Nurse’s Role in Caring of Elderly with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Keywords:
nurse’s role, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, elderlyAbstract
Normal-pressure hydrocephalus--NPH in the elderly is caused by abnormal absorption of cerebrospinal fluid. As a result, the ventricles of the brain become enlarged. Elderly people often have difficulty with balance, walking with short and slow strides, walking without raising their feet, walking with separate legs, worsening memory, and urinary incontinence. If a patient’s treatment is delayed, resulting in increased intracranial pressure, this is dangerous to the brain, causing intellectual disability and cognitive impairment. This disease is diagnosed using historical data and a physical examination. The patient’s treatment is a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. In order to help make this surgery effective, nurses must have a clear role in caring for patients. The care plan is divided into four stages, which are as follows: (1) the preoperative stage; (2) the postoperative stage; (3) the postoperative recovery period; and (4) being discharged from the hospital. The target goal of care is to prevent increased intracranial pressure and more brain tissue damage. Therefore, the role of the nurse should include an appropriate assessment and planning of nursing care as well as giving advice to caregivers in order to reduce their anxiety and help patients who have undergone surgery with a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt recover quickly and be able to live a normal life.
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