Nursing Assignment: Case Study of Amalie Jones

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Nursing assignment
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
Part A...................................................................................................................................2
Part B...................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................6
References............................................................................................................................8

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Case study of Amalie Jones
Introduction
The assignment deals with the case study of Amalie Jones. The patient has medical
history of arthritis, hypothyroidism and macular degeneration. The aim of the case study
analysis is to identify and prioritise the most important nursing care issues for a client. Two
theoretical framework underpins the assignment including the Miller’s Functional
Consequences Theory and Levett-Jones’ Clinical Reasoning Cycle. The former is used to identify
the influences impacting on the older person and the later is used as the tool to drive the
process of identifying and assessing, implementing and evaluating care (Dalton, Gee & Levett-
Jones, 2015; Bonder & Dal Bello-Haas, 2017). Geriatric nursing care is complex process and
hence, there is a need to take systematic approach to give integrated care (Goodwin, Dixon,
Anderson & Wodchis, 2014)). The assignment uses the “Levett-Jones Clinical Reasoning Cycle”
as the framework to identify the three nursing care priorities for the patient. Using the Miller’s
Functional Consequences Theory, the most important care priority would be identified to
establish the nursing care goals, appropriate action plan for the patient’s well being. The
nursing interventions will be evaluated for their outcomes. Lastly the essay will present the
reflection on overall care process and conclude the discussion.
Part A
As per the Miller’s “functional consequences theory”, a person’s health and wellbeing is
associated with the body-mind-spirit interconnectedness of each other. It means the health of
the elderly people is more than just fulfilling the physiological needs. It also requires fulfilment
of the emotional, spiritual and psychological health needs. As per the theory the there are
several risk factors affecting the older adults although age related changes are inevitable. These
changes and risk factors are associated with the positive and negative functional consequences.
Most of these consequences are negative and needs interventions to modify the risk factors. It

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will promote wellness and result in the positive functional consequences and reducing the
negative ones (Hunter, 2016).
Amalie Jones’s case can be related with this theory as she has factors to improve her
quality of life as well as factors that can decrease the quality of living. Amalie Jones, 89 year old
woman. She migrated to Australia from Germany with her husband and now lives alone after
his demise. She is living in place which is totally different from her own cultural background. In
case of the patient age is the physiologic stressors and the death of her husband and different
cultural norms is the psychological stressors as per the Miller’s functional theory (Hunter,
2016).
Applying the clinical reasoning cycle for the patent’s assessment, her situation will be
considered followed by collection of information, its processing, problem identification,
establishment of goals, and lastly take action plan (Dalton, Gee & Levett-Jones, 2015). Amalie
lives alone in her house and heer health are deteriorating and it is difficult for her to carry her
activities of daily living. As per her medical history, she has arthritis, hypothyroidism and
macular degeneration. Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis may be the cause of mobility restrictions
and driving restrictions. It eventually resulted in social isolation. On further assessment it was
found that the patient is losing weight, worried and not eating properly. She is also found with
hyperthyroidism. The information from referral letter from her GP shows patient having
symptoms of constipation, vision deficit, joint stiffness, painful joints, swollen feet, limited joint
movement, and forgetfulness in taking medications. Currently she is taking medicines for her
existing clinical symptoms including Ibuprofen, Hydroxychloroquine, Paracetamol, and
Thyroxine.
While processing the patient’s health information it was found that the age related
changes and isolation are main contributing factors for physiologic and psychological issues in
patients, which is also in alignment with the Miller’s functioning theory. Sorting through
literature review for further processing of information collected in above two steps, it was
found that rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis and macular degeneration are common
chronic illness prevalent in older adults and progress with ageing (Busija, Tan, & Sanders, 2017).