Health Assessment of an Older Adult: Cardiac Arrests - Essay Example

"Health Assessment of an Older Adult: Cardiac Arrests" is a decent example of a paper on the cardiovascular system.
Patient name: Mathew Peterson

Age: 61 years

Gender: Male

Birthplace: California

Marital status: Married

Religion: Protestant

Situation

The patient has been having cardiac arrests persistently for the last 15 years. The arrests occur once every two years. The condition is relived at a local clinic by the administration of immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and various medication that include beta-blockers. Further medication includes ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers such as Cordarone.

Medical Background

Although the patient has experienced the condition for a long time, he has not taken any medication regarding the condition. He is also not under any medication. The patient is medicated for a short while after a cardiac arrest.

Family

The family has had various cases of cardiac arrests. In fact, the patient’s father died of cardiac arrest and also the uncle. This implies that cardiac arrest is common in the family.

Nutrition and metabolic pattern

Food and fluids intake

A typical daily meal includes bread and tea, meat, vegetables, and rice. The patient consumes at least 3 liters of water, soda, and milk.

Weight

The patient has maintained a steady weight of 72 kilograms.  This is a healthy weight for his age.
Appetite

The patient has no eating problems and thus no appetite-related problems.
Skin problems

The patient’s skin is smooth and oily. It shows no signs of cracking or abrasion.
Dental problems

 The patient has removed 2 molars through canal operation. The teeth were removed due to tooth decay. The remaining teeth are healthy.

Elimination pattern

Bowel elimination pattern

The patient has no elimination problems

Urinary elimination pattern

The patient states that the rate of urinations has increased over the last 5 years.

The patent reports no problem with the digestive system, no constipation problems, and also perspires as required.

Activity and exercise

The patient does not practice or engage in any exercises. He likes reading newspapers and inspirational books the whole day. He also enjoys cooking for his grandchildren.

Cognitive and perception pattern

The patient does not have any cognitive problems. He can sense pain and pleasure. Despite his old age, he is also capable of making his own decisions.

Sleep and rest

The patient is retired and thus seeps an average of 9 hours daily. Sleep and rest form the biggest part of his life. He claims that his sleep is often cut short by an increased heartbeat that lasts for about 2 hours or until he takes medication.

Self-perception

The patient sees himself as successful and healthy. He likes his appearance and condition. He is struggling to know the cause of his problem so that he can deal with it.  He is a jovial person who smiles all the time in the period of examination.

Role relationship

He is married and has 3 children and four grandchildren. The patient dedicates all his time to family and stays at home with his wife. He has not undergone relation changes.

Sexuality

The patient was reluctant to disclose his sexual details due to his advanced age. However, there is a general perception that he has a productive sex life.

Religion and culture

The patient is a Christian and believes in bible teachings. He follows the teachings of the religion about health, family, and community relations.

Coping pattern

The patient visits health centers for checkups. However, the solution is usually temporary and meant to resuscitate him in case of an arrest. He gets his inspiration from reading the Bible and prayers, being a staunch Christian.   

Assessment

From the situation, it is clear that the patient is ignorant of his condition and also the health center where he receives treatment.  The patient has a don’t-care attitude towards his condition and is concerned about it when cardiac arrest strikes.

Recommendation

The medic can use the Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to monitor the heart rhythms of the patient and inform on any case of abnormal rhythms (Kadish & Mehra, 2007). This would help enable quick action in case the situation deteriorates.

The patient must also engage in exercises to boost his physical fitness. Exercises on Cardiovascular muscles to enhance flexibility and increases the ability of the heart to survive cardiac arrests.

Health promotion measures should target patients with cardiovascular problems to arm them with information on how to preserve their health and avert possible attacks. Health promotion should be targeted to show the patient the importance of constant monitoring of the heart situation.