A nurse developed toolkit for long-term care ombudsmen.

Federal regulations provide all nursing home resident access to third party advocates, known as ombudsmen. The ombudsmen are provided unrestricted access to this vulnerable population for complaint investigation and protection of their federally mandated resident's rights. States autonomously administer their ombudsman programs, allowing latitude in hiring and training practices. The majority of state programs rely on a combination of paid and volunteer staff, with most staff lacking formal healthcare training. In an attempt to educate long-term care ombudsmen on common geriatric clinical diagnoses, a clinical toolkit was developed and ombudsmen employed by Alabama Department of Senior Services agreed to pilot test the toolkit. Results of the pilot test did not show ombudsmen with less experience would find the toolkit more useful. Results revealed that all ombudsmen regardless of length of tenure found the toolkit useful.

Use of Long-Term Care Facilities for Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Students.

BACKGROUND: Family and adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner (NP) students must obtain patient clinical hours caring for older adults. Primary care occurs in a variety of settings, including long-term care (LTC) facilities. Anecdotal reports indicate that faculty in some primary NP academic programs do not recognize the robust primary care opportunities that exist in LTC settings. METHOD: This article describes a professional nursing organization's process of researching the appropriateness of designating LTC clinical hours as allowable primary care clinical experiences for NP students. RESULTS: The NP serves as an integral member of the LTC team, providing the same elements of primary care provided in traditional ambulatory care settings. CONCLUSION: Older adults receiving primary care in LTC settings have a variety of health care needs, including assessment and management of acute and chronic conditions. A position statement was developed for primary care NP students and endorsed by 22 professional organizations and NP programs. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(2):99-102.].

Gastrointestinal Disturbances in the Elderly.

Gastrointestinal (GI) age-related changes create alterations in the body's ability to digest, absorb, and excrete nutrients, medications, and alcohol and disrupts GI immunity responses. All older adults exhibit some degree of swallowing difficulty, also known as senescent swallowing. The effects of chronic disease and sustained use of alcohol, tobacco, and medications often exacerbate age-related GI dysfunction. Older adults often have nonspecific complaints, warranting a thorough health history and physical examination, including prescription and over-the-counter medications. Colorectal cancer screening tests should be discussed with all older adults because of the high incidence of colorectal cancer in this patient population.