Adult Health

Protecting the Older Adult Mary, 88 is admitted to the unit with a diagnosis of dehydration and malnutrition. The staff learns that she lives with her son and hasn’t had any health care in 10 years. When they assess Mary, they note that she has difficulty seeing, even with her glasses, and she can’t hear well. She admits that her eyeglasses are old and that her son hates “wasting money on stuff like that”. Could …

…kind of abuse, they must ask several questions, to assess the situation. They may ask questions like the following: did someone hurt you? did someone do this to you? Has anyone ever touched you without your consent? does anyone yell at you? Are you afraid of your caregiver? Etc. After the assessment the nurses must document the information and explanation of injury from both the caregiver and the patient and report it to responsible authorities.