Introduction
Numerous elder people are facing various issues in their everyday life on account of chronic illnesses or their disabilities that are related to health. Often, those issues minimize their ability to care for themselves (Caplan, 2014). The latter is one of the most prevalent motives why older people search for help from other people, move to supported living societies, or enter eldercare homes.
Domains of the functional assessment
The regular living skills contingent on aging and chronic diseases or incapacities comprise self-care events that the majority of individuals absorb while being children and have a habit of taking them for granted as they grow older (Fillenbaum, 2013). The first type of activity is called ADL (activities of daily living). These contain elementary survival duties. Examples of these activities include eating, bathing, dressing, training, and going to and moving out of bed. Another type of activity is called IADL (instrumental activities of daily living). Numerous activities may serve as examples of independent life (Fillenbaum, 2013). These include preparing food, housework duties, doing the laundry, going to the supermarkets, performing monetary operations, and using the cell phone. The last domain of functional assessment is called mobility (Fillenbaum, 2013). This domain is considered to be the key constituent in the functional assessment of older adults for the reason that it is suggestively associated with the maintenance of elder self-sufficiency and individuality. It is important to raise the awareness of geriatric medical staff concerning the necessity of perceiving mobility as a crucial aspect of elder individuals’ lives. The most prevalent examples of mobility are represented by the use of public transportation, driving cars, or walking.
Importance of understanding the domains and integrating them into the assessment
In the majority of instances, the older persons themselves are the last resort when it comes to judging his or her necessity of asking for help with day-to-day living. It is important to understand the three domains of the functional assessment because if the nurses care for their patients, they should consciously talk over the matters (Moyle, Parker, & Bramble, 2014). The discussion should be sincere and compassionate. To recognize the issue, it is obligatory to comprehend the patient and his or her needs. When it comes to integrating the domains into the assessment, the exception is when the issues appear due to an illness of another type, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. In this situation, the patients might forget how to do their day-to-day tasks properly (Moyle et al., 2014). If memory is the key issue, it is important to implement prompts, training, and support to guarantee the patient’s wellbeing and completion of the action.
The aspects of elder mistreatment assessment
The mistreatment of the elder patients may transpire in numerous forms. These forms mostly include abuse, abandonment, financial manipulation, and rejection. Reporting the alleged mistreatment is authorized in almost every state in the US. Nonetheless, the bigger part of the medical workers has little or no experience in detecting the warning signs of mistreatment (Moyle et al., 2014). For this particular reason, the majority of these cases remain unreported. The Elder Assessment Instrument offers nurses a screening method designed to spot all the cases of potential mistreatment and can be utilized in most medical settings. The EAI is an assessment instrument that consists of 41 items (assessment of clothing, nutrition, neglect indicators, and abuse indicators) and was originally presented to the public in 1984. Since then, it has been polished and improved to comply with specific medical situations and research resolutions (Moyle et al., 2014). It will keep progressing as the nurses gain more knowledge concerning the assessment of mistreatment in the elder.
References
Caplan, G. (2014). Geriatric medicine: An introduction. New York, NY: IP Communications.
Fillenbaum, G. G. (2013). Multidimensional functional assessment of older adults: The Duke Older Americans Resources and Services procedures. Hillsdale, NJ: Psychology Press.
Moyle, W., Parker, D., & Bramble, M. (2014). Care of older adults: A strengths-based approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.