Older Adults Are More Vulnerable For Health Conditions And Impairments

Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use.

As a person ages, theirs body cannot perform the way it used to. This will cause many elderly people to loose their job or choose to go into retirement. Both of these options cause a loss in health care as well and a reduced or exterminated income. Here alone lies a reason that the elderly population is challenged. The elderly population also has a tendency to develop a chronic illness that can be life threatening if not treated or controlled properly. This means that need for health care treatments also increases. At least 40% of those over age 65 will have nutrition-related health problems requiring treatment or management (Gigante, 2012). It is important to realize that 10% of people over the age of 65 and will develop Alzheimer’s disease and 50% of those over the age of 85 will develop this disease (Gigante, 2012). More elderly African American men and women use government aid than white men and women. Therefore, this population will be vulnerable because of the lack of funding, proper health care and insurance.

The purpose of this paper is to illuminate and discuss healthcare vulnerabilities of the elderly rural population in Baker County, Florida and describe how the nursing profession can address these problems. Rural health has been a complex and multifaceted challenge for government and healthcare practitioners. The elderly who live alone in the county suffer from low socioeconomic status, low health literacy rates, declining cognitive and physical health and lack of healthcare facilities. The health status of this vulnerable group is impacted by rural culture and social values, healthcare policy and funding affecting rural healthcare facilities, distance and lack of transportation, and health literacy.

Aging is an inevitability of life. With age man exchanges the physical prowess of youth for the wisdom that comes through experiencing the trials and triumphs of life. As an individual enters late adulthood, age 65 and older, they experience many physical, emotional and mental changes never previously encountered and which may require an adaptation of their earlier lifestyle. Some of these late adulthood changes are primary and secondary aging, issues regarding health and wellness, family and personal relationships, and the milestone of retirement. Understanding these changes can help late age adults

As older adults age, they start to get exposed to many chronic illness and they have to learn to deal with their illness on daily basis. Chronic illness prevent many older clients from doing the activities they used to perform every day, and it creates anxiety and depression for some clients because they feel less in control of their activities. Clients with chronic illness have to adapt to not being able to perform basic tasks. Most clients with chronic illness use negative cope strategies by smoking or drinking alcohol. My friend’s father Jonathan Smith, was chosen for this interview because learning about his multiple sclerosis (MS) would give me an idea of the challenges he faced every day, and perceive things from his perspective.

As individuals age, the capability to do daily activities declines to some point in every person. Older people have a tendency to have more illnesses and disabilities than younger people. There are various changes that go along with aging and they are more than just changes in health. Social influences an older person 's risk and experience of illness. Physicians frequently conduct a social history to aid them and other associates of the health care team evaluate an individual care, needs and social support. Physicians use the social history to aid the older person and any caregivers to make plans that will enhance their well-being. Some of the questions that physicians ask ranges from family, finances, education, companionship, work history, history of suffering, losses, and coping strengths.

In an order to gain a better understanding how the process of aging affects older adults, I interviewed my neighbor, a sixty-seven year old man. For the purposes of this paper, I will refer to him as Pat. Pat lives with his wife of forty-three years. They currently live in a home in Mounds View, which they have owned for twenty-four years. They receive no home services. He views aging as inevitable. He added that, although there are plenty of negative things that are associated with aging, there are definitely perks that come along with it. He believes that maintaining a healthy lifestyle, carrying a positive attitude, and accepting changes as they come, has helped him adjust to growing old. Pat has been retired for nearly three years. Pat appreciates retirement because he gets to watch his two year old grandson during the week. On the weekends, he gets together with family and friends. He enjoys fishing, hunting, reading, and cheering on his favorite sports teams. Pat has a primary doctor that he has seen for several years. He had a myocardial infarction in 2001, and has since been on two prescribed medications for his heart. In addition, he has arthritis, and has been living with chronic pain for nearly a year. The majority of the pain is in his lower back. He stated that the pain will come and go, but it hurts the most in the morning when he gets out of bed, and when he stands or sits for long periods of time. At the time of the interview, I asked on a scale of 0 through

Research shows that seniors with less education and from lower socioeconomic levels experience more disease, a shorter life expectancy and poorer emotional wellbeing. Additionally, Raina et al. (2000) explains that older men and women health is differentially susceptible to various health determining factors. For example, for older men, education has more effect, income and stress affects older women. The proposition is that health education is necessary to create health awareness and to increase health outcome among the seniors. Rowlands, Protheroe, Winkley, Richardson, Seed & Rudd (2015) study shows that low health literacy is correlated with greater use of medical services, less precautionary care, greater difficulty managing long-term illnesses,

The patient relates that he has been depressed over the last several months as he fears that the dementia stages of Alzheimer's will set in. The patient is active and plays golf three times weekly. Mr. Smith eats most of his meals out rather than preparing them himself. Mr. Smith does not smoke or drink. Mr. Smith has several close friends that he talks to on a daily basis and that he spends time with.

According to Ruoff, (2002); Brown, Kirkpatrick, Swanson & McKenzie, (2011), “Between 80% and 85% of the elderly living in nursing homes suffer from chronic pain disorders” ( As cited in Lombard, et al., 2015, p.1140). OM is a part of this percentage of elderly that has been living in pain for over ten years. In the first section of this paper, this author will be questioning OM about his perception of pain, and in the second part of this paper, personal reflections about the answers received will be given. This author will also do a detailed assessment of OM living condition and educate him on how to prevent fall by keeping his environment safe.

As adults age there are many changes that one may be challenged with. Aging adults begin to face cognitive, physical, and emotional issues that can present a challenge to health care professionals who are providing care. As one enters older adulthood, he or she is faced with potential memory loss. A struggle of forgetfulness can be a daily challenge that comes with aging. Degradation of the body can make everyday tasks increasingly challenging. With this degradation, simple activities such as walking, dressing oneself, eating, and showering can be limiting and difficult. Depression, loneliness, and a sense of

Comparing a well elder and a frail elder provides a better understanding of how the aging process is dependent upon the previously stated environments and contexts. M.R. and V.L. are proof that the individual’s environments and contexts guide the aging process. M.R. is a 90-year-old female who suffers from moderate dementia, type 2 diabetes and a history of falls and requires assistance with most of her ADLs and IADLs. V.L. is also a 90-year-old female; she is healthy aside from minor arthritis and leads a very active life, both physically and socially.

I interviewed a seventy year old female. To maintain her privacy, I will use her initials SH when discussing her health. SH is married and has four grown adult children; currently, lives at home with her spouse. However, children live within five miles of parent’s residence. Prior employment consisted of managing a microfilm department for the county government. Leisure time activities include boating, camping, attending car shows, and spending two months in Florida during the winter months. Faith is important; SH is actively involved in chuch activities through the Ansonia Church of God. Presently, she is able to afford health insurance through Humana, but fears this is about to change.

Yes, I have shared how relevant health is generally, as well as, health in later years. As we age our body goes through many different changes. Therefore, it’s essential to maintain your mental and physical health. The topic of discussion is seeing their primary doctor for regular checkups. I will focus on this topic because they are reluctant to visit their doctor due to receiving dreadful news.

Chronic disease and conditions are usually defined as those diseases which last for more than six months and which have a severe effect on the life of the individuals (Chronic Conditions and Injury, para.1). While chronic diseases can affect people of all ages and demographics, these types of diseases are very often found in the elderly. Chronic disease are also characterized by "…multiple risk factors, long latency periods, a prolonged course of illness and functional impairment or disability" (Key indicators of progress for chronic disease and associated determinants, 2011, p. 1). Chronic disease is also found to be more prevalent in the ageing demographic of most countries.