Aging In Nursing Home Research Paper

Great Essays
Introduction In the next several years, there is going to be a huge increase in the population of older adults. Because of this, financial resources are going to be stretched thin, long term care facilities are going to be overly population, and older adult will outnumber caregivers by immense amounts. Aging in place is one major way to help prevent these things from happening to the older adult population. Over 95% of older adults agree and would rather stay in their homes then being moved into a nursing home. This is because home is such an importance and special place. Home modifications, new technologies, housing communities, and forms of care are being developed and improved every day to help older adults age while staying in place of …show more content…
The reason for this is what the feeling of home brings to someone. It is a place of comfort, security, and belonging. It is also a place of freedom. At home they have the ability to make their own decisions. They have control over their daily activities, their food, their bodies, and their social status. It is when someone goes to a nursing home, where that feeling of autonomy is threatened. The decisions they were making on their own before are now being made for them. According to the article “‘At home it’s just so much easier to be yourself’: Older Adults’ Perceptions of Ageing in Place”, feelings of control and physiological wellbeing go hand in hand. This is especially true when their environment is uprooted, they feel transition stress, and experience other losses. This is when feelings of helplessness arise (Stones, et al, …show more content…
Sensors are one way caregivers can detect if an older adult has fallen or other emergency has taken place. This helps them to get to the scene faster, rather than the person laying there for hours in pain. These same sensors can help monitor the individual’s functional ability. The caregiver can tell how much time they have been in bed, changings in their bathing, and cooking activity. New technology like this will help older adults be able to stay in their homes longer rather than being moved into institutional care (Huduser).
Many older adults are prescribed several different types of pills, each with different instructions of how and when to be taken. This can get confusing and older adults occasionally forget; failure to adhere to their medications can cause damaging results and potentially death. Because of this, many people try different pill organizers, reminders, and new technologies to help them remember their medications. One of these new technologies is MedMinder. Based off their website, these pill dispensers remind the individual when to take their medications through alerts. The person is reminded every 30 minutes. The first time will be a flash, then the dispenser will beep, then the user will receive a call on their phone. If they still haven’t taken their medications, then the caregivers will all get a phone call, email, or text. In order to not get confused, the dispenser

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    For my reaction paper, I watched the movie “UP”. The film featured an older gentleman as the protagonist of the story. Watching the film from a social work perspective I was conscious of the stereotypes and issues reflecting older adults. My initial reaction to the film was that I was stunned at the amount of stereotypes the movie portrayed. The most noticeable was the personality of the main protagonist.…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    INTRODUCTION When providing care to elders, their geriatric health conditions are often overlooked by their families, communities, and healthcare providers. This is mainly one of the notions being insisted and believed by most researchers who have conducted surveys which reveal that most elders – from both nursing and residential homes as a whole – suffer from dementia and/or geriatric health conditions such as urinary incontinence, including bladder problems; dizziness; a tendency to fall; and vision as well hearing problems. Also, most geriatric-related studies show that common geriatric conditions trigger elders to performing their normal daily activities such as taking a shower, putting on clothes, and fixing beds. Having their geriatric…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In spite of their age and some physical limitations, many seniors still continue to live independently in their own homes provided that they receive some amount of senior home care services. These services may include personal care such as bathing, grooming, dressing, and meal preparation. It may also include housekeeping services a few days a week, and transportation to medical arrangements. Senior home care services may also include a higher level of care such as medical care or medication management. While family members do their best to provide any type of care for their senior loved ones, the demands of work and their own family often make it very difficult for them.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even as the workers at the home genuinely care for the residents, its still saddening that many families put their relatives in homes once they get to a certain age. There were exceptions to this certainly because some people truly did need the assistance because of an injury, however the bulk of residents in the home were there purely because of old age. This is very similar to how society takes away and doesn’t show certain women on television and in movies after they get to a certain age. It my not be to the extreme of putting them into a home, but society feels that as people get older, unless if you’re a man, they don’t want to see or deal with you. I really don’t have the best answers to a better alternative, but putting elderly people in a home is pretty much putting them in a place where they wait to die.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Person Centered Care

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Affordable Care Act of 2010 required that the services funded by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services must be provided in a person-centered setting (Burm, 2014). Recently, however, this concept is beginning to get strictly implemented in most HCBS settings, in order to provide integrated and coordinated care. ‘Person-centered’ care allows for a holistic methodology to enhancing an individual’s health and well-being. Person-centered care focuses on an individual’s “physical health, intellectual health, social wellness, emotional wellness, creative being and spiritual being” (Burm, 2014). It allows for care to be planned based on an individual’s particular reference, values and goals.…

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Five Arguments in Support of the Introduction of technologies to address the issue of Wandering Residents of the “Hacienda Home for the Aged” Written by Noor Fatima It is a great challenge for health care providers who want to practice a shared approach to provide a safe environment for wanderers. The Information technology (IT) can address these challenges and enhances wanderers’ home health care services. According to the given case study, Maria Sanchez is a chief executive officer of “Hacienda Home for the Aged” that has a very active “Residence Council” and a very active and involved “Family Council”. Because the home is followed by an important principle, “commitment to ensuring the home like atmosphere and to contacting between resident and staff”, she is aware about the issues of technological solutions that are used to address the “Wandering Residence”.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    An Assisted Living Facility With Dementia Care Might Be A Good Place For Your Loved One If you have a parent or other loved one with early dementia, it probably isn't safe for them to live alone. They may still have periods of normal functioning and not need to be in a nursing home, but supervision should be available for when it's needed. One possible solution is to move your loved one into an assisted living facility that's designed to handle people with dementia. Here's why this might be a good choice.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Unfortunately, elderly citizens face a difficult situation regarding their living situation; as their mobility and physical abilities decrease, the cost of living in America increases. It can be problematic to find affordable residences that satisfy their physical needs. Thus, assisted living facilities are on the rise. They allow residents a sense of independence and a high quality of living while eliminating various problems that seniors face…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Elder Home Care and the Benefits of Mall Walking According to the National Institute of Health, not only is walking the mall great exercise, but it is the second most popular form of exercise behind walking around the neighborhood. The Arthritis Foundation adds that walking is one of the best all-around exercises as it improves circulation, improves bones, lightens moods, strengthens muscles and leads to weight loss. Walking has even been shown to improve sleep.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Aging In Place Case Study

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages

    According to Kraus (2004), ‘Aging in Place’ can provide a more comfortable shelter for seniors to live when they are aging by giving them family and social support. It gives the opportunity for the senior citizens to interact with neighbours, relatives and friends with similar background. More importantly, they can enjoy family time with their children or even grandchildren .Hence , they can remain in the society and create a social network of their own. Since ‘Aging in Place’ can accommodate the older people in their own house when they age, it can fulfil their desire to live in a familiar environment for their retirement (Hong Kong Housing Society, n.d.).…

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Smart Pill Dispenser

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The purpose of the Smart Pill Dispenser is to remind people to take their prescribed medication dose, prevent over and under dosing, and maintaining independence from caretakers. This product will provide peace of mind, since medical care would be ensured by proper maintenance and dispensing of medications. It will also allow people to spend less time counting and organizing medication. The Smart Dispenser will automatically detect and dispense medication at pre-programmed, alerted times. The app will allow people to capture an image of the fulfillment for their prescription.…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pill dispensers are commonly used to help individuals take their prescription medication or daily supplements at a given date and time. A pill dispenser contains several compartments in which number of medicines can be stored. When the time comes to take the medication, the device automatically releases the pre-measured dose into a small compartment that is easily opened and sounds a loud signal that it is time to take the medication. If the patient doesn't take the medication, the pill dispenser will send a signal to a monitoring station who can contact the patient, family, or caregiver who can address the…

    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Decreased mobility may result from various reasons, including muscular, neurological, heart or lung problems. Older adults may also choose to remain at home due to fear of falling, pain or impaired vision. Shelley Webb, registered nurse and geriatric care manager, explains that elderly people who remain at home because of limited mobility often become isolated and therefore almost always experience feelings of loneliness. In an article about immobility, Webb offers suggestions for older adults to overcome immobility and the accompanying loneliness. One such recommendation is to use supportive devices such as ankle supports, canes, walkers or wheelchairs These enable people with limited mobility to leave the home and perform desired activities safely (Webb,…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    This must not be underestimated in care of the older person, as it can often be overlooked by health professionals in order to speed up the day to day processes of care. Paradoxically, it is when the older person becomes involved in their own individual care, which it is when it becomes the most effective and…

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Elderly people have always held a special place in my heart, so I wanted to do my field work in a nearby nursing home that I had never visited. I set out to learn about the quality of life that elderly people had in the nursing home and what contributed to that quality, either good or bad. I called ahead to get permission to do this assignment and get access to various areas of the building. I did not give a specific time or day so that I could ensure as natural setting as possible with no special accommodations from the home. I was allowed to make my observations in various parts of the building such as the lobby, lunchroom, and activities room.…

    • 1482 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays