Nursing Case Studies On Improving Health Related Quality Of Life In Older Adults

Features evidence-based, practical, and effective strategies for creating and maintaining optimal quality of life for older adults This globally focused resource integrates sound research evidence, real-life case scenarios, and effective, practical strategies to address a key health care initiative of the 21st century: optimal quality of life for older adults. Distinguished by its broad outlook, the book includes contributions from an international cadre of widely published scholars and is designed for easy integration into traditional nursing education curricula. The book explores the experiences of older adults at home, in assisted living, and in nursing home environments, examining their complex and wide-ranging health, spiritual, and emotional needs. The book is organized into two sections that address quality of life issues. Section I broadly addresses quality of life issues across the full range of care environments, while Section II addresses some of the more specific issues and health conditions that have an impact on the quality of life of older adults. A detailed and multidimensional case study opens each chapter, including subjective and objective data focusing on the quality-of-life domain being addressed. Articulation and definition of each quality-of-life issue are presented along with information on the incidence and prevalence of the problem. Several cases addressing issues older adults encounter in preventing and managing acute and chronic disease serve as a clinical resource guide, with an emphasis on clinical reasoning. Each chapter features a comprehensive, synthesized literature review, delivering the best evidence in the field and offering effective strategies for managing care issues. Generalist and advanced practice nursing roles in promoting quality of life, along with relevant cultural considerations, are covered in detail. Each chapter concludes with tips and strategies for the promotion of quality of life among older adults, accompanied by a list of critical thinking questions. Content is organized to be compatible with the Adult-Gero Nurse Practitioner Certification Test Plan. Key Features: Addresses key quality-of-life education and practice initiatives advanced by leading gerontology organizations worldwide Includes detailed, multifaceted case studies reflecting extensive, current evidence-based literature Describes practical, cost-effective strategies aimed at maintaining health Disseminates the universally applicable perspectives of international scholars of global aging Provides content compatible with the Adult-Gero Nurse Practitioner Certification Test Plan

As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a health care workforce that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs. Retooling for an Aging America calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. The book also recommends that Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides. Educators and health professional groups can use Retooling for an Aging America to institute or increase formal education and training in geriatrics. Consumer groups can use the book to advocate for improving the care for older adults. Health care professional and occupational groups can use it to improve the quality of health care jobs.

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

Gain expertise in primary care of older adults with a case-based approach to geriatric primary care and multimorbidity management. Written by two leading academic and clinical experts in geriatric primary care, Case Studies in Geriatric Primary Care and Multimorbidity Management, 1st Edition uses detailed Exemplar Case Studies and Practice Case Studies to teach you how to think like an expert geriatric clinician. Because most older adults have more than one condition when seeking care, both Exemplar and Practice Case Studies place a strong emphasis on "multimorbidity" management, (the management of patients with a host of complex, interacting conditions). To provide extensive practice in learning how to think like an expert, case studies reflect the reality that care does not necessarily begin or end in the primary care setting. Cases therefore move fluidly from primary care to acute care to inpatient rehabilitation to assisted living to long-term care. Building on foundational introductory chapters, cases also call on you to develop interprofessional collaboration skills and reflect the diversity of today's older adults, in terms of age (young-old to old-old), gender, culture, ethnicity, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and more! As you work through both basic-level and advanced Practice Case Studies, you can make extensive notes in the printed book and then go online to submit answers for grading and receive expert feedback for self-reflection. NEW! Introductory unit on the core principles of caring for older adults gives you a strong foundation in the principles of geriatric primary care and multimorbidity management. NEW! and UNIQUE! Exceptionally detailed, unfolding Exemplar Case Studies demonstrate how an expert advanced practitioner "thinks clinically" to provide care to older adults with multiple conditions. NEW and UNIQUE! Exceptionally detailed, unfolding Practice Case Studies emphasize patient diversity and multimorbidity management across healthcare settings to help you develop advanced clinical reasoning skills for geriatric primary care. NEW and UNIQUE! Strong emphasis on multimorbidity management focuses on caring for older adults with multiple chronic conditions. NEW! Emphasis on the continuum of care across settings reflects the reality that care does not necessarily begin or end in the primary care setting but can move from primary care to acute care to inpatient rehabilitation to assisted living to long-term care, and so forth. NEW! Online answer submission for grading and expert feedback for self-reflection. NEW! Emphasis on patient diversity reflects the makeup of today's older adult, population in terms of age (young-old to old-old), gender, culture, ethnicity, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and more. NEW! Emphasis on interprofessional collaboration use Exemplar Case Studies and Practice Case Studies to allow you to demonstrate your interprofessional collaboration skills.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from 3rd Party sellers are not guaranteed by the Publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. This text covers the theory and practice of wellness–oriented gerontological nursing, addressing both physiologic and psychosocial aspects of aging. Organized around the author’s unique Functional Consequences Theory, the book explores age-related changes as well as the risk factors that often interfere with optimal health and functioning. Key features include: NEW! Technology to Promote Wellness in Older Adults boxes describe examples of technology-based interventions that can be effective for promoting wellness for older adults. NEW! Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) material, which is found in boxes or is highlighted with orange bars in the margins, indicates the responsibilities of nurses to collaborate with other professionals and paraprofessionals in health care and community-based settings when caring for older adults. NEW! Global Perspective boxes provide examples of the various ways in which health care professionals in other countries provide care for older adults. NEW! Unfolding Patient Stories, written by the National League for Nursing, are an engaging way to begin meaningful conversations in the classroom. These vignettes, which open each unit, feature patients from Wolters Kluwer’s vSim for Nursing | Gerontology (co-developed with Laerdal Medical) and DocuCare products; however, each Unfolding Patient Story in the book stands alone, not requiring purchase of these products. For your convenience, a list of these case studies, along with their location in the book, appears in the “Case Studies in This Book” section later in this frontmatter. NEW! Transitional Care Unfolding Case Studies, which unfold across Chapters 27 through 29, to illustrate ways in which nurses can provide effective transitional care to an older adult whose progressively worsening condition requires that her needs be met in several settings. For your convenience, a list of these case studies, along with their location in the book, appears in the “Case Studies in This Book” section later in this frontmatter. Updated unfolding case studies illustrate common experiences of older adults as they progress from young-old to old-old and are affected by combinations of age-related changes and risk factors. Evidence-based information is threaded through the content and summarized in boxes in clinically oriented chapters. Assessment and intervention guidelines help nurses identify and address factors that affect the functioning and quality of life of older adults. Nursing interventions focus on teaching older adults and their caregivers about actions they can take to promote wellness. Case studies include content on transitional care, interprofessional collaboration, and QSEN!

As the fastest growing population sector worldwide, older adults are seen in almost every care setting in which clinicians practice. Developed as a resource for advanced practice nurses in any setting, Case Studies in Gerontological Nursing for the Advanced Practice Nurse presents readers with a range of both typical and atypical cases from real clinical scenarios. The book is organized into six units covering cases related to ageism, common health challenges, health promotion, environments of care, cognitive and psychological issues, and issues relating to aging and independence. Each case follows a similar format including the patient's presentation, critical thinking questions, and a thorough discussion of the case resolution through which students and clinicians can enhance their clinical reasoning skills. Designed to promote geriatric clinical education through self-assessment or classroom use, Case Studies in Gerontological Nursing for the Advanced Practice Nurse is a key resource for all those dedicated to improving care for older adults.

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.