in the fact that for two years now, since the passing of his wife of very many years, he has been living alone. He has spent most this time living in the same apartment. Mr. Trojack works in a bakery that he jointly owns with his brother Karl. He is a very religious person who is keen on attending church services and participating in church activities. He rarely gets adequate time to socialize with his son and daughter in law because they do not participate in church activities and have very long working hours. Designing a discharge plan for Mr. Trosack is problematic because of a number of issues. These issues include mobility, functionality, ability to perform daily activities of earning a living, Mr. Trosack’s medication regimen, the risk of social isolation and safety issues among others. Mr. Trosack is mobile but has to use a walker to move from point to point. Mr. Trosack also has to negotiate a lot of stairs to do a lot of things such as attending church services, enter his apartment, go to work at the bakery and taking out the trash. Even though Mr. Trosack is hopeful of going back home and living a normal life where he goes to work in his bakery, there are concerns about his mobility, especially the stairs and pain control issues. He would have been helped by his son and daughter in law but they have very tight working schedules that force them to work long hours. His son and daughter in law doubt the diagnosis of Mr. Trosack’s diabetes. Their effectiveness of caring for him is therefore questionable in regard to giving him his new medication and medication regimen. It also raises concerns about moving Mr. Trosack from his long time home, church participation and routine lifestyle since this would cause a lot of anxiety for Mr. Trosack. A lot of safety factors also need to be taken into consideration. These include the fact that his house is cluttered, therefore making difficult for him to move around with a walker. It also increases the chance that he might fall again. Mr. Trosack’s bathroom does not have any safety features that will ensure his safety. He has a lot of expired medication and foods in the refrigerator. There needs to be an interdisciplinary team that will be responsible for designing the best discharge plan for Mr. Trosack. The team should have a manager, a physical therapist, a social worker, a nurse and a physician. The role of the physician would be to provide input on the physical capacity of Mr. Trosack and his expectations on of progress, safe medical equipment, outpatient physical therapy and order medication. The physical therapist would be responsible for providing input on the physical capabilities of Mr. Trosack such as his tolerance level to activities, his strength, mobility and endurance. The role of the primary nurse is to provide input about the ability of the patient to perform daily activities such as grooming, dressing and bathing. The social worker would provide information about the expected level of emotional and social support of the patient through the use of community based programs that can provide emotional, social and physical support. The role of the case manager would be to analyze and organize all the data that is presented by the all the other members of the health care team so as to formulate the best discharge plan Mr. Trosack (Machielse, 2006). It is the responsibility of the interdisciplinary team to analyze various placement scenarios before it can decide to let Mr. Trosack recover from home. Mr. Trosack simply want to return home and lead a normal life in his apartment where he would attend his church services and work in the bakery. He cannot be placed with his son and daughter in law because they work long hours and did not spend enough time with Mr. Trosack before his accident. The health care team would consider the possibility of Mr. Trosack staying with his brother Karl since he is also elderly himself. It is not likely that short term home care be provided to Mr. Trosack because of his level of independence. This is because placement in a care facility is likely to decrease his independence and cause anxiety or depression. Mr. Trosack wishes to be placed at home where there would be proper support systems and proper services surrounded by his own things. There is a high risk of Mr. Trosack developing psychological issues and social isolation. These problems may include depression which may get worse with age and disability. Mr. Trosack should not be made to feel socially isolated and lonely because it may bring further problems. The psychological wellbeing of the patient should be ensured. Any form of injuries that occur during the recovery process may lead to depression or hopelessness. Individuals with depression are less likely to recover from injuries. If Mr. Trosack is depressed or hopeless, he will not be motivated to participate in the recovery plan. He may not be willing to participate in physical therapy that could shorten his recovery period. Preventing social isolation and depression could help maintain a sense of independence and productivity. Mr. Trosack can be allowed to perform a few duties related to his bakery from his apartment without having to go out. These activities could include customer follow-up, bill payment, taking orders from orders and ordering supplies among other less labour intensive chores (National Institute of Health website). A volunteer parishioner could be asked to visit Mr. Trosack on a regular basis so as to ensure that he maintains his spirituality. This is because it would not be possible to attend church services regularly. The health care professionals could also make regular visits to the home of Mr. Trosack so as to prevent loneliness by ensuring social contact. Mr. Trosack’s brother Karl should be encouraged to visit him regularly. His son and daughter in law should also be encouraged to find time and Mr. Trosack so as to encourage him to recover quickly and to prevent him from falling into depression and from getting feeling of social isolation (New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website). Before Mr. Trosack is allowed to return to his apartment, a lot of safety issues have to be addressed. The removal of trash should be arranged so that he does not have to struggle with taking out the trash. Delivery of groceries should also be arranged so that fresh fruits and vegetables can be regularly supplied. Mr. Trosack’s apartment shoulf be less cluttered so as to create adequate space for him to move around with his walker. Safety equipment should be installed in his bathroom and toilet. These equipment could include safety handles, elevated toilet seat and grooming equipment. There needs to be someone to provide Mr. Trosack with assistance when bathing, doing general house work and taking medication regularly among other duties at home. This could be done by a professional nurse. Mr. Trosack can be provided with a medical alert service through which he can have an emergency button to call for help whenever he needs it. All these factors may go a long way in providing Mr. Trosack with peace of mind (Chicago Health Aging and Social Relations Study website, p. 1). In conclusion, the recovery plan of Mr. Trosack can ensure that he returns home and continues with his recovery process. There should be other support systems to ensure that Mr. Trosack recovers well from home. References Chicago Health Aging and Social Relations Study website. Retrieved from, www.psychology.uchicago.edu/people/faculty/cacioppo/CHASRS.shtml Machielse, A. (2006). Social Isolation and the Elderly. Social Isolation and Caring for the Elderly Website. Retrieved from, www.lesi.nl/fileadmin/bestanden/Diversen/Shanghai_lezing National Institute of Health website. Retrieved from, www.ncbi.nbi.gov New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website. Retrieved from, www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html Read More