Geriatric Diabetes Education Term Paper

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Implementing Diabetes Education in Geriatric unit

The diabetes prevalence in the USA is placed at 9.4% which accounts for 30.3 million Americans as of 2015. This statistics goes even higher with increase in the age bracket where 12.2% of Americans above 18 years old are diabetic. The numbers are even grimmer as the age increases among the aged where 25.2% of Americans above 65 years are said to be diabetic according to CDC (2017). The geriatric unit mostly hosts patients of the age of 65 years. These are patients who are predisposed to various life limiting conditions, immobility, psychiatric problems and other illnesses. Apparently diabetes has emerged as one of the main challenges that the aged have to deal with all the way into the geriatric unit. It is apparent that diabetes presents significant challenges in managing them for the elderly patients. The aged diabetes patients often complain of challenges of the cost of managing diabetes, access to medication, competing priorities and challenges of adherence to their medication.

From the above statistics, it is apparent that most of the elderly persons hosted in the elderly homes will be diabetic. That will be the most common medical condition within the geriatric unit. Bearing the medical challenges and the physical challenges that the elderly face within the geriatric unit, it is important that their lives are made bearable within these facilities. One of the most significant changes that the facilities can undertake is to ensure the staff members are properly trained in how to handle the diabetic old patients and how they can facilitate the quick access and efficient access to their mediation. This is the single most important aspect of change that if properly implemented in the geriatric unit of focus then it can significantly impact on the lives of the ole people who are housed in these units.

There are various reasons for undertaking the training for the nurses and employees working within the geriatric units with the elderly. One very obvious reason is the issue of compliance with the regulations of the responsible agencies as stated in each state within its own regulations. It is not everyone who wants to work within the units of the elderly is allowed to work but those who are specifically trained for the job and are evaluated by the concerned bodies to ensure strict compliance with the regulations guiding the running of the institutions.

The second reason as to why the training is essential is to ensure the full satisfaction of the clients who are the sole reason why the institutions are established. The nurses and the other employees within these units have the sole mandate to ensure the welfare of the elderly, who may be facing physical and psychiatric challenges are well taken care of. The ratings that the unit will get at any given point of time will be primarily from the clients who use the facility, then the guardians who brought them to that facility.

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If these two are offered or see to be getting substandard services, there is high likelihood that they will transfer to other facilities. This may mean the closure of the affected unit or significant regulatory repercussions from the agencies in charge. The standard and satisfactory services can only be offered by well trained staff members.

Such a significant change is often not easy to implement since it will be met with resistance from most of the people who are supposed to implement that change. This means there is need to have leadership that will employ a leadership approach which will sail the change through the resistance. The top priority for any leader in the process of change is the followers’ positive reaction to change. According to the research conducted among 351 participants from two Danish organizations, the data analysis found out that the leadership style that resounded best with employees during change process was transformational leadership (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2018).

From the above findings, it follows that the leadership style that fits best this change process in the elderly homes is the transformational leadership in order to ensure the requisite training is done and effectively undertaken. This style of leadership is one where the leader works with the junior staff members of the subordinate staff to first make out or identify the change that is needed, then he creates a vision that will guide them towards the needed and identified change, then he will guide the change through inspiration and he will then implement the change hand in hand with the subordinate staff members who are committed to the change (McCloskey M.W., 2018). This is the best approach that I can use in change implementation within the geriatric unit I am base at to ensure that all the members of staff therein are well trained in handling diabetic old people. I will involve the members of staff from the very start of the change process so that they can feel they own the idea and the process of implementing the idea. Since the knowledge on managing diabetic old people is very essential for all the employees, I will sue all possible avenues to inspire commitment in all employees and we collectively formulate a vision that will be for out unit and commit to it to the very end.

Role of professional nurse as a change agent

Within an institution like the homes for the elderly, the professional nurses are often looked up to as change agents by most of the employees. They represent the highest point of reference and the ideal that should be emulated by the other employees. Hence, the nurse will….....

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