Lack Of Risk Of A Disease Based On Health Behaviors

More and more people will need care in old age, and if they are disabled. Millions of Americans suffer from a chronic illness, or some kind of disability, and many of these people will have limits in their daily activities. Some people experience

In a geriatric population, they are more likely to accept their symptoms and feel that they don’t want to bother their healthcare providers (Norton,

An area in health disparities that I find to be interesting is the disparities among those who are aging. I selected this particular topic due to my interest in working with the elderly population. My goals are to eventually own my own assisted living and memory care facility. Therefore, I want to make sure that I can provide the best care for my residents and make sure they stay healthy. “Aging adults experience higher risk of chronic disease. In 2012, 60% of older adults managed 2 or more chronic conditions. This is something to be aware about, especially while having my own assisted living and memory care facility to make sure that we are being aware of the symptoms to better the elderly’s health. Some chronic conditions are heart disease, stroke and cancer.

HRQOL includes a multidimensional awareness of one’s physical, social, emotional and mental impact and the perception of his or her actions on health-related goals. HRQOL can be influenced by disease severity, gender, coping strategies, knowledge, and functional and physical impairment.

The first health related concept I would find particularly challenging is memory. Older adults are more likely to present with memory loss, forgetfulness and in some serious cases disorders such as amnesia and dementia than any other lifespan stage. I believe memory issues could impact on a patient’s compliance. An example of this in a

A health theory that applies to the project on SCIs is the social cognitive theory because it “describes a dynamic, ongoing process in which personal factors, environmental factors, and human behavior exert influence upon each other” (National Cancer Institute, pp. 19, 2005). Three main factors of the social cognitive theory that affect the likelihood of a person performing a behavior are self-efficacy, goals, and outcome expectancies (National Cancer Institute, pp. 20, 2005). A goal of this project is to help improve or maintain the self-efficacy of people living with SCIs and their caregivers, leading to them to have a better quality of life. Self-efficacy is defined as confidence in the ability of a person to overcome barriers and take action (National Cancer Institute, pp. 20, 2005). The projected outcomes benefitting the agency and me, stated earlier in this section, can assist patients living with SCIs and their caregivers achieve confidence in performing the expected behavior, which is to utilize the resources that they are provided. This can lead to the improvement of the function of the patient, which implies the benefit of their physical, mental and

Hello, Professor and Classmates! The values exercise that I have chose is facing our values exercise. The disability that I fear for myself is Alzheimer’s Disease. The disease does not have a cure, and over time the symptoms gradually worsen. Alzheimer’s Disease slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and even the ability to carry out the simple tasks. Alzheimer’s is not an elderly person disease the onset can begin as early as your thirties.

Another theory that is helpful for working with the elderly is Merle Mishel’s Uncertainty of Illness. When a client is diagnosed with a chronic illness, it can produce a lot of stress for them and rob them of their peace of mind. Nurses can assist the patient by constructing a personal scenario for the illness which includes; • Why or how the illness began, • How it will progress, • How the patient can recover. • Incorporating the uncertainty is an approach where there is a change in the patient’s and family’s perspective in life, away from an orientation to control and predict toward an acceptance of unpredictability and uncertainty as normal.” Some of the most important parts of this theory are the aspects to which it gives

The HBM indicates that in order for individuals to take action on their health care decision, all six constructs of the model must exist. The first construct perceived susceptibility, is a person’s view on their vulnerability to an illness. The second construct perceived severity, is a person’s outlook on how critical an illness is and whether there are any consequences. The third construct perceived benefits, is a person’s belief of the advantages of taking the steps required to reduce risk or susceptibility. The fourth construct perceived barriers, is a person must accept the advantages of taking the steps required are worth more than the costs. The fifth construct cue to action, a person must be subject to elements that promote action. The

“Perceived severity,” is a patient’s belief on how serious a disease is and how not taking action could be detrimental to their health. If a person views a potential disease as not very harmful, then less preventative action would be taken. For instance, a person who views the flu as being life threatening they will be more inclined to get vaccinated. Older people over 65 years old and immunosuppressed people with autoimmune disorders will be more inclined to take action and get vaccinated to prevent the disease because influenza could be life threatening to them.

addition to this, the older adult population faces also many changes and challenges during health

Powerlessness could also result from altered body images, or numerous losses (Lubkin & Larsen, 2002). An older adult’s self-concept can be affected if he or she feels unable to control an illness or disability or feels unable to perform own care due to the present disorder (Meiner & Luecknotte, 2006). Powerlessness is associated with deteriorating health status and activity limitation. For instance, immobility increases the risk for client to depend on others in activities in daily living (Frank & Patla, 2003). Elderly individuals who feel powerless may lose their independence to family member or health care professionals who make decisions for them. This indicates that a sense of power may provide the elderly person the feelings of control and be able to make their own decisions. The loss or decline in mobility could contribute to feeling of powerlessness. Thus, powerlessness could then influence emotional health and further physical health

In order to find the patients baseline an assessment of functionality is needed for comparison. When assessing a patient it is important to pay attention to the abilities of activities of daily living regularly. An assumption of Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory is that a person’s knowledge of potential health problems is needed for promoting self- care behaviors (Nursingtheory.org, 2013).

The purpose of our health fair event is to educate and encourage older adults to remain active in their daily lives. Physical health is beneficial throughout one’s entire lifespan. Incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine will prevent chronic disease, improves their overall mood, and lowers their chances of injury (Aldwin & Gilmer, 2013, Chapter 5). As we go through the aging process, our bodies require us to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Moderate exercise is favorable for people of all ages. Elderly people living with chronic illnesses can also participate in moderate physical activity. Medical conditions, such as dementia, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure can all be improved by including regular exercise into an individual’s routine (Chronic Illnesses, PowerPoint).

As the life expectancy in the United States rises, the number of elderly in the population has also expanded. These increases have led to the oldest-old (people aged 90 and older) to become the fastest growing age group in the country. The oldest-old face many unique challenges because of their age, one of which is disability. Disability in the elderly has major impact upon society 1 and will continue will be a growing burden in years to come.