Designing a geriatric facility in order to give state of the art services to the elderly requires thorough professional planning. The aim of the facility should be geared towards promotion of the health of the old patients through prevention and treatment of diseases and disabilities.
Designing a geriatric facility in order to give state of the art services to the elderly requires thorough professional planning. The aim of the facility should be geared towards promotion of the health of the old patients through prevention and treatment of diseases and disabilities.
Designing a geriatric facility in order to give state of the art services to the elderly requires thorough professional planning. The aim of the facility should be geared towards promotion of the health of the old patients through prevention and treatment of diseases and disabilities. The elderly patient has unique needs due to the myriad physiological changes their bodies go through. Therefore this calls for a careful approach in treatment of any present diseases as well as reduce the aging effects on the body. The most common characteristics evident in the elderly patients include mobility disorders incontinence instability and impaired cognitive ability. To provide comprehensive care required by these patients requires a multidisciplinary team and an environment that puts into consideration the physical social and psychological requirements of the patients (Hasson&Arnetz2008). This paper will outline the different requirements of a geriatric care facility.
Name and Care Provision
The most appropriate name for the geriatric facility will be Hope Geriatric Center. This is informed by the need to instill a sense of hope among the elderly who on many occasions feel neglected as a result of the challenges they go through due to old age. The name will also sensitize the staff and family members of the need to remain engaged and contribute towards the wellbeing and successful rehabilitation of the residents. An applicable mission statement befitting this facility would be commitment to enhanced elderly life quality through provision of considerate and professional care in an inclusive environment(Wilson Meyer & McNeal 2012).Adoption of a philosophy of care would also be necessary. In such a facility with myriad challenges emanating from the patients there would be a need to call for dedication among the staff. The appropriate philosophy of care of Hope Geriatric Center would be Thestaff of Hope Geriatric Center is fully committed to providing the best possible geriatric services for the wellbeing of the older adults. We dedicate ourselves to managing in a professional manner acute and chronic illnesses to improve the quality of life. We endeavor to give each patient individualized attention while encouraging them together with their families to participate in making decisions on health care. This is aimed at effectively coordinating care to ensure all individuals are treated with respect and utmost dignity(Wilson Meyer & McNeal 2012).
The facility will offer four levels of care. These include the usual level content of care that entails the normally required diagnostic procedures and the corresponding medical treatments including surgical interventions if necessary to improve the patients functional capacity. Terminal level of care will also be provided to include body hygiene emotion management and pain control. Palliative care will also be provided to ensure sustained skin integrity improved mobilization nutrition exercises transfers and overall symptom control in addition to medical and/or surgical interventions. The facility will also aim to provide intensive level of care in which advanced diagnostic and therapeutic processes will be carried out. This will include extensive cardiopulmonary resuscitation facilities(Blakemore 2012).
LocationPhysical and Security Features of the Facility
The Hope Geriatric Center will be located in Los Angeles the largest city in California State. The site for this location has been chosen through an analytical research of population data which indicate that a large population of the elderly resides in this city. Furthermore unlike in the country side where such patients would receive home based care from family members most productive family members residing in the city are in the working category. This means they have little or no time available to provide the necessary care to their elderly counterparts. It would also be extremely expensive to hire specialists to offer personalized medical care in a home based setting. The location of the facility in the city will also ensure the residents remain near their families to encourage frequent visitations that significantly contribute to the healing process. The staff will also benefit from the variety of amenities the city provides. These include social amenities that would be necessary in helping them relieve work-related stress.
There is a need to invest heavily in the building design to ensure the center has an appealing decorum to live in or even visit. In designing the Hope Geriatric Center it would be recommended that the architectural design avoids as much as possible to give the facility a hospital-like appearance. This is to enhance creation of an atmosphere characteristic of a home environment. This could include avoiding use of corridors and other barriers that may inhibit free movement of the patients. The patients rooms of residence should be organized in a way that they all have a direct access to a resting bay or a garden and other commonly shared facilities. Such a design would greatly encourage independence of the patients which is important for psychological wellbeing in turn facilitating quicker healing. Utmost the facility should occupy adequate space discouraging the need for a storied building.If the space available is limiting disability friendly facilities to allow disabled patients to access upper floors would be necessary. The key facilities to be incorporated in the building are accommodation rooms with no more than fifteen patients. These should be designed to create a home-like and friendly environment(Parke 2007).
A multipurpose room with multisensory experience facilities that allows for enhancement of the sensory experiences of the patients in a controlled setting would also be integral. The facility should also incorporatepatient rooms that allow for individualized attention of special cases complete with private washrooms. An assessment area for the patients including community related living skills and quiet rooms with entertainment facilities such as computers are all necessary in facilitating patient healing. This is in addition to the medical facilities and equipment as would be found in a general hospital. The center should also house a family room to allow visiting family members to spend time with their loved ones to help the family fully participate in the patient recovery process. Security is also extremely essential. This would require deployment of security officers with special skills to guard the facilities. These officers would be responsible for the patients own security as some may be suicidal. The security guards would therefore increase vigilance around the patients. Use of equipment such closed circuit cameras and alarms would improve the security monitoring process. The residents are likely to experience myriad physical problems. Most of these arise from old age related complications that may result in balance instability incontinence and cognitive impairment increasing chances of accidents and patient falls. The employees at the facility should also be considered during the establishment of the center. They should be provided with a favorable working environment that includes well equipped offices and organizational structures that respects their professions(Parke 2007).
Personnel
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