Explain some of the barriers to patient education of the elderly and discuss their special needs.

Patient education is a form of care provided by a healthcare professional. Accordingly, various barriers prevent effective patient education for the elderly, including using technological gadgets during patient education, since most older adults lack operational knowledge. Also, negative attitudes by either the patient or healthcare practitioner contribute to misapprehension (Heydari et al., 2019).

Therefore, the healthcare practitioner should be patient due to the hard hearing and slow movement and understanding of technological advancement of the elderly patients.

List ways to best approach patient education of the elderly

With a focus on the elderly patients’ needs, various approaches can be used for effective patient education. They include;

• Use legible writing on materials used in patient education
• Limit movement during patient education
• Audibility during patient education enables the elderly to perceive the information being shared.
• Awareness of the existence of misconceptions by the patient promotes understanding by the healthcare professional.

Discuss some cultural and religious beliefs about death that you have encountered.

Cultural beliefs about death describe it as a rite of passage. In some cultures, death leads to the reincarnation of the individual as a human being or animal.

Religious beliefs on death vary. Among Christians, the end of the flesh prepares the individual for everlasting life after death, which occurs in the presence of God and other angels.

Explain why it is important to discuss death and dying with the elderly patient and what the impact is on all involved.

As elderly patients continue advancing in age, the strength of their immunity decreases, thereby making them susceptible to various health conditions. Consequently, discussions on death and dying are essential for these patients to provide needed information. Accordingly, the most effective care plan can be selected and implemented to ensure the patient’s comfort during this risky period (Raphael et al., 2014).

Explain how to teach a patient with a life-threatening illness.

There are various approaches used while teaching patients with life-threatening illnesses. They include creating a suitable teaching plan, assessing topics to be discussed and possible props and hurdles, providing the patient with all information on the life-threatening illnesses, the impact of the disease on the patient, possible treatment plans, recovery, and transitional expectations (Raphael et al., 2014).

References

Bureau, U. (2019). By 2030, All Baby Boomers Will Be Aged 65 or Older. The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 18 July 2021, from https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/12/by-2030-all-baby-boomers-will-be-age-65-or-older.html

Falvo, D. (2011). Effective patient education: a guide to increased adherence. Jones and Bartlett.

Hadden, K., Prince, L., Schnaekel, A., Couch, C., Stephenson, J., & Wyrick, T. (2016). Readability of Patient Education Materials in Hand Surgery and Health Literacy Best Practices for Improvement. The Journal Of Hand Surgery, 41(8), 825-832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhsa.2016.05.006