Nurse Constipation In The Elderly

One of the common issues within the aging population is constipation, which impacts one’s normal bowel habits and overall health. However, everyone undergoes constipation at one point in their lifetime, regardless of age. There are several causes that lead to this discomforting situation, and many individuals are not comfortable opening up about this feeling to health care providers. The purpose of this paper is to discuss constipation concerns within older adults and how nurses can promote healthy bowel movements in the elderly. Constipation is referred to as a gastrointestinal disorder followed by a set of symptoms. According to Day (2014), symptoms include hard stool, infrequent defecation leading to discomfort, and difficulty in …show more content…
Additionally, nurses advocate for the elderly when intervening more appropriate solutions that fit their needs. Furthermore, the nurse’s role is to grasp an accurate assessment of their clients in order to understand their constipation situation. This assessment allows the nurse to formulate a more educative and effective care plan. Furthermore, nurses should create an environment for their patients that allows them to fully express their discomforting feelings. Nurses can set this climate by using effective communication and interpersonal …show more content…
Effective communication skills are necessary when advising clients to improve their diet. By using eye contact, listening, and understanding patients’ emotions, nurses can effectively enact healthy dietary change. When a patient loses focus, this creates a barrier for the nurse. In this case, changing the topic to alert the patient and then returning back to the same topic may grasp the client’s attention. Furthermore, when the client’s regimen is not working, laxatives are a common treatment; nurses can apply problem-solving skills to address this issue. Nurses may also work with clients who refuse to take laxatives due to their religious beliefs. In such instances, nurses can develop a verbal or physical demonstration regarding the benefits of this medication to convince the patient. Lastly, nurses can employ education to teach the importance of hydration and also show patients how to incorporate changes in their daily routine that will allow them to stay hydrated. Nurses may have patients who are reluctant to listen or embrace change. To address this issue, nurses should be patient and give clients time to comprehend and understand the importance of the