Caring for an Old Person: Roles of Care of Each Discipline

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Introduction

For the last few decades, Ireland had been a sweet demographic spot with a high birth rate in the 1980s, implying that the country had a large cohort of working-age people in the population. However, Ireland is now getting old, with the aged people above 65 years increasing by 19.1% by 2016 (Statista, n.d.). There is a need for healthcare systems to strengthen their systems to care for vulnerable older adults. The role of caring for older people means fulfilling their special unique requirements and needs that come with old age. It includes a series of duties and responsibilities such as assisting with personal care, mobility assistance, basic food preparation, personal supervision, general healthcare, emotional support, health monitoring, and backup care services.

Various disciplines are involved in the care of older adults including, general practitioners, nurses, specialized geriatric services, dieticians, and primary care psychologists (Donelan et al., 2019, p. 943). However, nurses have the most significant roles in caring for older people, including treating the aged’ complex mental and physical health needs by helping them cope with changes in their mental and physical abilities as they age. This study aims to establish the roles and duties of each discipline involved in healthcare and the support that needs to be put on frail older people.

Roles and duty of care of each discipline involved in caring for frail older persons

Each of the above disciplines engaged in caring for the aged has their specific duties, which they have to accomplish towards providing care for aged individuals. Inter-disciplinary care teams help provide the aged patient with a greater depth of care which ensures that all the needs of the older adults, including emotional, social, and physical, are catered for. The general practitioners are involved in assessing, diagnosing, treating, and managing illness for aged people (Ben-Harush et al., 2016, p. 42). They are mostly involved in screening illness for aged people and act as patient advocates to ensure that older patients get high-quality health and social care.

Registered nurses also have a role in caring for the aged, which includes supporting aging patients to live in a setting of their choice, having their preferences, and ensuring a social connection. Nurses identify initiatives that support healthy aging and involve the aged in them, such as meeting, organizing for walks in the park, and meeting other older people (Ben-Harush et al., 2016, p. 42). Nurses provide functional physical and mental healthcare for older patients and sometimes palliative care or end-of-life care for older adults in Ireland.

Specialized geriatric nurses help in diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating frail older people in Ireland. Geriatric nurses provide practical care to older adults to help them recover from illness or injury. They are also trained to provide preventive care, administer medication, and assist older adults in pain management (Donelan et al., 2019, p. 945). Geriatric nurses are authorized to conduct random check-ups and provide rehabilitation of elder individuals in healthcare facilities. Dieticians also have a role in caring for the aged because they provide expert nutrition and dietary advice (Ben-Harush et al., 2016, p. 43). This is because the aged need to take balanced quality meals to remain healthy by concentrating on seasonal availability, taste, and texture.

Psychologists are very important in handling the mental issues of aging adults. Older aged people are prone to mental health illnesses such as anxiety, depression, which affect their ability to function (Ben-Harush et al., 2016, p. 43). Psychologists, therefore, provide therapy for the aged to help them manage their emotions and face their fears of death (Donelan et al., 2019, 943). They also help provide therapy for family members who are in charge of older people and teach them how to deal with their emotions and communication with the aged.

Supports that would be put in place for a frail older person in the Community

Although many aged persons receive healthcare services from healthcare facilities, there is still a small portion that prefers to get their care from their residential. In Ireland, 4.6% of the aged population, especially those with long-term illness, receive care from their homes (Statista, n.d.). Therefore, community-based services are made to assist older adults in receiving care in their homes and avoiding institutionalization. Some of the support they get include nutritional support, wellness programs, counseling services, aging educational programs, and general assistance such as finance and housing.

One of the essential supports that is put in place for older persons in Ireland is nutritional service programs. Ireland has a policy for providing nutrition and healthy diets for the aged through public health policy. The public health policy emphasizes the role of healthy nutrition having a significant role in preventing diseases such as cancer and diabetes (Lhussier, Dalkin, and Hetherington, 2018).

The Healthy Aging Program in Ireland has introduced community meals for the aged at community centers and luncheon clubs. Nowadays, they are even delivering frozen meals to older adults in their homes. Wellness programs are also essential to ensure that aged individuals live healthy lives through exercise (Hoedemakers et al., 2019, p. 16). Ireland works with Voluntary organizations, Local authorities, and the Department of social protection to support wellness programs. Aging education can also help the aged people learn how to cope with their situation, and Ireland has universities such as Dublin City University, which provides education services for the aged at the campus or from their homes using online platforms.

Supports that would be put in place when a frail older person is in long term care

Frail older individuals have increased vulnerability, increasing their risk of adverse outcomes and sometimes may lead to death. This implies that they require much more care than normal aging individuals, and one of the supports available to them is nursing homes (Lhussier, Dalkin, and Hetherington, 2018, p. 16). Nursing homes provide older adults with 24-hour care with skilled nurses and licensed physicians who can supervise and monitor patient health needs (Hoedemakers et al., 2019, p. 16). Nursing home support is effective because it provides the aged person with immediate availability of healthcare services in case of an emergency.

The other support which is effective for frail older adults is assigning them to a caregiver. Since frail individuals have increased significant care needs, the assigned caregiver should be an intimate person to the older person, such as a family member, volunteer, or friend.

Conclusion & Recommendation

Recommendations to improve the quality of life of the older person in long term care settings

From the above study, the aged require a different type of care and support to continue their daily lives. Therefore, to improve the quality of life of the older person in long-term care settings, the Irish government should set up adequate funds for social care. These funds can be used to rehabilitate nursing homes, pay the employees who work there, and provide for other needs of older individuals. The government should also facilitate the inspection of nursing homes to ensure that they meet the expected standards to give nursing care.

Recommendations to improve the supports for the older person living in the Community

In order to improve the supports for the older person living in the Community, the government should also ensure that they have adequate, accessible facilities and programs for the aged, such as the dietary plan, wellness settings, counseling services, and aging educational programs. The government should also seek to increase the number of healthcare workers who provide care for the increased aged to cater to the aged population.

Reference List

Ben-Harush, A., Shiovitz-Ezra, S., Doron, I., Alon, S., Leibovitz, A., Golander, H., Haron, Y. and Ayalon, L. (2016). Ageism among physicians, nurses, and social workers: findings from a qualitative study. European Journal of Ageing, 14(1), pp.39–48.

Donelan, K., Chang, Y., Berrett-Abebe, J., Spetz, J., Auerbach, D.I., Norman, L. and Buerhaus, P.I. (2019). Care Management For Older Adults: The Roles Of Nurses, Social Workers, And Physicians. Health Affairs, 38(6), pp.941–949.

Hoedemakers, M., Leijten, F.R.M., Looman, W., Czypionka, T., Kraus, M., Donkers, H., Van den Hende-Wijnands, E., Van den Broek, N.M.A. and Rutten-van Molken, M. (2019). Integrated Care for Frail Elderly: A Qualitative Study of a Promising Approach in The Netherlands. International Journal of Integrated Care, 19(3), p.16.

Lhussier, M., Dalkin, S. and Hetherington, R. (2018). Community care for severely frail older people: Developing explanations of how, why and for whom it works. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 14(1), p.e12217.

Statista. (n.d.). Irish population, by age 2019. Web.‌

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