Self care deficit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Self care deficit - Essay Example Though self-care desire is common in patients across healthcare facilities in the country, certain patient conditions cannot allow self-care to be possible. This is specifically common among aged patients who also suffer from other conditions, which affects their coordination and self-reliance. Self-care deficit symptoms in the elderly should be clearly identified before the decision to allow patients to be independent can done (Taylor & Renpenning, 2011). Neuromuscular impairment is common among elderly patients suffering from cerebrovascular accidents. Others include musculoskeletal disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, cognitive impairment and lack of enough energy to carry out various self-care responsibilities. In such cases, self-care deficit symptoms can be identified and used to inform the decisions of the nursing department. Lacking the ability to independently feed and dress are common signs of deficit in self-care. Such patients must be provided with an assistant to help them dress and feed well without facing the threat of malnutrition (O’Shaughnessy, 2014). Lacking the ability to bathe and groom among the elderly is also a common symptom of self-care deficit. Such patients must be bathed and groomed by nurses to ensure high patient hygiene. Other symptoms of the deficit include inability to perform toilet task, move from bed to wheelchair, ambulate independently, perform other tasks such as make telephone calls, or write letters. Identification of such deficits will improve the nursing environment and decision making especially within elderly care facilities (Orem, Renpenning & Taylor, 2003). Self-care in patients can be associated with cultural behavior and practices in some environment and this affects the process of addressing the deficit. With the increasing number of male nurses, certain cultures and religion have found it difficult to embrace such caregivers due to cultural reasons. This has affected the