original question:
Identify two strategies you can implement to provide comfort to maintain function with an ethnically diverse older adult with a chronic disease? This can be nutrition, ADLs, exercise, etc.
MY ANSWER:
The management of chronic conditions is becoming an integral part of medical care in most parts of the world. The elderly, in particular, are living with one or more chronic illnesses for very long periods. Access to care is not easy, given that most of them are not insured. The situation gets worse when the patient is from an ethnical minority background. Since it can be hard to reach such patients, the first strategy that both the medical staff and the care givers of the patient should put in place is fostering positive communication. Putting a lot of focus in disease prevention, health promotion and early detection is a very effective strategy for enduring successful chronic disease management. This is especially helpful for the frail seniors (Hitchcock, 2016). It is, therefore, important for the care givers to listen carefully, show compassion and work with the patient to ensure care goals.
The second strategy would be to embark on a patient-centered approach. Such an approach is supposed to be responsive to, and respectful of, the preference, needs and values of the patient. Physicians should never make assumptions about the treatment option that the patient would choose. Rather, they should discuss also the available options. Doctors should also recognize when such senior patients need help in managing their chronic illness (Iecovich, 2018). Again, it may be important to carefully watch the interactions between different medications that are used to treat different conditions. The physicians and the patient should further come up with an action-plan and always keep it up to date.
While caring for the elderly patients can pose a big challenge for physicians, it does not mean that it is an impossible mission. With the right strategies in place and with the coordination of the doctors, the patients and their caregivers, it will be easier to manage such chronic conditions.
teacher question
Would this approach be different for a patient of a different age range?