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There are many things we can do to improve a patient’s food and fluid intake and help prevent functional decline. Here are some recommendations. Make nutrition and hydration a team priorityFood is as important as medicine. Nutrition should be a priority for everyone - the patient, their family and carers, the healthcare professionals and food service providers.
Help at meal timesAsk every patient if they need assistance to eat and drink and respond to their needs.1
Also you know how busy they are [hospital staff] and you don’t want to worry them - you’re not going ring the bell to ask them to open your fruit salad - so you just don’t do it. So either you don’t eat it or you wait for someone. Or if you’ve got someone from your family coming in that’s fine. Motivate the patientStimulating appetite and helping people eat and drink can make a difference.
Manage medicationsSome medications can impact on appetite, cause dehydration and nausea, and contribute to under-nutrition.
Consider the patient’s mood
Get them movingEncourage patients to be active as this can stimulate appetite and enhance muscular strength and reduce the risk of pressure injuries.
Provide required protein
Consider using supplementsNutrient and vitamin supplements can help elderly people achieve good nutrition.
Ask about cultural preferencesEating in hospital is very different from home; not just what we eat but how we eat.
1. Kurrle, S., Brodaty, H, Hogarth, R, Physical comorbidties of dementia. 2012: Cambridge University Press, New York. 2. Bauer, J., Biolo, G, Cederholm, T, Cesari, M, Cruz-Jentoft, AJ, Morley, JE, Phillips, S, Sieber, C, Stehle, P, Teta, D, Visvanathan, R, Volpi, E, Boirie, Y, Evidence-based recommendations for the optimal dietary protein intake in older people: A position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. JAMDA, 2013. 14: p. 14. 3. Silverbook Australia, Medical care of older persons in residential aged care facilities. 2006: Tthe Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Reviewed 05 October 2015 Which of the following findings should the nurse expect during percussion?Normal findings on percussion include tympany over the stomach, epigastric area, and upper midline, and dullness over the liver, a full bladder, a pregnant uterus and the left lower quadrant over the sigmoid colon (if the patient is ready to have a bowel movement).
What types of percussion notes can be heard during abdominal assessment?Percussion notes normally heard during the abdominal assessment may include tympany, which should predominate because air in the intestines rises to the surface when the person is supine; hyperresonance, which may be present with gaseous distention; and dullness, which may be found over a distended bladder, adipose ...
Where would the nurse expect to assess tympany when performing percussion on a patient with ascites?In a person with ascites, the flanks will sound dull and the midline should sound tympanic, creating an air-fluid level.
Which of the following is a normal finding in an abdominal assessment?Documentation of a basic, normal abdominal exam should look something along the lines of the following: Abdomen is soft, symmetric, and non-tender without distention. There are no visible lesions or scars. The aorta is midline without bruit or visible pulsation.
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