Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 11

Reflection - Essay Example Older adults make a big percentage of the people with chronic conditions (Lynda, 2012). They have chronic illnesses like disabilities, dementia and arthritis among others. Older adults experience hospitalizations and sometimes face poor or low healthcare. Due to their continuous illnesses, they require constant attention to ensure they are protected (Jacki, 2008). Protection is essential for the older adults because it helps in ensuring that the quality of life and wellness is improved at all times. Old people require various health care services and tend to have various complex situations and thus there is need for professional expertise to protect them against further harm to their health. Protecting the older adult in a mental health ward is an issue because the old people with mental problems can easily end up institutional care and they recover less well from any physical problems and can be vulnerable to abuse (Steven, 2011). There was a scenario I witnessed in which a male older adult in a mental health ward was discriminated by the caregiver assigned to take care of him. He feeding on unhealthy food left by his bed-side by the caregiver. Before it was established, the patient had already developed abdominal complications because the caregiver did not bother to ensure that the patient fed on clean food. This was also extended to the treatment administered to the patient because the elderly patient was not getting medication as per the stipulated time by the doctor. This eventually worsened his health condition which would have been better if the right care was given to him. In this particular scenario, the caregiver had discriminated the older adult who was slow to eat and thus he could just leave the food by his bedside because the caregiver had developed anger in handling the mentally ill older adult. Protection of the mentally hill older adults is emphasized by the government policy. Old people need to be protected from any