CARE PLANNING FOR MRS AMALIA JONES

Her health has been deteriorating ever since her husband’s death forcing her to withdraw from activities that she was usually used to do with her husband. Suggestions for her to return to Germany to be close to relatives proved futile. Henry’s daughter Tracy instead comes to visit after two months showing no signs of staying. Recent symptoms of her sickly body have been the development of rheumatoid, dry macular degeneration, and osteoarthritis affecting her movement. She has a medical history of arthritis, hypothyroidism and macular degeneration. Amelie has a medical history of arthritis, macular degeneration and hypothyroidism. She feels joint stiffness, constipation, infrequent dizziness, vision shortage, painful joints in the knee, fingers, hip, and back and pain episodes. She has swollen feet and enlarged joints, limited joint movements, non-significant weight loss and difficulty in remembering to have medication when in pain.

Recently she developed dry macular degeneration and problems with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. She has joint stiffness a common symptom of macular degeneration. She will be able to jog and stand for about thirty minutes without feeling pain nor stiff. She will also be able to bend and move her finger painlessly. The pain in her hip and back will be significantly reduced (Aletaha, 2010). To fulfill the goals above action needs to be taken through nursing intervention. Recommendation of a firm mattress or bed board, small pillow and elevation of linen with bed cradle to help in the preservation of appropriate body alignment, putting pressure on affected joints and reduce pressure on swollen or painful joints. The exercises are carried in heated pools and have positive effects of improvement in strength and flexibility (Stott, 2017).

Medication is also administered for various reasons. ASA that has the lowest toxicity index exerts a mild analgesic effect decreasing stiffness and increase mobility bringing a good performance of activities like good hygiene, dressing and feeding on oneself enabling the maximization of function. Etanercept and infliximab which are injectable drugs for arthritis help compounds block inflammation reducing pain and joint swellings. They are first genetically engineered medication for arthritis (Maguire, 2016). From all this, I have been able to learn a lot about macular degeneration, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. I have known about the symptoms and remedies. I have also learned how to take care and ensure the improvement of someone suffering from the same condition. I also understand the effects the above-mentioned conditions can have on the body and social activities in someone’s life.

I have gained an understanding of acute pain in the joints and that it is caused by potential tissue damage, a slow or sudden onset of any intensity from severe to mild with a predictable end. The action taken to bring her normality was concentrated on improving the flexibility of her joints and reducing the pain she feels when moving. The actions taken are also aimed at maintaining the same in a long time hence easy to be like a daily routine. Though we have not focused on curing her vision deficit after she has gained mobility she can be cured still. Her mobility was the most important aspect since she had been limited from her daily activities and relationships. The above actions don’t need much involvement of a specialist hence effective and inexpensive.

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