Movement between Care Environments
This paper discusses the effects of moving between care environments on care recipients specifically in the case of elderly people. It also suggests ways on how the carers could help them with such conditions.
The task of caring for the disabled and elderly relatives at home has been occurring for a long period of time. With the aging of the population more and more people are compelled to care for their frail and elderly relatives. The elderly is one of the age groups in need of long term health services. Carers are the ones who look after the welfare of these individuals. They provide regular and sustained assistance without payment.
Care giving responsibilities are often described in terms of the burden they can cause. Because of this, family care givers make use of community services such as adult day care centers and respite care. Care givers can take a break from providing care to their care receiver through this respite care. In such case, a companion can stay with the care receiver for a few hours or as preferred by the care giver. This gives the care giver the opportunity to attend with other matters. More so, it reduces the stress and burden on the part of the care giver.
The care receiver can also participate in adult care program where he/she is given the opportunity to socialize with other peers in a supervised environment. This arrangement allows the care receiver to participate in an environment other that he/she is familiar with. Even so, it is important that the proper home setting is chosen for the care recipient. If the care receiver chooses to remain in his/her home, modifications must be done such as railings, etc. However, if the person cannot remain in the home, alternative arrangements are needed ( 2005). While this effort can ease the burden on the side of the care giver, movement to care environments may have some implications to the care receiver.
Elders that are placed in overnight respite are commonly institutionalized. One possibility for the increase in institutionalization is that overnight respite serves as a bridge for placement for caregivers that helps them to relinquish the care of their care receivers. Essentially, care givers are satisfied with the benefits of respite care to themselves and to the care recipient. There are some evidences showing the improvement in the behavioral problems of some patients. Adult day care programs also have salutary effects to the participants which may increase with continued use. Care recipients are less likely to experience confusion. In fact their moods improved as well as their well being ().
In seeking for an alternative living arrangement for the care receiver, one needs to consult with the physician first. This step is important to determine which type of care facility is suited for the care receiver. It is also ideal that the care receiver and the family preview the facility before deciding to move to the care environment. This will give the opportunity to discuss feelings about the decision.
One way to help the recipient cope with the new environment is to develop the relationship with them. Since the period of transition affects the care receiver significantly, it is important that the carer make them feel they are cared for. They must also have a preparation before leaving the health environment they have learned to trust and depended upon so that the transition can be undertaken smoothly.
Another coping mechanism is to encourage the care receivers to elicit a level of independence. Elderly people who are cared for are often regarded as incompetent. This pre conceived notion fosters dependent behavior among the elderly. This case often occurs in nursing institutions which is why mortality rates have tend to increase. The imposition of dependent behavior is likely to become a disabling support rather than an enabling support. With this, it can be argued that the expectation of the disability becomes a disabling of oneself. The helpless behavior to the elderly adheres to the stereotyping and dependent behaviors.
The psychological well being of an individual plays a significant role in the preservation of physical health and functional capacity. The lack of or decrease in social support increases the mortality and morbidity rates of elderly people and decreases the adherence to health promoting routines. Moving from a familiar surrounding to a nursing home or institution can increase the mortality rates. Studies show that death rates are likely to increase within the first three months after the lost of a spouse (1996).
A sense of helplessness in elderly people also showed a decrease in responsiveness, motivation and self esteem which eventually leads to increase in illness, mortality rates and memory problems. Research has also shown that the increased contact with helping professionals strengthen the sense of helplessness. Giving the elders an opportunity to increase control over their environment leads to improved health and decreased mortality. In one study, the alterations that increase the control in the environment in a nursing home demonstrated that even the small changes can have profound effect ( 1996).
Moreover, aging cannot be equated with complete dependence or the lack of reliance to others. There must be a sustained balance between dependence and independence. Carers then must be sensitive to the fact that it is the individual who choose the level of dependence. Researchers argue that when people believe that the range of physical abilities is declining, they restrict the individual freedom of the elderly. Such restrictions lead to the reinforcement of dependence ( 1996).
There are a number of implications for the carers who works with the elderly people. First, they need to examine their own attitudes towards aging and elderly people. They can also involve the elderly people in determining what programs are needed in designing, implementing and managing programs. The failure of elderly people to make significant changes in their health is often a result of the barriers in the society that blocks successful changes. Stereotypes may prevent the elderly from initiating change or may prevent them even before they start. Important synergies can also be achieved by altering the social and physical environment of the care receiver and the care giver.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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