Cliental in a Nursing Homes - Paper Example

The cliental for this nursing home will consist of older adults who have lost their vision but are otherwise healthy, cognitively aware and aging normally. Most of the residents in the facility have lost their vision due to a normal part of the aging process (thickening of the lens, presbyopia, macular degeneration, change in visual acuity, etc.), however there are some who have lost their vision as a result of disease processes (cataracts, glaucoma, etc.) (Griffith, 2015). The facility will be designed specifically for the elderly who are blind.

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Introduction

Within the next 30 years, there will be 70 million older adults living in America and 60% of the population over 85 years of age will live in a nursing home (Griffith, 2015). Nursing homes are in demand and older adults are often wait-listed upon trying to move into one. Although there are some older adults who would rather live in a nursing home facility than home alone, there are also many who have no other options. Oasis Shores has the unique idea of offering a continued care retirement community for older adults who have completely lost their vision. Blindness in the older population is quite common, with 18% of individuals over 70 years of age reporting blindness in either one or both of their eyes (Crews and Campbell, 2004). Oasis Shores provides residents with a safe environment surrounded by others who have an understanding for what they are going through and can be of assistance when needed.

The complete loss of vision in older adults has been associated with a number of life-altering changes. Older adults with visual problems ... often appear timid, hesitant or confused, especially when confronted with a new situation (Crews et al., 2004). Blind individuals must adapt to an entirely new world and often have difficulty remaining confident and secure within their environments. Researchers at Oasis Shores have found that older adults who have gone blind experience changes in the social, emotional and physical aspects of their lives. This report will outline how Oasis Shores: Continuing Care Retirement Centre will deal with and support all of these changes. First, an overview of the facility will be given, followed by how the facility will accommodate changes in social, emotional and physical aspects of the residents lives. Secondly, employee requirements will be outline as well as the health care offered by the facility.

Overview of Facility

Oasis Shores is a government-funded facility, where all residents are treated equally and have access to all levels of service. It will have multiple researchers on staff to ensure the facility is current with the latest technology and treatment for elderly individuals who are blind. The facility qualifies as a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) and is located on 20 acres of land. The facility will consist of three residential buildings, one recreational building and one health care building. Oasis Shores will offer various levels of care. The communitys residential buildings will consist of a residential care facility, an assisted living facility and a nursing home facility all located within minutes of each other. Each building will be equipped with a communal dining hall, common areas for activities, a lounge, swimming pool and laundry on site for residents to use or have done for them. Visiting hours vary depending on the level of care the resident requires (what building they are in).

The philosophy of assisted living ... is to allow residents to live in private apartments but to receive high levels of service so they can continue living in the same facility even if they experience changes in their physical or cognitive functioning (Whitbourne and Whitbourne, 2014). Although many facilities try to adopt and implement this philosophy, most of them have failed to do so and do not offer high levels of service. Oasis Shores will be the difference. It will set a pathway for future facilities to follow. Various levels of care will be provided within this CCRC depending on the level of care requested by the resident. Each resident will be assessed upon entering the facility and work with staff members to determine what level of care they require/want. Each residential building will consist of 50 beds with both single and double rooms (for both couples and single older adults). Since 75% of men and 65% of women are single, there will be more single rooms offered within each facility (Griffith, 2015).

Oasis Shores offers residents access to transportation, community facilities, social activities, companionship (in staff, volunteers, and even pet therapy), housekeeping and maintenance, health care, and various hobbies for residents to partake in if they desire. Three meals a day will be provided, as well as snacks between meals, within the communal dining halls. Staff will be present during all meals to assist residence in serving their food and aiding in eating if required. Oasis Shores prides itself in allowing residents to have as much independence as they please. Residents are given the option to work/volunteer for the CCRC and help with meal times, activities, gardening, housekeeping, etc.

Oasis Shores will also provide programs for friends and family members of older adults who are blind. These programs are designed to help friends and family members understand what their loved one may be going through and that blindness is not a disability but a new challenge to overcome in life. The programs will be offered to anyone in the surrounding communities. They will also touch on topics of integration and communication and offer counseling for friends and family members if needed.

When new residents arrive at the facility, they undergo a physical examination by health care professionals. A staff member is assigned to their case to help integrate them into the community and assure they are settling in okay.

Social Aspects

As people age, social relationships change as well. Older adults face more challenges when it comes to maintaining social relationships. A lot of their friends may pass away well before they do, they have more difficulty transporting themselves to see friends, friends may move away, be hospitalized, etc. Although there are a number of changes that occur within social relationships in older adults, 65% of American adults have known their best or close friend for at least 10 years, most of them for 20-30 years (Griffith, 2015). Maintaining such a friendship takes a lot of effort and reciprocity. Oasis Shores believes that maintaining these friendships is an important aspect in the lives of their residents, which is why there is 24-hour transportation, available to all residents upon request. Residents who are in need of more care may have a staff member assigned to their case to accompany them on such outings if they desire. Friendships help foster independence and reduce reliance on family members (Griffith, 2015).

It is common for older adults who have lost their vision to feel isolated, disappointed and frustrated with themselves, as the most common and simple tasks now seem impossible. Although vision loss has been associated to decreases in leisure activities, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), activities of daily living (ADL), Oasis Shores activity organizer ensures all leisurely activities have been adapted and are enjoyable for residents (Crews et al., 2004). Activities such as, art, hobbies, nature walks, community outings (to petting zoos, beaches, theatres, bowling alleys, concerts, etc.), board games that have been adapted (checkers, dominos, monopoly, scrabble, etc.) and CCRC charades night (using words).

Furthermore, daily social activities are offered in each common room for residents to partake in if they please. Older adults who are visually impaired have more difficulty partaking in activities they once were able to. Staff members are present during these activities and will assist residents when in need or when requested. A key factor Oasis Shores finds important is the maintenance of independence within social activities and daily living. Residents do not have schedules but are given the option of attending these activities. They are also able to create their own clubs/activities to partake in if desired. Management at the CCRC is resident oriented and enjoys all feedback in order to ameliorate the lives of its residents. Residents are also offered the choice of partaking in activities/events with local volunteers. They may attend weekly events with the volunteers or apply to be matched with an individual in the surrounding community to go on solo outings with.

Emotional Aspects

A lot of older adults become depressed when they can no longer live on their own and in their own home. Oasis Shores understands that these feelings may be more severe in older adults who are also dealing with the loss of their sight. We understand that individuals need time to cope and truly believe that each and everyone one of our residents has the ability and the right to live life to the fullest, no matter what. We do not see blindness as a disability but rather a gift to experience other senses at a whole new level. We help residents explore this by offering a diverse number of social activities and hobbies for them to partake in, such as, art or music therapy, equestrian therapy, pet therapy, nature walks, aquatic therapy, etc. There are counseling and therapy services available upon request. Residents can sign up to be a part of support groups and can even run a support group if they have already overcome similar issues.

There are a number of different emotional rollercoasters older adults with visual impairments must conquer. Losing your vision may cause higher levels of depression, stress, and anxiety as well as reduce self-esteem and self-confidence in new situations (Fadardi, Jalali, Moussavi, et al., 2014). All these emotions are associated with the fact that residents who have lost their sight feel they have lost so much more. To newly blind individuals, their entire worlds have shifted; everything they had once dreamed of doing must now be adapted to a new lifestyle, which is something that is very difficult to do. Every aspect of their lives has changed, for instance, social relationships, job skills, reading, writing skills, aspirations are affected, social roles, social independence, economic independence, independence in travelling, etc. are all affected when an individual goes blind (Fadardi et al., 2014). Oasis Shores believes that these things can be impacted negatively or positively based on how the individual responds to it. To deal with feelings of inferiority and worthlessness, there are psychologists, therapists, counselors, and social workers on staff. Staff members assess residents regularly to ensure there are no underlying issues the resident may be suffering from. Furthermore, Oasis Shores prides itself in the staff-resident relationships formed. This allows staff members to be aware of when changes occur with temperament or personality of an individual. In addition to this, older adults often experience negative emotions towards themselves after having a fall. Negative feelings such as self-blame, embarrassment, depression and sadness... suggest they attributed falling to their own shortcomings... rather than extrinsic factors (Fernandez, Hin, Prado et al., 2015). Oasis Shores has implemented fall prevention programs in hopes to diminish these feelings (by decreasing chances of falling). Residents medications are monitored on a regular basis by staff to ensure side effects, such as dizziness, are not present.

An important aspect of older adults overall emotional health is whether or not they feel they...