Assesment Of The Elderly Patient Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Assesment Of The Elderly Patient. Answer: A stroke occurs when the blood flow to a certain area of the brain is either severely reduced or completely cut off hence depriving the brain of oxygen and essential nutrients for brain functioning (iadecola annrather, 2013). It results in neurological damage and the brain cells begin to die almost immediately the blood supply is cut off. There are two main categories of stroke, an ischemic stroke which is due to lack of oxygen in an area of the brain and hemorrhagic stroke, which is due to a burst blood vessel in the brain (Gomes wachsman, 2013). The symptoms of a stroke include, face drooping, and trouble speaking, numbness of the arm, leg, and face, severe headaches accompanied by dizziness and vomiting and, loss of balance and coordination. Diagnosis of strokes is done through physical tests, and brain scan images. Some of the methods of diagnosis include brain scans, CT scans, MRI scans, swallow tests, heart and blood vessels tests, and carotid ultrasound (ellis Egede, 2014). In the assessment of a patient with a stroke, it is also important to rule out any other conditions that may have the same symptoms as the stroke. For example, blood sugar can be checked with a finger stick to rule out hypoglycemia, a computed tomography scan can be used to rule out the hemorrhagic stroke. Neurological assessment is based on subjective and objective data obtained. A detailed medical history is also necessary to be able to establish the onset of the stroke through the signs and the symptoms. It is important to include the timing of the occurrence of the stroke, past medical history, and the possible risk factors. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is usually used in the neurologic assessment. In this scale, the patients level of consciousness is determined. If the patient is not alert or completely unresponsive, then the patient will be assessed using the Glasgow coma scale. The NIHSS also used in getting information from the patient such as their age and also issuing commands such as opening and closing of eyes. Depending on how the patient answers the basic questions and performs the simple commands, the extent of the stroke can then be determined. This scale is also used to check for visual components to determine whether the patient has a vision loss, partial or complete hemianopia (wall, et al., 2014). Facial palsy is also determined using the NIHSS scale to check for minor or complete facial paralysis. It is also important to assess the patients motor function on the right and left the side of both the legs and arms. In addition, check on the patients limb ataxia on both limbs. Other neurological aspects to be assessed are the sensory aspects, language whereby the patients level of aphasia is determined and articulation. Swallow tests should also be carried out to determine if there is any difficulty in swallowing. After the primary assessments have been carried out and the extent of the stroke has been determined, other tests such as brain scans, CT scans, MRI scans, and blood vessels tests can be carried out. Management of a stroke involves taking some medications either over a long or short term. Most patients are given a dose of aspirin to be taken regularly which reduces the chances of another clot forming. Anticoagulants also help in reducing the risk of developing blood clots in future and statins may be used if the patients cholesterol is too high or just to help in reducing the risk of a stroke (Berg, et al., 2015). Other supportive treatments include compression stockings to prevent blood clots in the leg and, oxygen through a nasal tube or face mask if the patient has low levels of oxygen in the blood (Robinson,Kubos, 2014). In conclusion, we have been able to identify that the lack of oxygen in the brain is the main result of strokes; this is because of the deprivation of essential nutrients to the brain causing neurological damage making the brain to die almost immediately. Considering the seriousness of the condition, it is necessary to carry out a careful assessment that will help in the diagnosis and the probable treatment of the condition. The symptoms are an essential guide in carrying out the assessment of a stroke. The management methods for strokes help the patients in maintaining good health and preventing the reoccurrence of the condition. References Berg, K., Wood-Dauphinee, S. williams, J. I., 2015. The Balance Scale: reliability assessment with elderly residents and patients with an acutestroke.. scandinavian journal of rehabilitation medicine, 1(27), pp. 27-36. ellis, C. Egede, L. E., 2014. Stroke recognition among individuals with stroke risk factors. the american journal of the medical sciences, 1(337), pp. 5-10. Gomes, j. wachsman, a. m., 2013. types of strokes. in Handbook of Clinical Nutrition and Stroke. s.l.:hemana press. iadecola, c. annrather, J., 2013. the immunology of stroke: from mechanisms to translation. s.l.:Nat Med. Robinson, R.G. Kubos, K.L., 2014. Social functioning assessment in stroke patients. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 66(8), pp.496-500 wall, h. k., beagan, b. m. foell, K. M., 2014. addressing stroke signs and symptoms through public eduaction. s.l.:s.n.