The older adult I interviewed for this assignment was my mother, Marie Baldwin. She is 65 years old and is in good health. She works out consistently, eats a well balanced diet, and goes to the doctor regularly. She has high cholesterol, which is largely due to genetics. She does not take medication for it; rather, she controls it through her diet. My mom had breast cancer six years ago and underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy. The cancer is in now in remission and she made a full recovery. She does have chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy in her hands, legs, and feet, so she experiences pain, tingling, and numbness, which she manages with pain medication. Other than breast cancer, she has not had any other major health concerns. She has been retired for five years and lives a fairly relaxed lifestyle. She wears glasses for reading and has lost some of her hearing. My mom has a herniated disc in her lower back, and does daily exercises she learned from doing physical therapy to keep it from flaring up. She does cardio and weight training a few days a week and stretches for her back.
Health Issues Good health allows many aging adults to live a life of independence, productivity, and security. Unfortunately, most of this population will experience health or safety challenges due to chronic illnesses and mental health issues that can greatly affect their quality of life. The leading causes of death in people over the age of 65 are heart disease, cancer, and chronic
More people are living much longer lives than in years past. People are very surprised to be living much longer lives than they thought they would. Health care has played a large part in patient longevity. There are many normal changes that come along with aging, however, because people are living longer these normal changes can become chronic problems. Common aging problems that can make the older adult a vulnerable population are reviewed in Gerontological Nursing (Tabloski, 2014) and can include nutritional needs, medication management, sleep changes, oral or mouth care, renal problems and musculoskeletal concerns. According to A Profile of Older Americans: 2013 (http://www.hhs.gov), there are a large amount
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.
There are no symptoms at the early stages of breast cancer which makes early detection even more difficult. When tumors become large there is an obvious breast mass which is mostly not painful. Symptoms of breast cancer include breast thickening, skin irritation, tenderness, swelling, breast scales, distortion, redness tenderness, nipple retraction and ulceration, There may also be abnormal discharge.
The elderly population is growing with 35 million people who are age 65 years or older and half are between the ages of 65 to 74 and the other half are over the age of 75. The population age 85 years or older are the fastest growing population (Dubow, 2017). In 1991 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that 8 out of 10 people over the age of 60 had one or more chronic diseases or impairments which included arthritis, hypertension, hearing impairment, heart disease, cataracts, deformity or orthopedic impairment, chronic sinusitis,
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 a person grows into their seventies and eighties, they are not only rewarded with extra candles on their cake, but a plethora of medical issues: arthritis, cancer, respiratory disease, osteoporosis. Each and every day there are more people that fall into this age bracket due to the vast amount of babies that were born from the late 1940’s to the early 1960’s (otherwise known as the baby boom).
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.
What are the two most dominant health problems that elderly people are faced with today? The answer to this question can be very complex rather than simplistic. Every human body is influenced by a variety of health elements and plays a significant role in how one’s body functions on a day to day basis. Some people are more prone to be diagnosed with certain health conditions than others due to genetic factors, or some human beings are exposed to intoxications that predetermine one’s health. Shockingly, within the older generation those health problems are not the most common health issues of the elderly population. Interestingly, the two most common illnesses that the elderly face within today’s society are dementia and hip fractures. So,
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.
Breast Cancer affects one in eight of American women, and is the second most common cause of cancer death in America. I chose to write my term paper on breast cancer because it is a disease that has effected some members of my family. Due to this possibly inherited condition, I felt that researching the topic would help me learn ways to prevent the disease and educate myself to perform self-exams that may result in early detection.
As people grow older, they develop dental problems which lead to nutritional intake issues. Cognitive function declines affecting memory, decision making, conversing, and problem solving. In addition, falls can occur with mental status disturbances. Lack of social interaction, depression, and anxiety also crop up in the elderly. Sleep patterns are altered by restless legs, snoring, and disrupted breathing sequences. At times, pain can be constant from arthritis, osteoarthritis, or other medical issues (Tabloski, 2014).
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, it accounts for one of every three diagnoses in the United States. Breast cancers are malignancies, life threatening tumors that develops in one or both breasts.
The soaring gerontological population across the world demands attention from health care professionals to optimize health and quality of life. Over the years, various screening tools have been developed to screen for multifactorial facets of health. These tools will aid an older adult to augment health concerns. To view perspectives through the lens of an older adult, health care professionals must delve into a personal level in the world of old age. The purpose of this paper is to provide information based upon an interview with a senior over the age of 70, determine strengths and weaknesses, outline personal needs and family needs, analyze and provide interpretations of an assortment of assessments, deliver nursing diagnoses, problems, and interventions, and validate interventions. A nurse must provide specialized care with the gerontological client.
There are many physical needs for the elderly that have to be taken care of.
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.