NRNP6540 Week 1 Discussion (December 2020)

NRNP 6540 Advanced Practice Care of Older Adults

Week 1 Discussion

Evaluation Plan

As geriatric patients age, their health and functional stability may decline resulting in the inability to perform basic activities of daily living. In your role as a nurse practitioner, you must assess whether the needs of these aging patients are being met. Comprehensive geriatric assessments are used to determine whether these patients have developed or are at risk of developing age-related changes that interfere with their functional status. Since the health status and living situation of older adult patients often differ, there are a variety of assessment tools that can be used to evaluate wellness and functional ability. For this Discussion, you will consider which assessment tools would be appropriate for a patient in a case scenario.

Photo Credit: LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS – stock.adobe

To prepare:

Review this week’s Learning Resources, considering how assessment tools are used to evaluate patients.

Your Instructor will assign a case study to use for this Discussion. Review the case study and, based on the provided information, think about a possible patient evaluation plan. As part of your evaluation planning, consider where the evaluation would take place, whether any other professionals or family members should be present, appropriate assessment tools and guidelines, and any other relevant information you may wish to address.

Consider whether the assessment tool you identified was validated for use with this specific patient population and if this poses issues. Think about additional factors that might present issues when performing assessments such as language, education, prosthetics, missing limbs, etc.

Consider immunization requirements that may be needed for this patient.

By Day 3

an explanation of your evaluation plan for the patient in the case study provided, and explain which type of assessment tool you might use for the patient. Explain whether the assessment tool was validated for use with this patient’s specific patient population and whether this poses issues. Include additional factors that might present issues when performing assessments, such as language, education, prosthetics, etc. Also explain the immunization requirements related to health promotion and disease prevention for the patient.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days in one or more of the following ways:

Suggest alternative assessment tools and explain why these tools might be appropriate for your colleagues’ patients.

Recommend strategies for mitigating issues related to use of the assessment tools your colleagues discussed.

Explain other health promotion considerations for patients in this population or with related issues.