Reaction Paper to Case Study and Life Review

Aging is a summary term of complex biological processes that occurs over the course of life. As an individual age’s, they experience a cognitive, functional and social decline that affects their activities of daily living and general health. As a result of these changes, the older population becomes more susceptible to a variety of illnesses. However, nurses can lessen the severity of these aging related illnesses by teaching and providing the best care for their clients in order to decrease the number of elders that suffer from these diseases through a variety of interventions and strategies. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the nurses’ role in promoting healthy aging in the older population, by addressing a significant issue that impairs the health of many older Canadian adults.

Many elderly and their family cannot determine what are normal aging and what are not; therefore, educating them is the key role for nurses to promote safety and health for older adults. Not only assessing physical changes but also mental health assessment is important because those age-related physical changes may cause depression in older adults, which leads to other problems like “difficulty with sleeping,

Much of this timing is based on genetics, lifestyle, and access to health care. In general, people have learned stereotypes regarding the elderly. Some of these stereotypes are accurate, but they do not pertain to all the elderly population. Health care providers have come to expect changes in the elderly. However, it is important not to make assumptions, and to use assessment tools to identify changes the elderly may have encountered. Some of the areas the clinician may expect to find changes include: mobility, ambulation, nutritional intake, continence, and skin changes (Tabloski, 2014). The result of these changes includes a multitude of challenges for the elderly. It is important for the clinician to obtain an accurate functional and psychological assessment of the geriatric patient prior to deciding a plan of

According to Statistics Canada, aging population has steadily increased since the mid-1960. The age of 65 and older comprised 15.7% of the country’s population. Promoting health in these aging population is very crucial to minimise the severity of health complications that might occur in the long run. Gerontological Nursing involves the care of aging people and emphasize the promotion of the highest possible quality of life and wellness throughout the lifespan (Eliopoulos, c2014 p73). Aging people need Gerontological Nurses who are knowledgeable and willing to promote health and optimum quality of life with the consideration of their core needs such as physiological balance, connection and gratification (Eliopoulos, c2014 p78).

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.

Overall, the interview was accomplished with few complications. There was definitely areas of the interview that need attending to, and there were areas in which I excelled. The dyadic interview started with an opening statement. I attempted to make Person A feel comfortable by asking a simple question of “How are you today?” I believe I made Person A feel as comfortable as possible in front of a camera and build a rapport. I could have asked one or two more easy questions to lighten the mood. I was nervous being in front of a camera especially for an assignment worth a large portion of my grade. When I’m nervous I sometimes bite my lip and unfortunately throughout the interview I chewed my lip. This could have made Person A feel awkward if she took it in uncomfortable way. The listening aspect of the interview I believe I did very well in. I gave attention to what Person A was saying and tried to ask questions that allowed her to elaborate, although there were a few instances that I missed the opportunity. I also tried to write some notes down

Aging is a gradual, continuous process of natural change which begin to decline many bodily functions. These changes increase the risk of developing health-related problems within the older adults. The fulmer SPICES is a tool for assessing older populations that focuses on six main conditions which include sleep disorders, problems with eating or feeding, incontinence, confusion, evidence of falls, and skin breakdown. Upon interview/exam if the patient has no problems noted on chart then score will be zero, if patient problem noted on chart and history of problem then score will be 1 and lastly if the problem is found on the day of assessment either in chart or on exam then score will be 2 on the assessment tool (Fulmer, 2007). This assessment used to plan, promote, and maintain optimal function in elderly adults. Also, the SPICES assessment is done regularly that can signal for the need for specific assessment and interventions for these conditions (Fulmer, 2007). This assessment can be used for both healthy and frail older

Reminiscing to 2010, when I was faced with my grandmother 's illness during the adolescent years in my life I knew that I had a passion to care for the elderly (aging) population. From this passion, it ignited a fire so strong that I pursue my certified nursing assistant certification to gain a better understanding of working with the elderly population. By doing so, it has been a great benefit to my life; aging is an inevitable experience that we all will go through during our life. It is important to ensure that our elderly individuals are still able to enjoy the best quality of life after retirement. However, as we age, there will be a lifestyle change that the aging population must encounter.

Recognition, evaluation and treatment of this population requires interdisciplinary approach. The interdisciplinary approach collaborate with various groups to provide adequate resources to the vulnerable population. The internal and external factors impact health status of older adults and contributes to vulnerability risk. The internal factor occur due to physiological changes such as increasing age, gender, sensory impairment, memory impairment, substance abuse along with medical co morbidities, malnutrition, decrease in performance of activity of daily living or dependency on care giver or

With the population of adults 65 and over steadily climbing, medical professionals and the healthcare system are struggling to keep up. One major issue concerning the healthcare system is that it is not set up properly provide care for these older adults. The physicians today, who regularly see patients, focus mainly has been; diagnose—usually in a 15-20 minute office visit, treat, and cure. Many of these senior citizens have multiple chronic illnesses or diseases, which require time to manage and treat. The problem is that they may not be able to explain what the real problem to a doctor in that time.

A change in pain processing, eliciting tonic sympathetic activation,35 has been proposed as one etiology. Stress, food sensitivities, and allergies have been implicated but never proven. In summary, IBS patients appear to have increasing pain sensitivity to gut distension.14 It is a functional GI disorder without a particular pathologic finding. Common symptoms are altered bowel habits, abdominal cramping, and bloating. IBS can significantly decrease a patient’s quality of life and should be treated in a multimodal

When I first began the interview, I felt like I was skilled in my introduction, but I mistakenly went straight to asking about the issue before talking to Julia about confidentiality. I started over and felt

Even though IBS has, no known cause physicians believe that IBS may be intensified by certain internal and external

JR complained of irregular bowel movements and abdominal discomfort and bloating, this is relieved with a change in bowel movement. Based on the symptoms, the client could possibly be suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome1. A study shows that, IBS is not a disease with structural or an organic cause, but rather a functional disorder without any cure, though symptoms can be alleviated with dietary modifications and lifestyle changes. However, the best method to help the client is to eliminate foods that intensify her symptoms. The recommended foods that ought to be limited to aid relief, IBS symptoms are: 2

Health assessment is important for both the patient and the nurse as it helps draw the baseline of the healthcare that the patient is to receive (Jeanfreau et al., 2010). The aim of this assessment piece is gain an understanding on the purpose of health assessment in a healthcare setting and how, depending on the age of a client, it will be conducted differently. In this essay, the following will be included, definition of the term, health assessment, a brief description on the major components of a health assessment; the purpose of a health assessment from a nursing perspective; and a discussion on how a health assessment might be conducted differently for a child in a community setting (i.e., General practice or “well-baby” clinic) and an elderly person in an aged care facility.