Running head: CASE STUDY TEN

Case Study Ten
Julia McGraw
Lakeview College of Nursing
N-309 Nursing of the Gerontological Client
July 24, 2011

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Case Study Ten
     Jake has end-stage dementia.  This would cause him to not be functioning very well mentally.  The case study also mentioned that he is unable to carry on a meaningful conversation. (Mauk, 2010)
     He is not going to be getting any better, just continually declining. He is also no longer able to enjoy life or function on his own.  Also, his body is starting to shut down. (Mauk, 2010)
     I would tell the daughter that the feeding tube would not be of much help to her father.  They are usually used when there is a chance that the person may recover from a disease or illness.  Since her father will not be getting better, the use of a g-tube could just make things worse for her father.  The g-tube could very well cause a fluid overload in his body.  This could lead to further congestion in his lungs, as well as, other systems. (Mauk, 2010)
     A social worker or chaplain could talk with the son about his reasoning for his father needing the feeding tube.  They could talk to him about his concerns and his coping skills. (Mauk, 2010)
     His pain and shortness of breath could be relieved by giving him a low dose opioid drug (Lehne, 2010).  His dyspnea may also be relieved by giving him oxygen.  The crackles in his lungs could be relieved by limiting his amount of fluids.  This could be done by lessening the amount of IV fluids he receives. (Mauk, 2010)

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References
Lehne, R. A. (2010). Pharmacology for nursing care (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier
Mauk, K. L. (Ed.). (2010). Gerontological nursing: Competencies for care (2nd ed.). 
     Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.