Elder-Specific Discussion

Choose one of the following topics and respond to the thread corresponding to the topic you select. Please include at least three scholarly sources within your initial post.

Note: As you are choosing a topic, please try to make sure that all topics are chosen by at least by one person. You can see this by noting if anyone has posted to the topic within the corresponding threads.

  1. Dementia in the elderly. Discuss ways in which the cost associated with dementia can be curtailed along with maintaining the individual’s quality of life. Dementia is not only Alzheimer’s disease, so consider multiple types of dementia within your answers (types of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies [DLB], mixed dementia, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and normal pressure hydrocephalus).
  2. Elder abuse. Include physical, emotional, sexual, etc. How, as an APRN, can you screen for and address elder abuse? What types of health promotion concepts can be used to help advocate for the personal safety of our elders? Are there screening tools available? In what unconventional locations within your community might an elder screening be performed?
  3. Fall prevention. What are specific geriatric risk factors that create an increase in fall risks? What can be done from a health promotion standpoint to decrease falls in the elderly? Define fall risk and what types of assessments are available in the outpatient and inpatient settings.
  4. Financials, levels of neglect in the elders. Consider financial risk, scams, family, and other pitfalls the elderly may find themselves in relating to their finances. Provide examples and ways to advocate for our patients and our communities as advanced practice nurses.
  5. Components of a well elder evaluation. Define a well elder evaluation. Make sure you address components that pertain to the home environment and the communities in which they live. How can an APRN assist in these evaluations and promote different aspects within your community?
  6. Functional status. Consider ADLs and IADLs. What is the difference? What types of assessment can be done and by whom to determine if an elder can care for themself at home? In addition, what types of services are available to help promote overall elder health not only in their homes but when living with family or in assisted living and nursing homes? What types of supportive services are available to assist the elderly in staying in their own homes?
  7. Cognition. Describe how cognitive functioning may change as we age. What are neuropsychological examinations, and when should these be requested? Describe what this type of testing can accomplish and how, as a provider, you would use these results. Discuss ways in which we can improve and maintain our cognitive health (for example, diet, exercise). Provide specifics.
  8. Polypharmacy. Consider medication compliance, risk of adverse effects, creatinine clearance <50ml/min. As an Advanced Practice Nurse, how can you address this growing problem? What type of surveillance will you put into place within your own practice, and how can you advocate to help address this concern within your own community?
  9. Pain assessment and treatment. Discuss specifics regarding pain within the elder population: perception of pain, pain assessment scales, etc. In addition, provide evidence-based cited information relating to the opioid epidemic within your state and what percentage of addicted individuals are elderly. What type of resources are available in your community to help those with substance abuse problems? Are there any services specific to the elderly?