Community Medicine Flashcards
What role do community hospitals have in the managment of the elderly (suggest 6 things)?
1. Specialized Care for Chronic Conditions
Older adults often have multiple chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis. Community hospitals offer specialized care and management for these conditions, including regular monitoring, medication management, and therapy.
2. Rehabilitation Services
Community hospitals frequently provide rehabilitation services, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
3. Emergency and Acute Care In cases of sudden illness or injury, community hospitals offer emergency and acute care services.
4. Preventive Care and Health Promotion Community hospitals focus on preventive care to help older adults maintain their health and prevent disease progression. This includes vaccination programs, health screenings, and educational programs on topics like nutrition and exercise.
5. Support for Caregivers Recognizing that many older adults are cared for by family members or other informal caregivers, community hospitals often provide support and resources to these caregivers. This might include respite care, caregiver training, and counseling.
**6. **Palliative and End-of-Life Care For those with serious, life-limiting illnesses, community hospitals offer palliative and end-of-life care.
Suggest 4 limits or disadvanatges of hospital based care for the elderly?
1. Short-Term Focus: Hospitals are typically designed for acute, short-term care. They may not be equipped for the long-term management of chronic conditions that are common among the elderly.
**2. Infection Risks: **Hospitals can be high-risk environments for infections, which is a particular concern for elderly patients who may have weakened immune systems or multiple health issues.
3.Functional Decline: Prolonged hospital stays can sometimes lead to a decline in physical function and independence, a phenomenon known as hospital-induced deconditioning.
**4. Limited resources; **A large amount of care for the elderly requires rehabilitation and physiotherapy. Physios in hospitals are often limited on the amount of time they can spend with each patient due to large workloads. Elderly patients may therefore not get the necessary rehabilitation they need.
What is meant by ‘rehabilitation’?
Rehabilitation is a process aimed at helping individuals recover or improve their physical, mental, and emotional functioning after an illness, injury, or surgery.
It focuses on enabling people to regain their independence and enhance their quality of life.
What are the alternatives to acute hospital settings?
- Community health teams e.g. Teams composed of healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, social workers, and therapists who work together to provide comprehensive care in the community.
-** Assisted Living Facilities** e.g. Residential settings that offer help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and medication management while providing a more independent lifestyle than a nursing home.
- Home Healthcare e.g.Medical care provided in a patient’s home, which can include nursing care, physical therapy, and other health services.
Nursing Homes e.g acilities providing 24-hour care for individuals who have significant medical needs or disabilities.
-Palliative and Hospice Care e.g. Focuses on providing relief from symptoms and stress of serious illness, with the goal of improving quality of life.
How do health and social care interact in the provision of long-term care?
- Care planning & coordination; both teams work together, sharing information to create a personalised plan that meets the needs and services of an individual.
- Service provision; both teams offer different services, so it is essential they work together to ensure these services compliment each other.
- Transitions of Care; health and social care professionals work together to manage transitions, such as moving from hospital care to home care or from home care to a long-term care facility. This involves planning for ongoing medical care, arranging social support, and ensuring that the individual and their family are prepared for the changes.
What is meant by ‘NHS Continuing healthcare’?
NHS Continuing Healthcare is a package of care for adults aged 18 or over which is arranged and funded solely by the NHS.
It is designed for individuals who have substantial and ongoing health needs and require a high level of care.
What is the Discharge to Assess (DtA) process?
The Discharge to Assess (DtA) process is a model used to facilitate the safe and timely discharge of patients from hospital settings to their homes or other care environments.
This approach is designed to ensure that patients receive appropriate assessments and care in a setting that is more suited to their needs, rather than being assessed while still in the hospital.
What is meant by intermediate
care?
Give 2 examples of intermediate care.
Intermediate care services provide support for a short time to help you recover and increase your independence.
E.g. Occupational therapists help you to work out how to manage everyday activities more easily and independently.
E.g. Speech and language therapists help you if you have difficulty with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing.
