1745:
71-year-old male Cantonese-only speaking client was found to have fallen in front of his apartment by his neighbor. The neighbor reports the client lives alone. The client has been uncooperative with care throughout the ambulance ride to the ED. He has declined to answer any subjective questions from the EMT.
1815:
The client arrived at the ED appearing flat and quiet. A Cantonese-speaking interpreter is used for communication, but the client is uncooperative and declines to answer any subjective questions. Physical assessment reveals multiple contusions along both of the client’s forearms. There is also skin irritation on both of the client’s inner thighs and bleeding on the client’s left knee. Client’s vital signs per EMT are T 98.3oF (36.8oC), P 140, RR 22, BP 150/82, pulse oximetry reading 95% on room air.
1930:
The client is moaning with distorted facial expressions. He is rubbing his left knee and left forearm. Further assessments reveal rigidity and decreased range of motion of the left arm.
2045:
| Body System | Findings |
| Neurological | Client is alert and cooperative with care. He has a flat affect. He is oriented to person, place, and time. Intact recent and remote memory. Thought processes are coherent. Judgment and insight are good. |
| Pulmonary | He has an intermittent dry cough. Shortness of breath is observed with exertion only. He has diminished lung sounds in bilateral lower lobes but clear to auscultation in all other lobes. Thorax is symmetric with good excursion. No wheezing, stridor, rhonchi, or rales noted. |
| Endocrine | Not assessed |
| Psychosocial | Client reports having been alone at home the past week since wife died 2 weeks ago. His only son moved to a new house a 3-hour drive away from him last year for work and is frequently on overseas business trips. Client declines the need for a home caregiver but states he is newly diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme and now advised to not drive. He tripped and fell this morning after retrieving a newspaper in the front yard. |
For each of the client’s factors below, determine if they are a stressor that impacts family functioning, or a barrier to healthcare access, or both.