Clinical Case Study (Community Nursing in Aged Care,Gerontology) Essay

Clinical Case Study (Community Nursing in Aged Care,Gerontology) - Essay Example According to Ford (2004), elderly have been increasingly the focus of health and social care policy, particularly on their continuing needs of care, which are met in a variety of setting such as their own home, supported housing, residential care, nursing home or hospital. Mrs. Howard, a 72 year old widow, is referred by a concerned neighbor. At the time of visit, it is noted that Mrs Howard is slow to answer the door, and dressed with unkempt appearance. Her house is tidy but her bedroom is unmade. Her gait is slow but steady. It is noted that the refrigerator of Mrs. Howard has no food, and the kitchen is tidy. Mrs. Howard’s medication are sitting on the kitchen bench. Mrs. Howard complained of feeling very tired and she is having difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. She added that she has to get up to the toilet at nighttime. She has not been feeling hungry and has lost a little weight, hasn’t been preparing meals, has not been out for shopping or visiting friends in a few weeks. Mrs. Howard gets confused about how many tablets to take. Her medications were Lanoxin 125, Naprosyn 250 mg, Urex 20 mg, Mylantas, Agarol, Panadol, and Garlic. In older clients, the possibility of developing adverse drug events is increased for the reason that several co – morbidities are observed in the elderly whom multiple medications are prescribed (Hamilton et al., 2009; Woodhouse, 1997). Hamilton et al. (2009) added that this risk is compounded by changes related to age such as physiology and composition of the body influencing drug handling and response. It is also important to note that as the person grows old, the sleeping pattern changes as well. A marked heterogeneity in health status and functional capacity in the elderly makes decisions in prescribing more complex and challenging (Hamilton et al., 2009). The following are the drugs prescribed to Mrs.