Assessment Tools for Geriatric Patients

Assessment Tools for Geriatric Patients
Introduction
The client in the case study is at risk of developing further complications that can interfere with normal functioning. It is thus necessary to utilize various tools to measure the risk and determine the best treatment. If the conditions are left without any medical attention, they can deteriorate further.
Assessment Tools
The patient is expressing various symptoms, including confusion, agitation, and restlessness. – – One of the best assessment tools she requires is the Geriatric Depression Assessment. J.A. Yesavage and co-workers developed the tool in 1982 (Grossberg et al., 2017). The purpose of developing the tool was to identify the symptoms of depression among elderly patients. The tool is a 30-item self-report instrument. Patients will provide a yes or no answer to the questions (Mace et al., 2017). Geriatric Depression Assessment is effective for healthy, mildly, moderate or severely ill patients. The established validity and reliability of the study make it one of the best tools. However, diagnosis cannot be generated after using the tool alone. The assessment tool is effective since the patient expresses some signs, such as confusion and agitation (Mace et al., 2017). The restlessness could also be as a result of a malfunctioning mind.
Mental State Assessment Tests
A mental assessment is necessary for the patient to determine the level of severity of the condition. The test has important domains, including attitude, mood, speech, thought, behavior, insight, perception, and appearance (Lee et al., 2018). The tool is crucial for the current geriatric patient who is expressing restlessness, agitation, and confusion. It is important to assess the level of severity of the condition. Although a previous assessment may have been carried out, a new assessment will be important for subsequent checkups. They will be used to check if the condition is improving or deteriorating (Lee et al., 2018). – – One of the important areas of focus is the mood. Currently, the client is agitated and restless. The symptoms are signs of restlessness or depression.
Other Considerations
During the assessment, it is important to ensure the patient is accompanied by another adult, such as one of the responsible children or guardians. The purpose is that they will understand what the patient is going through. They will also provide the patient’s quality support to make it to the hospital (Lee et al., 2018). – Another important role of a guardian or adult is to answer the questions the patient cannot answer comfortably. The assessment should be carried out in the clinician’s office.
Language is an important consideration while carrying out the assessment. It is important to utilize the language that the elderly patient is comfortable with. The language should also comprise the choice of words that fit their expectations (Scheffels et al., 2020). The patient needs to confirm they are comfortable with the language.
Patient education is also an important aspect that affects the interaction with a patient. Elderly patients require information on how they should take care of themselves (Scheffels et al., 2020). Education should involve how to take medication.
Conclusion
Healthcare workers working with elderly patients are required to apply various strategies. Some of them include different assessment tools that will determine the severity of the disease. The severity will guide a healthcare worker towards the provision of quality care. Other important considerations include language and patient education. Elderly patients should also come into the company of another healthy and responsible adult. The adult will provide support and ensure the safety of geriatric patients.

References
Grossberg, G. T., Beck, D., & Zaidi, S. N. Y. (2017). Rapid depression assessment in geriatric patients. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 33(3), 383-391.
Lee, S. H., Cho, A., Min, Y. K., Lee, Y. K., & Jung, S. (2018). Comparison of the montreal cognitive assessment and the mini-mental state examination as screening tests in hemodialysis patients without symptoms. Renal Failure, 40(1), 323-330.
Mace, R. A., Gansler, D. A., Suvak, M. K., Gabris, C. M., Areán, P. A., Raue, P. J., & Alexopoulos, G. S. (2017). Therapeutic relationship in the treatment of geriatric depression with executive dysfunction. Page Essay – Journal of Affective Disorders, 214, 130-137.
Scheffels, J. F., Fröhlich, L., Kalbe, E., & Kessler, J. (2020). Concordance of Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Parkinson Neuropsychometric Dementia Assessment in the classification of cognitive performance in Parkinson’s disease. Page Essay – Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 412, 116735.