Primary Care Assessment of Older Adults with Self-Care Challenges

ABSTRACTBecause of the rapid rate at which the US population is aging, there is justifiable concern that the prevalence of self-neglect will become so significant that a preventive strategy will have to be used. Nurse practitioners recognize failing self-care when they see an individual's personal or environmental care deteriorating or when this individual is not adhering to a recommended medical regimen. For assessment purposes, differentiating treatable from nontreatable conditions associated with older adult self-neglect is needed. However, the goals of care in all older persons whose self-care is failing are the same—optimizing the health and well-being of the person through use of available financial and social resources.