Nursing Home Blueprint and Requirements

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Name and Care Provision
Location, Physical and Security Features of the Facility
Personnel
Recruitment of Nurses
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Designing a geriatric facility to give a state-of-the-art services to the elderly requires thorough, professional planning. The aim of the facility should be geared towards the promotion of the health of the old patients through the prevention and treatment of diseases and disabilities. The elderly patient has unique needs due to the myriad physiological changes in their bodies. Therefore, this calls for a careful approach in the treatment of any present diseases as well as reducing the aging effects on the body.

The most common characteristics evident in elderly patients include mobility disorders, incontinence, instability, and impaired cognitive ability. To provide comprehensive care required by these patients requires a multidisciplinary team and an environment that puts into consideration the physical, social and psychological requirements of the patients (Hasson & Arnetz, 2008). This paper will outline the different requirements of a geriatric care facility.

Name and Care Provision

The most appropriate name for the geriatric facility will be “Hope Geriatric Center”. This is informed by the need to instill a sense of hope among the elderly who on many occasions feel neglected as a result of the challenges they go through due to old age. The name will also sensitize the staff and family members of the need to remain engaged and contribute towards the wellbeing and successful rehabilitation of the residents. An applicable mission statement befitting this facility would be a commitment to enhanced elderly life quality through the provision of considerate and professional care in an inclusive environment (Wilson, Meyer & McNeal, 2012).

Adoption of a philosophy of care would also be necessary. In such a facility with myriad challenges emanating from the patients, there would be a need to call for dedication among the staff. The appropriate philosophy of care of Hope Geriatric Center would be: “The staff of Hope Geriatric Center is fully committed to providing the best possible geriatric services for the wellbeing of the older adults”. We dedicate ourselves to managing professionally, acute and chronic illnesses to improve the quality of life. We endeavor to give each patient individualized attention while encouraging them together with their families to participate in making decisions on health care. This is aimed at effectively coordinating care to ensure all individuals are treated with respect and utmost dignity (Wilson, Meyer & McNeal, 2012).

The facility will offer four levels of care. These include the usual level content of care, which entails the normally required diagnostic procedures and the corresponding medical treatments such as surgical interventions. This is meant to improve the patient’s functional capacity. Also, the facility will engage in the provision of a terminal level of care. This will include body hygiene, emotion management, and pain control.

Palliative care will also be provided to ensure sustained skin integrity, improved mobilization, nutrition, exercises, transfers, and overall symptom control, as well as medical and surgical interventions. The facility will also aim to provide an intensive level of care in which advanced diagnostic and therapeutic processes will be carried out. This will include extensive cardiopulmonary resuscitation facilities (Blakemore, 2012).

Location, Physical and Security Features of the Facility

The Hope Geriatric Center will be located in Los Angeles, the largest city in California State. The site for this location has been chosen through analytical research of population data, which indicates that a large population of the elderly resides in this city. Furthermore, unlike in the countryside where such patients would receive home-based care from family members, most productive family members residing in the city are in the working category.

This means they have little or no time to provide the necessary care to their elderly counterparts. It would also be extremely expensive to hire specialists to offer personalized medical care in a home-based setting. The location of the facility in the city will also ensure the residents remain near their families to encourage frequent visitations that significantly contribute to the healing process. The staff will also benefit from the variety of amenities the city provides. These include social amenities that would be necessary for helping them relieve work-related stress.

There is a need to invest heavily in the building design to ensure the center has an appealing decorum to live in or even visit. In designing the Hope Geriatric Center, it would be recommended that the architectural design avoids as much as possible to give the facility a hospital-like appearance. This is to enhance the creation of an atmosphere that resembles a home environment. This could include avoiding the use of corridors and other barriers that may inhibit the free movement of the patients. The patients’ rooms of residence should be organized to enable them to have direct access to a resting bay or a garden and other commonly shared facilities.

Such a design would greatly encourage independence of the patients which is important for psychological well-being in turn facilitates quicker healing (Brunner & Smeltzer, 2010). Utmost, the facility should occupy adequate space discouraging the need for a storied building. If the space available is limiting, disability-friendly facilities to allow disabled patients to access upper floors would be necessary. Key facilities to be incorporated in the building are accommodation rooms with no more than fifteen patients. These should be designed to establish a friendly and home-like environment (Parke, 2007).

A multipurpose room with multisensory experience facilities that allow for enhancement of the sensory experiences of the patients in a controlled setting would also be integral. The facility should also incorporate patient rooms that allow for individualized attention of special cases complete with private washrooms. An assessment area for the patients, including community-related living skills and quiet rooms with entertainment facilities such as computers, is necessary for facilitating patient healing. This adds to the medical facilities and equipment as would be found in a general hospital (Brunner & Smeltzer, 2010). The center should also house a family room. This would allow family members, who are paying a visit to the patients, a place to meet their loved ones to help the family fully participate in the patient recovery process. Security is also extremely essential.

This would require the deployment of security officers with special skills to guard the facilities. These officers would be responsible for the patient’s security as some may be suicidal. Therefore, the security guards would increase vigilance around the patients. The use of equipment such as closed-circuit cameras and alarms would improve the security monitoring process. The residents are likely to experience myriad physical problems. Most of these arise from old age-related complications that may result in balance instability, incontinence, and cognitive impairment increasing chances of accidents and patient falls.

The employees at the facility should also be considered during the establishment of the center. They should be provided with a favorable working environment that includes well-equipped offices and organizational structures that respect their professions (Parke, 2007).

Personnel

For the effective running of the facility, physicians, therapists, nurses, nurse aides, and case managers will be required to ensure the provision of all necessary healthcare. Specialty nurse practitioners required are those specifically trained in geriatrics and gerontology that entails treatment of illnesses most common among the elderly (Anderberg & Berglund, 2010). The ratio of the nurse to the patient should be determined by considering numerous factors. This is because studies have shown that reducing the number of patients that a nurse handles does not necessarily translate into improved quality of health care provision.

As such, other factors, like the efficiency of equipment and working hours, should be put into consideration before the appropriate ratio is determined (Brunner & Smeltzer, 2010). The ratio of nurse aides to the residents is also not clearly defined in law. In this case, the legislation governing nurse staffing only demands that a geriatric or another medical facility should have sufficient staff. This is meant to guarantee the achievement of the highest practicable care to the patients (Berkowitz et al 2011).

The facility will provide the various staff cadres with uniforms of different colors, especially the upper coat. It should also make it mandatory for the attire to be adorned at all working hours. This is meant to differentiate the various health care providers. The facility will require well-trained ancillary health care workers who will undertake chores such as garbage removal, changing beddings, record-keeping, dishwashing, and food preparation and maintenance of general cleanliness within the facility. This class of staff is vital in ensuring a favorable environment for the provision of healthcare (Jonasson, Liss, Westerlind & Berterö, 2011).

Apart from medical care, the residents also require social welfare programs. These include games and sports, debates and discussions, counseling services among others. As such, the facility should budget for the necessary equipment and aids to facilitate the provision of such services. The center should also set the rules governing the activities associated with the residents. For instance, any physical activity that could jeopardize the healing process such as strenuous exercises should be avoided (Palleschi et al, 2011).

Recruitment of Nurses

When hiring nurses to work at the facility, it is important to ensure that they acquire additional skills for efficient performance at the center. This is important because most nurses leave colleges with skills in therapeutic processes only. The environment in a geriatric center requires a paradigm shift from the conventional “curative approach” to the “creative approach” that encompasses an all-inclusive treatment procedure covering the physical, psychological and spiritual wellbeing of the patient. Therefore, nurses applying for employment at the facility should answer interview questions touching on their willingness to work in a strenuous environment that deals with highly dependent patients (Eith, Stummer & Schusterschitz, 2011).

Conclusion

The running of a successful geriatric center requires an inclusive and professional approach. Unlike other comparable medical facilities, geriatric centers involve more than simply providing medical care. Most patients in such facilities suffer from complex disorders associated with the aging process. This means the facility must install facilities and hire staff that can facilitate the comprehensive healing of the resident. Each patient in the facility may require special attention ranging from psychic, physical to emotional. The facility should also fully involve the family of the patient as it plays a significant role in the resident’s healing process. By making the facility as friendly as possible to residents, staff, and family members, the geriatric center such as the proposed “Hope Geriatric Center”, would be possible to achieve the set goals.

References

Anderberg, P. & Berglund, A. (2010). Elderly persons’ experiences of striving to receive care on their own terms in nursing homes. International Journal Of Nursing Practice, 16(1), 64-68.

Berkowitz, R.E., et al (2011). Improving Disposition Outcomes for Patients in a Geriatric Skilled Nursing Facility. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society, 59(6), 1130-1136.

Blakemore, S. (2012). Specialist Care for Frail Older People. Emergency Nurse, 19(9), 12-16.

Brunner, L.S. & Smeltzer, S.C.O.C. (2010). Brunner & Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Eith, T.K., Stummer, H. & Schusterschitz, C. (2011). Career success perception and work-related behaviour of employees in geriatric care – a pilot study in a German geriatric care facility. Scandinavian Journal Of Caring Sciences, 25(1), 45-52.

Hasson, H. & Arnetz, J.E. (2008). Nursing staff competence, work strain, stress and satisfaction in elderly care: a comparison of home-based care and nursing homes. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 17(4), 468-481.

Jonasson, L., Liss, P., Westerlind, B. & Berterö, C. (2011). Empirical and normative ethics: A synthesis relating to the care of older patients. Nursing Ethics, 18(6), 814-824.

Palleschi, L., et al (2011). Functional Recovery of Elderly Patients Hospitalized in Geriatric and General Medicine Units: The PROgetto DImissioni in GEriatria Study. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society, 59(2), 193-199.

Parke, B. (2007). Physical Design Dimension of an Elder Friendly Hospital: An evidence-based practice review undertaken. Web.

Wilson, J., Meyer, K. & McNeal, L. (2012). Mission and Diversity Statements: What They Do and Do Not Say. Innovative Higher Education, 37(2), 125-139.

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