Comparative Essay

Comparative Essay
Author's Name
Institution
Introduction
The nursing care plan is a cardinal component of patient management (Lewis et al., 2011). The plan has a holistic focus and is dependent on the judgment of the nurse. In addition, it is a product of intentional, systematic process (Lewis et al., 2011). This paper seeks to compare nursing care of two patients with viral gastroenteritis. Mr. George is 85 years old while Eloise is three years of age. The nursing care elements selected in the present study include monitoring signs and symptoms of hydration and maintaining adequate fluid balance.
Monitoring signs and symptoms of hydration
Dehydration results from abnormal fluid losses from the body that are greater than the amount kidneys can compensate (Davies, 2010). In the monitoring of hydration in Eloise, several aspects are assessed. Mr. George may be able to give a concise history compared to Eloise. Nonetheless, he may hide some aspects from the caregiver. All these may influence the history taken from both patients. The general appearance of Eloise is alert, and she possesses good muscle tone. In the general appearance of George, he is lethargic signifying inappropriate fluid distribution (Bennett, Thomas & Riegel, 2004). The color in George's palm is pale signifying moderate to significant hydration. The palms of Eloise's hands and nail beds are consistent and pink.
George's abdominal skin turgor is slack, and returns to form in 2 to 3 seconds. The skin turgor of Eloise returns to form in one to two seconds. It is imperative to note skin loses its elasticity in elderly patients (Vivanti et al., 2008). This implies that body areas that would normally be assessed in children for skin turgor may not be applicable in the assessment of hydration status in the elderly. Therefore, skin turgor may be assessed over the inner thighs or sternum in Mr. George's case (Vivanti et al., 2008). Additionally, longitudinal furrows may be seen along the tongue. The mucous membrane in both patients is dry and pale. On respiration as a marker of hydration, the respiratory rate of both patients is within the normal limits. Additionally, the pulse rate is also within age limits.
The temperature of both patients is elevated at 37.8 degrees Celsius. For the young one, elevated temperature will lead to more deleterious consequences as opposed to the elderly (Steiner, DeWalt & Byerley, 2004). Due to their large surface are, children with fever are predisposed to loose a lot of heat, accompanied by increased perspiration. Therefore, insensible losses will be more in the child than in the elderly. This must be taken into account during the assessment of hydration in either age-group (Steiner, DeWalt & Byerley, 2004).
Maintaining Adequate Fluid Balance
Both Mr. George and Eloise are at increased risk for dehydration and hypernatremia due to decreased fluid intake and fluid losses (King, 2003). The elderly have increased resistance t...