Risk Assessment for Dementia Patients in Residential Homes

Running head: HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
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1HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
Background:
The main purpose of the assignment is to provide risk assessment to a new resident
with dementia in the residential home and understand the factors that could impact the care
plan. The following paper will focus on the changes that could impact the care plan, the
consequence that could happen if the staffs do not follow the care plan and he monitoring
process that is important to monitor the risk assessment in order to provide effective care
service and safety to the patient in the residential home.
Changes that could impact the care plan:
The changes in some factors related to the risk assessment could impact the care plan
in an effective manner. For example, ill health of the patient could create barrier for the risk
assessment process. In case of dementia the patient suffers from enormous health problems
such as pain and infection in urinary tract. Increase in such problem could reduce the ability
of the person to perform in the risk assessment effectively. The mobility problem of the
patient also create barriers in risk assessment process. The communication issue due to
dementia is a common problem. Such problem restricts the nurse to communicate effectively
and understand the central need of the patient. On the other hand the patient also lack the
ability to understand the conversation (Rausand 2013). Such changes in the health could
affect the risk assessment thus create problem to introduce effective care plan.
Financial condition is another important factor that could affect the care plan to an
extent. It is important to have adequate fund in the residential home in order to provide
effective service and meet the needs of the patient. Changes in the financial condition such as
lack of fund could restrict the service providers to provide essential service. For example,
without adequate fund it is impossible to arrange equipment, medicine, food and other
essential thing. Without adequate fund the residential home would be unable to provide

2HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
proper salary to the staffs. Such condition could demotivate the staffs and they could fail to
fulfil their responsibilities. On the other hand improvement in the financial condition could
help the service providers to improve their quality of service (Rausand 2013).
Changesin the needs of the patient could impact the care plan. For example, if the
health condition of the patient become severe during risk assessment the care plan should
focus on the proper medication and diet of the patient. If any accident or injury occur during
the risk assessment the care plan should focus on the recovery of the injury. If it is identified
in the risk assessment that the patient is suffering from severe depression and stress it is
important to focus on physical activities and yoga to reduce the stress of the patient(Schmidt
2015). Such changes in need according to the patient need to be considered while preparing
the care plan.
The changes in the behaviour is an important factor that could impact the risk
assessment process thus influence the care plan. The person with dementia suffers from
cognitive and behavioural impairment. Thus, it is common that changes in behaviour would
occur during risk assessment. For example, due to continuous restriction on free movement of
the patient could annoy the patient thus the patient could revert with aggressiveness that
could lead to the harm to the staffs (Baumgart et al. 2013). Such changes in the behaviour
influence the care plan to focus on the activity that could control the aggressiveness of the
patient. The nurses could lack their patience during risk assessment. Such behaviour of the
nurse influence the care plan to provide effective training to the staffs regarding the way of
managing dementia patient.