GeneralWays to Provide Acute Care for Gerontology Patients

The global population is growing at an exponential rate. There are over 600 million people aged 65 and older. Considering these numbers, older patients are rapidly becoming a part of the healthcare sector. However, senior patients need far more care and tending than the average patient. These patients are in a delicate and vulnerable position and may be struggling with more than one illness.

Acute care refers to brief bursts of pain which can occur because of an illness, a sudden injury, or following recovery from surgery. So when your patent walks in for help. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Ensure You’re Equipped To Help

The healthcare sector is specific when it comes to providing care. While doctors may have a superficial understanding of different illnesses, they thrive best in the fields they specialize in. The same case is with nurses. As a nurse, you need to have the relevant degrees to assist your patients. If you have a BSN, you are suitable for providing primary care, such as updating notes, administering medication, and monitoring the patient’s vitals. But when you rise the ranks and enroll in online AGACNP programs, you can work alongside older patients.

You will be able to decipher their acute illnesses and even assist them in managing chronic conditions. Your degree makes you capable enough to design treatment routes that can elevate the pain. So if you hold a foundation degree, you can help chart the patient, but your advanced degree can enable you to work with doctors and take care of more patients at one time.

2. Understand The Patient May Struggle To Present The Complete Picture

The first part of any doctor visit is a patient consultation. This gives you a chance to sit with the patient and discuss their symptoms. This dialogue aims to get an idea of what the patient is experiencing. A machine cannot measure physical pain and sensations, so you need the patient to guide you. However, older patients may struggle to describe their symptoms specifically.

If a patient is experiencing weakness and pain in their left arm, you should pick up that may have trouble with their heart. Ask the patient-specific questions about how they feel and if they could rate the sensation. If an older patient feels dizzy, ask them to describe it further and narrow down the symptoms. You should also carry out a vital sign check and a head-to-toe assessment to ensure the cranial nerves are functional.

3. There May Be More Than One Condition

Genetics and the environment are the two factors that make a patient sick. Once the patient crosses their fifties, they may feel certain illnesses take hold of their body. Genetic diseases like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s, develop later in life. So by the time a patient hits their late fifties, they may start showing signs of their genetic conditions. At the same time, their lifestyle plays a massive role in their health. If the patient has a poor diet with no physical activity, it can impact their overall well-being.

Therefore, as a medical expert, be prepared to work with multiple ailments at a time. Your patient may have migraine, heart problems, diabetes, and even arthritis. They may be struggling to recover from surgery because of a poor immune system and recurring infections. Never assume that the patient before you may have a linear disease instead multiple illnesses all acting at once. So it would help if you broke down what you’re dealing with and started by working on the most manageable condition.

4. Focus On Lab Results

Older patients usually have lab results within the normal range; too low or too high indicates a health problem. So if you see issues with their white blood cell count, liver function, depleted calcium and phosphorus, and see high rates of Glucose. You should either schedule a retest or check if the patient is suffering from ailments that suggest they have a serious underlying health condition.

You should expect minute changes in the range, and if your patient has age-related diseases, they may have high or low values in reports like urinalysis. Those should not concern you. But anytime you notice abrupt rises and falls, unexplained inconsistencies in their vital signs. Yet, it’s always best to pinpoint the source for overall healthy well-being. This helps you make better decisions regarding their health.

5. Expect Adverse Reactions To Medicines

Older patients may be taking numerous medications to keep their health in check. These include taking at least three to four pills a day to manage their chronic conditions. Therefore, when you prescribe more medicines, you need to account for the ones they’re already taking to prevent varying doses from wreaking havoc on their system. So you’ll need to help with the medications.

Senior patients are also more prone to allergic reactions and side effects than other patients.

Final Thoughts

As a medical provider, it is your job to ensure every patient who walks into your office feels better. This includes older patients explicitly. Senior patients have more than a weak immune system and a slowing down body to worry about. Their health can take a severe plunge under all the acute and chronic conditions they’re battling. Therefore, it falls on your shoulders to ensure they get treated and cared for. You need to help them describe their symptoms, have the skills to understand their illnesses, and order lab tests. These can help you get valuable insight into their health patterns.

Additionally, when working with their medication, expect them to have trouble adjusting to the new doses because of their overall health. The bottom line is caring for older patients is being alert, staying vigilant, paying attention to their symptoms, and acting accordingly.

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