Geriatric assessment is given to the elderly to determine the levels of care that they need. It is different from other kinds of medical assessment because it incorporates some elements of non-medical assessments (Elsawy and Higgins, 2011).Consequently, geriatric assessment is a multidisciplinary assessment.

Geriatric assessment varies across medical professionals but a comprehensive one should some key elements. One such element is the assessment of the patient’s medical condition. This involves looking at the severity of any past ailments, and a determination of whether the patient is predisposed towards certain disease. Besides, and nutritional status should be assessed.

The physical functioning of the patient should also be looked at. Examination of the patient’s ability to engage in basic daily activities such as bowel functions, bathing, movement and even clothing is done (Gambert, 2009). Gait and balance should also be looked at because at this age, the patient is susceptible to falls.

The assessment should also cover the kind of assistance and support the patient may require. This may involve the family members or other people having to attend to a patient’s needs. It may also involve looking at the eligibility of such a patient for any financial assistance from the government (Wieland, 2003).

Psychological assessment of the patient should also be carried out. The nurse should test the patient’s cognitive abilities, and examine whether the patient is battling with depression (Wieland, 2003).

Environmental assessment should also be done on the patient. The patient’s home and surrounding areas should be safe and comfortable. It should not expose him to extreme weather conditions or accidents. It should also be easy to evacuate a patient to a hospital.

This assessment takes time and may run over a number of days. Where possible, the nurse should therefore engage other professionals such as psychologists and community health workers to share the workload. Again, the nurse should be flexible when carrying out the assessment, because each elderly person requires a different level of care. Lastly geriatric assessment aims at giving patients preventive care and the nurse should focus on preventing diseases and reducing morbidity.

References

Elsawy, B. and Higgins, K. E. (2011). The Geriatric Assessment. Journal of the American

Family Physician, 83 (1), 48-56.

Gambert, R. S.(2009). Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: A Multidimensional Process

Designed to Assess an Elderly Person’s Functional Ability, Physical Health, Cognitive

and Mental Health and Socio-Environmental Situation. Maryland: Johns Hopkins

University School of Medicine.

Wieland, D. (2003), Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment. Journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center,

10(6), 1-7.