J Gerontol Nurs
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This pilot study examined whether the occlusion of one ear canal with cerumen affected the usual temperature difference between the ears as measured with an infrared thermometer. Ear-based temperature measurements were made in 14 elderly nursing home residents before and 3 to 4 days after irrigation to clear cerumen from the occluded ear. ⋯ The advantage of removing impacted cerumen before making infrared ear temperature measurements may be offset by the time and inconvenience of the irrigation procedure. Improved hearing may be a more important outcome of cerumen removal, with secondary benefit for temperature measurement.
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1. Gerontological nurses can use accessible and convenient telephone care to provide follow-up services, health counseling, triage and reassurance. 2. Attentiveness to sensory impairments and losses; physical ability; interpersonal factors, culture, and education level is crucial to effective telephone care. 3. Proper documentation is a component of telephone care.
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1. Chronic sorrow is defined as a pervasive sadness that is permanent, periodic, and progressive in nature. 2. Milestones or events which caused the sorrow to recur were major themes in this study. 3. The participants identified what was helpful and not helpful in coping with these feelings, gave practical advice for similar individuals, and offered suggestions for nurses and other caregivers.
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1. If a nurse does not detect delirium in a hospitalized patient, the results can be catastrophic. 2. Nurses need more education regarding the assessment and recognition of the symptoms of delirium. 3. The assessment of delirium should include more than simply questions about orientation, and should include the aspects of sleep-wake disturbances, perceptual and psychomotor manifestations.
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1. Caregiver burden is a three-dimensional concept. ⋯ In the study presented, mental impairment had the most significant negative impact on caregiver burden overall, as well as on each of the three components of burden--regardless of an impaired elder's physical problems. 3. Nursing strategies to improve the care of frail elders and their caregivers include the development and implementation of a sensitive discharge assessment and plan; articulation between the hospital-based and community-based nurses; and assessment of the caregiver-care receiver dyad.