Caring for Frail Aged/Dementia Sufferers: an Evaluation of a Nursing Staff Team Approach

Abstract

The following report is 4 personal evalucllion of a change in 4 nursing style of care delivery for the frail ageddementia sufferer. It outlines the history of the facility and the transifion to 4 different style of care. It then discusses benefits and defiits of this style of care.This report is a subjective evaluation of the shift to a nursing staff team approach to nursing frail ageddementia sufferers. The shift to this style of delivery of care took place in late 1991 and is still practised at this institution today. The following account evaluates its success. HISTORYThe facility is a 42 bed hospital. Of these beds, two are held for acute admissions and four are filled by respite clients. The remainder are permanent long stay elderly. Varying stages of dementia is the predominant diagnosis of the clients, with over 80% demonstrating symptoms of this disease. There is low staff turn over. The majority of staff work permanent part time. There is one Medical Superintendent with right of private practice who attends the facility.Until late 1991, the traditional manner of task orientation style nursing was in place, with enrolled nurses and registered nurses providing care to clients on the ward on a shift basis. There was no charge nurse. these protein deposits occur. This includes looking for major environmental risk factorssuch as head injury, heavy metal exposure and stressthat influence the way the brain handles BA4. The aim is to find a way of delaying the onset of the disease so its symptoms never appear, or to eliminate it altogether.