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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 10 page research paper that investigates this topic. While safety is a consideration for all patients, it is a particularly intense consideration in regards to when an elderly patient is hospitalized. Elderly patients who have previously been active can resist the loss of their independence and have trouble accepting a new reduced level of activity while hospitalized. Furthermore, an elderly patient may become confused in new surroundings and this may acerbate the tendency to wander or try to maintain their usual degree of independence. This can be inherently dangerous. An elderly patient who attempts to climb out of hospital bed with the bed rails raised can become entrapped and injured. They can fall while trying to get to the bathroom and falls for the elderly can be potentially fatal. This literature review looks at the factors that can impact how elderly patient adjust to a loss of independence. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Page Count:
10 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_kheploi.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
been active can resist the loss of their independence and have trouble accepting a new reduced level of activity while hospitalized. Furthermore, an elderly patient may become confused in new
surroundings and this may acerbate the tendency to wander or try to maintain their usual degree of independence. This can be inherently dangerous. An elderly patient who attempts to
climb out of hospital bed with the bed rails raised can become entrapped and injured. They can fall while trying to get to the bathroom and falls for the elderly
can be potentially fatal. The following literature review looks at the factors that can impact how elderly patient adjust to a loss of independence. According to Rathier and McElhaney
(2005), the presence of delirium is a positive predictor for long-term functional decline and the loss of functioning independence as a permanent condition. The incidence level of delirium varies according
to the reason for hospital admission. Between 10 and 15 percent of elderly patients admitted to the general medical wards and more than 50 percent of patients admitted to the
surgical wards will demonstrate the symptoms of delirium (Rathier and McElhaney, 2005). In intensive care units (ICUs) the rate is even higher with 80 percent of all mechanically ventilated elderly
patients presenting delirium symptoms (Rathier and McElhaney, 2005). These patients may be hyperactive, hypoactive, or present a mix type of delirium. Hyperactivity is frequently noted, but misdiagnosed as dementia, or
the "administration of anti-psychotic or sedative drugs" will delay the process of making an accurate diagnosis and thereby increase the risk of complications from delirium (e.g., "inappropriate social behavior, increased
in-hospital morbidity and progressive decline in function that can lead to coma and death") (Rathier and McElhaney, 2005, p. 26). Elderly patients at the highest risk for developing delirium are
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