Watch: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/showsasylums/

Eventually, a majority of mentally ill inmates are released back into the community, generally with a limited amount of medication, little preparation, and sometimes no family or support structure. “We release people with two weeks’ worth of medication. Yet it appears that it’s taking three months for people to actually get an appointment in the community to continue their services…and if they don’t have the energy and/or the insight to do that, they’re going to fall through the cracks and end up back in some kind of criminal activity,” warns Deborah Nixon-Hughes, mental health bureau chief, Ohio Department of Corrections.

What can be done to help the mentally ill stay out of the criminal justice system since the resources are limited for them upon release?

Sample Solution

Consider a situation in which an adult-gerontology or acute complex chronic patient exhibits symptoms of cardiovascular abnormalities related to perioperative risk factors. You may not select a condition or disorder that has already been profiled. Respond to the following and support your summary and recommendations plan with a minimum of two APRN-approved scholarly resources.

Summarize and discuss the clinical characteristics of the condition you have selected and identify the appropriate laboratory, imaging, and other diagnostic and screening tools that apply.
Explain why you selected these tests or tools as being appropriate to the scenario.

Sample Solution

An elderly couple, of Mexican heritage, is discussing their care needs at a skilled nursing facility. As the team members discuss the couple’s needs they notice the couple is not making or maintain eye contact and that they are always looking down. One of the team members asks the couple if there is something wrong or if they are not understanding all that is being discussed. Why might this couple not be initiating or maintaining eye contact? How might you have handled this situation differently?

Sample Solution

You are discharging a patient of Chinese heritage. You begin to ask all the pertinent discharge questions and notice that their answer to every question is “yes”. What might be your assumption? How could you better assess, in a culturally competent manner, this individual’s comprehension of the very critical discharge plans?

Sample Solution