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Psyciatric Nursing Care for Elderly

Mental Health Nursing Care for the Elderly Every year the definition of elderly changes, but maybe its fair to talk about the age of 65 as being the start of elderly. While this definition is somewhat arbitrary, it is many times associated with the age at which one can begin to receive pension benefits. At the moment, there is no United Nations standard numerical criterion, but the UN agreed cutoff is 60+ years to refer to the older population. Elderly mental health care is an important issue that affects almost one in every five American adults who are in fact known to be affected by some form of mental illness or the other. These mental illnesses include suffering from dementia and psychosis, delirium as well as depression and schizophrenia. Elderly mental health care today suffers from many lacunae and among these lacunae is the fact the majority of elders suffering from mental ailments shirk from getting them treated. It is commonly found that such elders will ...

Appendicitis - Healing Acute Pain

Acute appendicitis is defined as the acute inflammation of the appendix. It is considered to be the most common cause of abdominal pain and distress in children and teenagers worldwide (ages 4-15). The appendix is a channel in its interior that communicates with the large intestine where feces semifluidas. The appendix is a small pouch attached to your large intestine. It is thought that appendicitis begins when the opening from the appendix into the cecum becomes blocked. The blockage may be due to a build-up of thick mucus within the appendix or to stool that enters the appendix from the cecum. When the appendix is blocked by calculus and feces or it is squeezed by the lymph nodes (due to bacterial infection, the lymph nodes usually become swollen and press against the appendix), it swells and usually doesn't receive enough blood. Bacteria grow inside the appendix, eventually causing its death. In acute appendicitis, the inflammation of the appendix is seriou...

NCP Acute Pain related to Postoperative Thyroidectomy

Thyroidectomy is the surgical removal of the thyroid gland. The surgical procedure of thyroidectomy involves a partial or a complete removal of the thyroid (a gland, which is located in front of the lower neck, just above the trachea). The gland is formed by two cone-like lobes or wings (lobus dexter (right lobe) and lobus sinister (left lobe), and attached by a middle part (isthmus). The surgery may be recommended for a variety of conditions including: An overactive thyroid gland that produces extremely high levels of thyroid hormones A growth (nodule or cyst) associated with the thyroid gland Cancer of the thyroid A small thyroid growth Malignant (cancerous) thyroid tumors Benign (noncancerous) tumors of the thyroid that are causing symptoms An enlarged thyroid gland (nontoxic goiter) that makes it hard for you to breathe or swallow. Indications for Thyroidectomy: A large goiter that is unlikely to react anti-thyroid drugs, may require surgery of the thyroid gland, to...

BPH - Nursing Diagnosis and Interventions

  Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a histologic diagnosis characterized by proliferation of the cellular elements of the prostate. Cellular accumulation and gland enlargement may result from epithelial and stromal proliferation, impaired preprogrammed cell death (apoptosis), or both. BPH is considered a normal part of the aging process in men and is hormonally dependent on testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) production. An estimated 50% of men demonstrate histopathologic BPH by age 60 years. This number increases to 90% by age 85 years. Assessment 1. Circulation: increased blood pressure (the effect of kidney enlargement) 2. Elimination: decrease the power / boost the flow of urine. urinary hesitancy early. inability to empty the bladder nocturia, dysuria and hematuria. recurrent UTI, (stetis urine) constipation mass in the abdomen below. tenderness of the bladder hernia ingiunalis 3. Food and fluid : anorexia nausea vomiting weight loss. ...

Nursing Management of Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia occurs when the body absorbs heat more than it can release. Excessively elevated body temperatures are considered medical emergency as it may life-threatening that can cause permanent disability and even death. Hyperthermia is elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation that occurs when a body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. Hyperthermia can also be deliberately induced using drugs or medical devices and may be used in the treatment of some kinds of cancer and other conditions, most commonly in conjunction with radiotherapy. Fever is one of the most common medical signs and is characterized by an elevation of body temperature above the normal range of 36.5–37.5 °C (97.7–99.5 °F) due to an increase in the temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and chills. A fever is usually accompanied by sickness behavior, which consists of lethargy, depression, anorexia, sleepiness, hype...