#1Caring for the frail elderly is not an easy task or chore. Frailty is partly the result of aging bodies and minds and partly the result of lack of self-care and and misguided care of other people and neglectful communities. Some of the issues of caring for the frail elderly in Late adulthood is where will the elderly person live and stay? My grandfather on my mothers side had to end up staying at my parents house for a few moths because he became unable to care for himself. My father was the main one who had to take him to the shower, help feed him, clothe him and give him his medications. My grandfather was waiting to be accepted into a place where he could get 24 hour care just a few miles from my parents house, It was a struggle for my parents having him at their house as he was also not the nicest person to get a long with. He was a pretty mean Puerto Rican man with a temper on him if he did not get his way. Even when he got into a nursery home he still caused issues and they had to call my mother numerous times to come calm him down or he would get kicked out. It was not fun watching all of this happen.
Some of the challenges we face in caring for the frail elderly is first having a place for them to permanently stay where they can receive 24 hour care by a professional nurse or medical assistant. There have been many places that have come out and shown that many workers abuse the elderly because they either cannot defend themselves or speak up. So trusting someone with your loved one is important. Another issue is paying for their care, do they have insurance or Medicare? Next is how much attention do they need from you? It is not easy when your loved one gets to that place and you have to try and balance your own life and also having time for them as well.
discussion #2
What are some of the issues of caring for the "frail elderly" in Late adulthood?
According to Berger (2017), frail elderly is "People who are physically infirm, very ill, or cognitively disabled, and consequently tired and lethargic…Frailty is not defined by any single disease, no matter how serious, but by an overall loss of energy and strength. It is systemic, often accompanied by weight loss and exhaustion. It can occur at any age."
Some issues related to caring for the "frail elderly," start from the very beginning on the prevention, and continue until the end of life. They are mostly centered on inadequate social support, lacks adequate custodial services, transportation, community knowledge, and the lack of integrated care and professionals available 24 hours.
Describe three of the challenges we face in caring for the frail elderly
Frail elderly has higher rates of functional dependence. As Berger (2017) describes: "One way to measure frailty, according to insurance standards and medical professionals, is by assessing a person's ability to perform the tasks of self-care." Activities of daily life (ADLs) include eating, bathing, toileting, dressing, and moving from a bed to a chair. The elderly use to become more dependent on the performance of these activities, and those activities become daily challenges to the caregiver.
Frail elderly is more susceptible to skeletal fractures, healthcare-associated infections, delirium, incontinence, malnutrition, dehydration, and skin breakdown. These factors all directly and indirectly contribute to morbidity, disability, and mortality. Unfortunately, not all patients count with appropriate care to avoid other complication which impact in their general health. Even when some of them count with appropriate care, their health anyway puts frailer day by day, and it complicates the attention they will need.
Acute illness and Injury have a disproportionate impact on frail patients because of the impaired healing process and slower physical recovery. An old body and, in addition, frail, take much time to recover, and in most cases, the process never turns patient again to a complete recovery.