Older Adults Patient Education Issues Essay and Interview
HLT 306

There are many issues that arise when teaching older patients. These barriers include; chronic illness, sensory changes, cognitive changes, medications and third party teaching. A patients life experiences can also affect patient education. It is up to the clinician to make adjustments to best suit each individuals needs and provide the best outcome possible. I conducted an interview with Mr. Bonds, a 79-year-old war veteran, and his daughter. Mr. Bonds was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer 2 weeks prior and was at the hospital to have a Super Dimension bronchoscopy for fiducial marker placement.

After starting the bronchoscopy, the physician discovered Mr. Bond’s
Once, he was extubated, the physician discussed what he found during the procedure, why he had to have a stent placed, and what to expect from there on out. He also discussed the new medications he would be on. Mr. Bonds would now be using Mucomyst and a bronchodilator. (These must be used with bronchial stents to keep secretions from collecting on the stent.) Mr. Bonds and his daughter had to be taught the side effects of these medications, what to do if the Mucomyst caused a bronchospasm, and how to use a nebulizer machine.

I asked the patient if he was fully satisfied with the patient education he had received over the course of his stay. He stated, “I am very pleased and fell confident in taking care of myself. I just want to get back to my garden and my great granddaughter. If this helps me live longer, then I’ll do what ever it takes to stay alive. I survived a war, I can beat this booger.” I also asked the patient if he felt comfortable administering his meds and the use of his new home nebulizer. He said, “ I recon so. The mediation seems easy enough. The home health people came and set it (the nebulizer) up, showed me how to use it, how to troubleshoot the darn thing and who to call if I needed em.” I asked his daughter if the patient education she had received was adequate and if she felt it was presented in an understanding manner. She