Safeguarding a vulnerable older adult
Safeguarding a vulnerable older adult
This essay will discuss the older adult whose illness referred them to palliative care and onto safeguarding. I will first explain what safeguarding a vulnerable adult on palliative care is and explain my scenario and discuss what had happened and what could have helped the patient who was at the end of life care.
The Department of Health, (2011) defines Safeguarding as a multi-disciplinary work that works together to minimise and manage risks to vulnerable adults. A framework is put in place which brings all aspects of investigation into an allegation of abuse or neglect against a vulnerable adult.
A vulnerable older adult is someone who may be in need of community services due to age, illness, mental or physical disability who is also unable to take care of themselves against significant harm or exploitation. (US Department of Health, 2012)
The patient I will be talking about is a 94year old lady and all names will be changed in accordance with the NMC, (2008) code of conduct.
Whilst on placement, working as a Community Nurse, I spent a day with the Palliative Care Specialist Nurse. I understood that palliative care requires an active holistic care of patients who are in the advanced stages of a progressive illness. Management of pain and other symptoms and provision of psychological, social and spiritual support is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families. Many aspects of palliative care are also applicable earlier in the course of illness in conjunction with other treatments.
Whilst out in the community I came across a patient that had been referred to the district nurses, after having a referral by palliative care for end-stage renal failure; this is when the excretory functions of the kidneys are lost, acid-base balance cannot be maintained and the endocrine functions of the kidney are disrupted. (Ross and Wilson, 2010)
The patients’ main
This essay will discuss the older adult whose illness referred them to palliative care and onto safeguarding. I will first explain what safeguarding a vulnerable adult on palliative care is and explain my scenario and discuss what had happened and what could have helped the patient who was at the end of life care.
The Department of Health, (2011) defines Safeguarding as a multi-disciplinary work that works together to minimise and manage risks to vulnerable adults. A framework is put in place which brings all aspects of investigation into an allegation of abuse or neglect against a vulnerable adult.
A vulnerable older adult is someone who may be in need of community services due to age, illness, mental or physical disability who is also unable to take care of themselves against significant harm or exploitation. (US Department of Health, 2012)
The patient I will be talking about is a 94year old lady and all names will be changed in accordance with the NMC, (2008) code of conduct.
Whilst on placement, working as a Community Nurse, I spent a day with the Palliative Care Specialist Nurse. I understood that palliative care requires an active holistic care of patients who are in the advanced stages of a progressive illness. Management of pain and other symptoms and provision of psychological, social and spiritual support is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families. Many aspects of palliative care are also applicable earlier in the course of illness in conjunction with other treatments.
Whilst out in the community I came across a patient that had been referred to the district nurses, after having a referral by palliative care for end-stage renal failure; this is when the excretory functions of the kidneys are lost, acid-base balance cannot be maintained and the endocrine functions of the kidney are disrupted. (Ross and Wilson, 2010)
The patients’ main