Patient Care Paper
Write a word essay on the Stages-of-Life and the influence of age in health care from a patient’s perspective. Interview a friend or family member about that person’s experiences with the health care system. You may develop your own list of questions.
Suggested questions:
Do you feel that your stage-of-life had any effect on your interaction with health care professionals?
Which areas of the hospital or clinic were most concerned with your well-being and feelings?
Was your family with you during this hospital stay or outpatient visit?
Was your family included in your treatment, such as post-procedure instructions?
Sample Paper
Patient Care
Do you feel that your stage-of-life had any effect on your interaction with health care professionals?
Yes, I feel like as a senior citizen, my stage of life has had a significant effect on my interaction with healthcare professionals. Having been diagnosed with diabetes when I was 60 years old, my interaction with healthcare professionals has become more engaging in the past ten years. Currently, I normally see healthcare professionals being more concerned with my health and wanting to understand more about my lifestyle and health choices that I frequently make in my day-to-day life. Generally, I would therefore state that healthcare professionals appear to be more interested in assisting me in my current age than they did when I was younger. When I was younger, I would sometimes realize that healthcare professionals did not spend a lot of time understanding my health and offering solutions that could help me remain healthy. However, at my current age, I feel that healthcare professionals pay more attention and want to understand how I live my day-to-day life and the impact that my daily life has on my health, especially since I have type 2 diabetes. Currently, I would consider myself as having a better relationship with various healthcare professionals, including my nutritionist, physician, and nurse, more than I did when I was younger. I normally feel that healthcare professionals are more empathetic of my condition now than they did when I was younger. Most of the concerns of healthcare professionals originate from my condition, as my physician always emphasizes that adverse effects related to type 2 diabetes are more severe and more likely to occur when one gets older.
Which areas of the hospital or clinic were most concerned with your well-being and feelings?
The counseling department of the healthcare facility appeared most concerned with my well-being and feelings, especially when I first received my diabetes diagnosis. The hospital therapist wanted to ensure that I accepted my diagnosis and that I remained positive about my ability to manage my condition actively over the years. After my diagnosis, I took a cognitive behavioral therapy session in the counseling department of my health care facility, which helped me to accept not only my diabetes diagnosis but also learn different ways of managing my condition. The counseling sessions played a significant role in helping me to deal with the diagnosis that was quite difficult for me to process.
Was your family with you during this hospital stay or outpatient visit?
During my diabetes diagnosis, my wife was with me and provided much-needed support. My wife helped in explaining my diagnosis to me and also liaised with the necessary healthcare providers to develop a treatment and management plan (Blaslov et al., 2018). My wife also contributed to helping me understand that diabetes was a lifestyle condition that could be effectively managed with specific changes in lifestyle, including diet and physical activity (Reusch & Manson, 2017).
Was your family included in your treatment, such as post-procedure instructions?
The healthcare providers relied on my wife to ensure that my treatment for type 2 diabetes was adequately performed. My wife and I were educated significantly on the importance of managing blood sugar levels to optimum levels through insulin injection, a healthy diet, and physical activity. We were also educated on the importance of glucose monitoring as an effective strategy to manage type 2 diabetes. Over the years, I believe that the involvement of my family in my treatment has helped me significantly progress and to manage my diabetes more effectively because of the accountability they provide (Thomas et al., 2017). I believe that the involvement of family is important in the management of lifestyle conditions because a family can provide much-needed emotional and spiritual support (Fonseca et al., 2018).
References
Blaslov, K., Naranđa, F. S., Kruljac, I., & Renar, I. P. (2018). Treatment approach to type 2 diabetes: Past, present, and future. World Journal of Diabetes, 9(12), 209–219. https://doi.org/10.4239/wjd.v9.i12.209
Fonseca, A. L., Koyama, J., & Butler, E. A. (2018). The Role of Family of Origin in Current Lifestyle Choices. Family & Community Health, 41(3), 146–158. https://doi.org/10.1097/fch.0000000000000188
Reusch, J. E. B., & Manson, J. E. (2017). Management of Type 2 Diabetes in 2017. JAMA, 317(10), 1015. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.0241
Thomas, P. A., Liu, H., & Umberson, D. (2017). Family Relationships and Well-Being. Innovation in Aging, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx025
