Older Adults Patient Education Issues

A very important facet for treating patient is patient education. Patients are supposed to be educated about the care and directions which they are supposed to take when they are ill so that the risk of complications can be minimized. Families and insurance policies have been incurring high burdens of hospital bill which are incurred after hospital admissions because of unnecessary sickness. Therefore, educating a patient is a very important idea because complications and threats of new diseases can be prevented. Patient education is described as a process of providing information to the patient inform of verbal or written material so that the patient can understand and at the same time minimize complications (Flavor, 2010).

Through this process the patient is instructed about the behaviors and activities which are supposed to be done or avoided and also understanding the disease by itself. This education is important because there are long term outcome which can be seen and also better decision making skills can be learnt. A better understanding of the disease makes a patient to recover fully with no aspects of repeated obstructions. Through this education, a patient can learn more for example, importance of prevention, earlier cure and safeguarding ones health (Barcon, 2006). There is also reflection of lifestyle factors which could lead to health problems (Barcon, 2006).

Patient education representative

Are patients education representatives supposed to give information to the patients on how to take care of themselves? Patient education representatives give information to the patient regarding their illness. They are supposed to offer information to the patients immediately after visiting them in their offices. Patient education representatives are required to make a follow up to make sure that the patient has followed instructions. These representatives have protocols set which aims at marketing the service offered in the hospital to the patients. The more a nurse educates a patient, the more they become closer and acceptable to one another. After a patient is admitted in the hospital, information regarding the illness should be consistent. The first step is to instruct the patient on how to use the call bell which shows that the nurse can get a feedback from the patient in case there is a problem. Every action which is done to the patient should be followed by an explanation as to why and what it's done (Flavor, 2010).

Instructions given

Pharmacists can give a positive outcome to patients through education and counseling which prepares and motivates them to follow instructions. When working with patient, pharmacists should focus on education and counseling as one of their interaction activity (Flavor, 2010). For this process to be successful both patient and a pharmacists must have an agreement about their roles. Patients should know that pharmacists play a very important role in giving education and counseling (Barcon, 2006).  In such a situation patients should be encouraged to be lively participant so that they can understand the instructions given. The most important role that pharmacist should play is to ensure that patients get knowledge, understanding and skills to follow their instructions. There are also special ways which are employed by pharmacists in motivating the patients.

When a patient is reviewed by the doctor or a nurse, they are sent to the pharmacists to receive their medication. Doctor, nurse and a pharmacist plays a very important role in patient education. Each is supposed to provide advice depending on the field of specialization. This process ends to the pharmacist who is supposed to give medication to the patient according to the doctor's instruction.  The pharmacist is supposed to give medication and provide instruction on how the patient is to take the medicine. During this process a patient gets knowledge and skills in terms of diet, medication or exercise. Therefore, before a patient leaves the hospital, a pharmacist should give direction to the patient on matters of diet, exercise and the medication given and as a result complications and re-admission will be minimized. After this, a pharmacist is supposed to document education given to the patient in the permanent medical records for future reference.

Patient home care

Before leaving hospital, both the patient and the family members are given enough education regarding the illness. It is important for the patient to know the person who will take care of her after illness or operation. Therefore, homecare program is important and should be given to patients after they are released from hospital. The greater role is played by the family members.  They are supposed to apply the knowledge and skills which they were taught by the nurse, doctor and pharmacists. Homecare is very important because it caters for a patient's need. For a home care program to be effective there should be good collaboration between the doctor, family members and the patient. Homecare programs are very important because they successfully measure the patient response to medication and chances of developing new problems (Barcon, 2006).

Home assistance services when one becomes older

Old people are prone to diseases and therefore homecare programs are the only option because they cannot spend all their lives in hospitals. Due to this reason, these people need to be given homecare services which will help them to survive. Services such as transport, food, and medication are important since they assist old people live a bit longer without major problems. These services may also reduce cost which may be incurred as a result of hospital bills. The government should also intervene to see that these services are accessible in all areas.