NUR104: Assessment Task 3 - Case Studies: Older Person and Family

This assignment presents two case studies focusing on the healthcare of older adults. The first case study involves an 86-year-old man, Louis Steward, who experienced food poisoning and confusion, requiring analysis of biophysical (biological, psychological, and social) aspects, psychosocial factors, and the implementation of the Delirium Risk Assessment Tool. Priorities of care include addressing dehydration and confusion, along with equity, rights, and access issues. The second case study involves a 72-year-old woman, Josie, with metastatic pancreatic cancer, where biophysical aspects, psychosocial factors, and the pain assessment tool are discussed. Priorities of care involve reducing mental trauma, pain management, and fulfilling her wishes, with considerations for equity, rights, and access to healthcare. Both cases emphasize the application of care planning and assessment for older people, addressing the relevant biophysical and psychosocial processes, assessment tools, priorities of care, and equity, rights, and access issues.

Running head: HEALTHCARE ASSIGNMENT
CONTEXTS OF PRACTICE: THE OLDER PERSON AND FAMILY
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Case study 1
Biophysical processes
As per Navarro‐Mateu et al. (2017), while determining mental health complications
associated with patients, the primary focus should be their biological, psychological and social
aspects so that the roots of mental health complications could be understood. In this case study of
Louis Steward, it was mentioned that he suffered from one critical episode of mental
complication due to which his overall healthcare got affected. While discussing this mental
health complication, three aspects of biophysical assessment such as biological, psychological
and social aspects should be mentioned. In this case study, it was mentioned that after attending a
wedding, Louis (86 years) developed food poisoning and due to this his health condition
affected. It was mentioned that the patient suffered from confusion after severe dehydration and
food poisoning and as per Ciupescu et al. (2018), it has been observed that due to severe
dehydration, elderly patients become severely confused due to which their altered mental health
conditions arise. Similarly, several social and psychological conditions could affect the mental
health conditions of Louis. Freter et al. (2015) mentioned in the research that indicated that due
to stress, depression and unemployment and other personal aspects, the patient may suffer from
critical health conditions.
Psychosocial aspects
Multiple complications are associated with mental health complications that are
associated with Louis’s mental health condition due to which he was admitted to the healthcare
facility. As per Brédart et al. (2019) psychosocial aspects, there are aspects upon which these

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psychological aspects depend such as motivation, belongingness, personal wellbeing, and
healthcare complications. In this case study, it was mentioned that every day Louis takes
medications for hypertension and cholesterol. It was mentioned in the case study that he vomited
4 times after suffering from food poisoning and in this situation; it is possible that due to severe
dehydration, and lack of medications, his hypertension, and other health complication lead to a
severe psychosocial health complication.
Assessment tool and its components
While understanding the health complication and mental wellness of the patient, the care
professionals must implement one assessment tool for his mental wellbeing so that the health
complication could be understood and further investigation could be implemented (Solà‐
Miravete et al. 2018). In this process, the health complication associated with Louis should be
analysed and processes such as visual impairments, severe illnesses, cognitive impairments as
well as the level of dehydration should be analysed. In this process, it was mentioned that Louis
suffered from dehydration (due to his severe vomiting) and it was mentioned that due to
dehydration his confusion level increased. Therefore, the implementation of the Delirium Risk
Assessment Tool would help the healthcare professionals to understand the processes such as
cognitive impairment due to his severe health issue, his visual and hearing complications, and
others. As per Freter et al. (2015), it was also mentioned that with the implementation of the
Delirium Risk Assessment Tool, it would be easier for the care professionals to identify the
critical healthcare risks that may affect the mental and cognitive abilities of the patient.

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Priorities of care
While providing effective care to the patients, the care professionals must implement
priorities of car. This would help in addressing complications that may possess a greater risk for
the healthcare of the patient could be treated early than other secondary health complications
(Van Zelm et al. 2019). In this case study of Louis, it was mentioned that multiple health
complications affected the health of the patient such as his food poisoning, severe dehydration,
his confusion, and his delirium related health complication. Hence, the priority should be given
to his dehydration condition. As per Al-Yateem et al. (2019), dehydration is a severe health
complication that could affect the elderly by increasing their mental health complications making
them tired and increasing their critical health complications. The second priority would be his
confusion, agitation and other mental health conditions that could be observed in his stay in the
care facility so that his cognitive abilities could be increased.
Equity, rights and access issues relevant to the case
While analysing the case study of Louis Stewart, there is only one aspect that could be
pointed under the above- mentioned three aspects which affected the mental health complication
of the patient. In this case study, it was mentioned that after the patient was admitted to the
healthcare facility, the care facilities implemented the healthcare rights of the patients and while
applying every care intervention, took the help of Betty, his wife so that she could be informed
of the processes that are being implemented. Therefore, this case study provided a detailed
analysis of the elderly patient’s health complications.
Case study 2
Biophysical processes

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In this case study of Josie (72 years), it was mentioned that she suffered from metastatic
pancreatic cancer due to which her health complications increased and she was planned to be
provided with palliative care so that she could live her last few days without any complications.
In this case study, the biophysical aspects were the primary ones depending upon which her
health conditions worsened. It was mentioned that her biological complication, psychological
pain, and fear of losing social connections affected her mental health conditions. However, she
was relaxed and was basking in the love that she received from her family and friends after the
death of her husband five years ago and the people that helped her to lead an active elderly
lifestyle. It was mentioned that her only complication was her inability to meet her beloved sister
and after the news of her metastatic cancer, she thought that she would never be able to see her
sister affected her psychologically and socially (Corbin et al. 2015). Therefore, these are the
biological psychological and social health complications that were associated with the mental
health complication of the patient and that affected her overall well- being while undergoing
palliative care for her end of life treatment (Derakhshan and Karbassian 2017).
Psychosocial aspects
While analysing the psychosocial aspects associated with the Josie, it should be
mentioned that after the death of her husband, five years earlier, she has spent an active and
happy life with her family and friends. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, and friend and
hence people were around her. Therefore, no such social complications could affect her mental
health complication and that could be identified in her health complications. However, it should
be mentioned that after the identification of her metastatic pancreas cancer which is untreatable,
she became sad as she thought she would never see her sister in this life. Hence, this could be

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one aspect associated with her psychological health complication that could be identified from
the case study (Brédart et al. 2019).
Assessment tool and its components
Løhre et al. (2016) mention in their research about the maintenance and analysis of the
pain of patients that are being provided with effective care in the palliative care units. They
mentioned that pain acts as a huge burden to the patients that are working in the healthcare
facilities as well as affects their quality of life due to which, their valuable times get affected
(McGuire et al. 2016). In this aspect, it should be mentioned that the application of proper
assessment and management could help the patient to get help and helps to reduce their pain
associated burdens due to which their mental health improves. Further, this also helps them with
reduced pain so that they could be able to live their life without any complications. This would
moreover help them to spend time with their loved ones. Hence, the pain assessment tool would
be one of the most effective tools that would be implemented in the case of Josie so that her
abdominal pain that is associated with her pancreas cancer could be relieved (Burns and
McIlfatrick 2015).
Priorities of care
In this case, as well, priorities of the care are an important process that should be
implemented in the care of Josie so that her palliative care could be peaceful and she could feel
relieved while undergoing these processes (Murphy et al. 2015). Priorities of care would help the
care professionals to reduce the risk of critical health complications, and the patients would be
able to obtain the effectiveness of these interventions (Goodyear-Smith et al. 2019). In this case
study of Josie, the first care priority would be reducing the mental trauma of the patient and in
this case study, the care professionals provided her with the proper information so that she could

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visit her sister and her mental trauma could be reduced. The second priority would be reducing
her pain so that while undergoing her palliative care her quality of life could be maintained
effectively. The third care priority would be fulfilling her wills so that each of her wished could
be completed while undergoing palliative care and this was implemented in the case study
(Morris, Yang and Flower 2017).
Equity, rights and access issues relevant to the case
In this case study, the healthcare professionals implemented every rights and access to
healthcare while providing palliative care to the patient. She was provided with detailed
information about her chances to travel to her sister’s house in her last days. Therefore, every
information of the care process was provided in the healthcare process of Josie.

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References
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