Population-Based Care Nursing Care Project #3

Population-Based Care Nursing Care Project: Week 3
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Population-Based Care Nursing Care Project: Week 3
The population of interest comprise frail elderly adults aged 65 and older. The most common health problem that afflicts this population group is certainly falls and other injuries. Clarfield, Bergman and Kane (2010) stated that falls are in fact the commonest cause of injuries amongst senior citizens and they are the key reason why people in this population group are admitted in health care facilities for trauma. According to Brito et al. (2015), falls account for 87 percent of all fractures amongst senior citizens aged at least 65 years. In the nursing homes, senior citizens often fall. Annually, an estimated 1,810 of them who live in nursing homes die as a consequence of fall-related injuries and the survivors often sustain injuries which lead to lasting disability as well as decreased quality of life (Brito et al., 2015).
Those who have been contacted as regards the population at risk include family members and relatives of the frail elderly adults since they live with an aged relative who falls frequently in the home/community, and staffs in nursing homes and other healthcare facilities since falls also occur commonly in nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare organizations. What is needed to address the identified health problem – falls – is to provide older adults with the right interventions aimed at preventing them from falling. These interventions need to be provided not only in nursing care facilities with senior citizens as residents there, but also at the community/home of the older adults given that a lot of serious falls occur at home (Brito et al., 2014).
There is gap in care to address and prevent falls amongst frail elderly people in that there is a lack of adequate interventions by nurses and other healthcare professionals for preventing falls amongst older adults. Some vital interventions that could be utilized in preventing falls include medication particularly bone health drugs such as calcium and vitamin D. Exercises such as endurance, general physical activity, flexibility and resistance/strength exercise are also a key intervention. Exercise programs are helpful in improving phy...