Homework Topic 4: Explain some of the barriers to patient education of the elderly and discuss their special needs – Solution

Explain some of the barriers to patient education of the elderly and discuss their special needs

Write a short (50-100-word) paragraph response for each question. This assignment is to be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.

1. Define negotiation as it applies to patient education.
2. Explain how the change in the patient’s status through the years has affected patient education.
3. List the pros and cons of negotiation.
4. Describe the general conditions that would be included in a patient contract.
5. Discuss old age and the baby boomer.
6. List several generational, religious, and cultural differences between the 30-year-old health care professional and the elderly patient.
7. Explain some of the barriers to patient education of the elderly and discuss their special needs.
8. List ways to best approach patient education of the elderly.
9. Discuss some cultural and religious beliefs about death that you have encountered.
10. Explain why it is important to discuss death and dying with the elderly patient and what the impact is on all involved.
11. Explain how to teach a patient with a life-threatening illness.

Solution 

1. Define negotiation as it applies to patient education.

Negotiation in patient education involves sharing ideas between the physician and patient to identify convenient ways of providing personalized and specialized care to the patient (Stewart, 2019). The conversation enables the physician to understand the patient’s expectations and condition, which are vital in enhancing the quality of care. For example, a physician can negotiate with a drug addict to identify and channel the most convenient rehabilitation program.

2. Explain how the change in the patient’s status through the years has affected patient education.

According to Stewart (2019), the patient’s status changes progressively throughout the years by either deteriorating or improving, affecting their education. For instance, continued improvement in their health status positively affects their education. It increases their understanding of their condition and how they are required to manage it.

It improves their interpersonal relationship with the healthcare providers, making it easy to provide care. Consequently, deteriorating condition reduces individual cooperation with the process, including the burden of explaining and repeating concepts (Stewart, 2019). Such patients tend to lose focus, increasing the need to adopt slow teaching strategies.

3. List the pros and cons of negotiation.

Negotiation pros include making it easy for physicians to understand patients and provide quality care. It also results in improved patient-physician relationships throughout the treatment process. It offers long-lasting solutions within a short duration.

Consequently, Stewart (2019) observes that the cons of negotiation include the inability to guarantee positive outcomes of treatment processes. Its also affected by poor communication skills, which may reduce the physician’s ability to channel the right questions or the patient to give appropriate answers. Its time consuming since the physician must verify some of the patient’s answers with family members to ascertain their validity.

4. Describe the general conditions that would be included in a patient contract.

Patient contracts contain agreements between patients and healthcare providers on the required behaviors that must be adhered to throughout patient care (Orentlicher & Hervey, 2022). Its conditions include confidentiality of the enclosed agreements, whereby every participant is expected to uphold the integrity of the data.

It also requires participants to maintain open communications with one another, such as physicians informing patients on facts about their progress. Moreover, it requires patients to make informed consent before accepting any form of care (Orentlicher & Hervey, 2022). Lastly, it prohibits physicians from abandoning care provision unless the patient no longer needs it.

5. Discuss old age and the baby boomer.

Baby boomers are a generation of U.S. citizens born immediately after World War II (1946-1964) and are currently over 55 years. This generation was born during a period in which there was a boom in births and grew up by rejecting and redefining traditional values. Moreover, these individuals have contributed immensely to the workforce and are in retirement. They are usually sickly, putting significant pressure on the country’s healthcare industry. They depict higher chronic conditions, such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.

6. List several generational, religious, and cultural differences between the 30-year-old health care professional and the elderly patient.

The generational differences include elderly patients requiring personal bonds with the provider and showing curiosity about their health by frequently inquiring about it. On the other hand, the 30-year-old is more inclined to use technology to monitor the patient’s health progress.

Based on religion, the elderly patient values religious factors while consenting to treatment, such as refusing to consume pork when they are Muslims. In contrast, the 30-year-old disregards religion and focuses on providing a diet with nutritional requirements, including pork (Ahmadi, Mohamed-Hussin & Mohammad, 2019). Similarly, the elderly patient is inclined to observe their cultural norms, which the 30-year-old might significantly disregard.

7. Explain some of the barriers to patient education of the elderly and discuss their special needs.

Stewart (2019) observes that elderly patients have motor problems making it difficult to understand complex sentences. They also have hearing problems making it difficult to hear what is spoken in a low tone. They have reduced concentration levels and often get bored after a short time, making participating in consistent and frequent discussions challenging.

Consequently, their special needs include assistance moving around due to blindness or arthritis, which may require individuals to speak in higher tones due to hearing problems (Stewart, 2019). Also, they need full-time care, which should be personalized to meet their needs and expectations.

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8. List ways to best approach patient education of the elderly.

Due to the challenges associated with elderly patient education, Stewart (2019) illustrate that providers should individualize the teaching program to accommodate patient needs and lifestyle. Also, the provider should slowly introduce newer aspects/concepts of their health to help them assimilate and integrate the information.

They should also eliminate environmental distractions to increase patient attention and concentration (Stewart, 2019). In addition, the provider should incorporate group teaching to improve their coping abilities with health progress. This would increase their engagement and participation in the process.

9. Discuss some cultural and religious beliefs about death that you have encountered.

 My culture believes in life after death and that the spirits of those who have died influence their family members and protect them throughout their lives (Ahmadi, Mohamed-Hussin & Mohammad, 2019). They move and live in another world after death.

Also, I have encountered Christianity which believes that death unifies the righteous to God and condemns the unrighteous to hell. They also believe in life after death, whereby the dead resurrect in the form of spirit and live eternally afterward. During this death, the eternal soul separates from the physical body.

10. Explain why it is important to discuss death and dying with the elderly patient and the impact on all involved.

Patient education about death and its meaning are essential when providing care to the elderly. It enables patients to meditate and open up about their feelings about death, such as fears (Stewart, 2019). It also allows them to discuss how they wish to live their final day, including the celebrations and remembrance rituals that should be performed when they pass on.

Also, it facilitates the making of practical decisions like writing a will. Notably, the impacts of discussing death with elderly patients include liberating them from their anxiety about death and increasing the patient’s positivity, including those taking care of them.

11. Explain how to teach a patient with a life-threatening illness.

Patients with life-threatening illnesses are delicate and require an individualized approach. Stewart (2019) explains that the provider should understand the subtle cues they might be whispering or repeating, like “am I going to get better?”

Moreover, listen well when talking to them, including sitting at the same level as they are and removing any barriers between you. This increases their comfort and enables the provider to understand their feelings. During the conversation, the provider should explore cues and summarize the talk by briefly elaborating on what you discussed. The provider could ask them if they omitted anything when providing a summary.

References

Ahmadi, F., Mohamed-Hussin, N. A., & Mohammad, M. T. (2019). Religion, culture, and meaning-making coping: A study among cancer patients in Malaysia. Journal of Religion and Health, 58(6), 1909-1924.

Orentlicher, D., & Hervey, T. K. (2022). The Oxford handbook of the comparative health law. New York: Oxford University press

Stewart, M. N. (2019). The art and science of patient education for health literacy. Amsterdam: Elsevier