Health assessment and health promotion for the older adult - Essay Example

?Running head: Caring for the elderly Health assessment and health promotion for the older adult Insert Insert Grade Insert February 14, 2012 Health assessment and health promotion for the older adult 1. Introduction A human being undergoes different developmental stages in life with a combination of various factors affecting growth at these stages. The different events that occur throughout the life of an individual may have temporary or permanent effects on his/her life and force him to adjust and transition into the next level. The health care interventions will also be varied depending on the developmental stage of the individual. This paper is based on the last developmental stage, that of older adults (or the elderly) aged 65 years and above. The paper holds that various mental health problems are likely to be faced at the late adulthood stage. It derives relevant information from researches that provide a comparison to what has been encountered in the case study. Dementia, one of the mental disorders common among the elderly, is examined with a focus on appropriate health care practices that can be adopted in caring for the patient. 2. The case study The case study involves an elderly widow, Mrs. G aged 88 years and living with her daughter. The daughter is also a single mother of three children aged 2 to 10 years. The family lives in a 3-bedroomed house in a very busy street. Mrs. G’s daughter is employed, working 12 hours daily for six day a week. The elderly woman has dementia and impaired vision. She also suffers back curvature and occasional gait. She has difficulty in swallowing, decreased appetite, and loss of weight. The widow keeps talking about her late husband who died approximately five years ago. 3. Changes experienced at old age Old adult age falls in Erikson’s psychosocial stage 8, a stage that is mainly characterized by back reflection in life. The developmental stage involves a feeling of despair and bitterness for those who have been unsuccessful and feelings of integrity for those who have successful life accomplishments (Cherry, 2012, p.3). Individuals experience various physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes as they transition into older adult stage. Mental inability is a common condition at this stage of development and its roots are often traced from the changes in the brain that occur at earlier stages (O’Brien, 2012). The individuals lose concentration and their attention can be attracted to very petty events. According to Dr. Cheryl Grady, a senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, there is a significant difference between the concentration abilities in old and young people and the difference can be explained by some brain mechanism (O’Brien, 2012). The biological/physiological changes experienced in the body explain the other physical changes like visual and hearing impairment. These conditions are observed in the case study. Much of these physical and psychosocial changes have been observed in the elderly widow. She suffers from dementia. Mrs. G is also visually impaired and suffers back curvature and gait. She is highly distracted by the memories of her late husband. 4. Health promotion and prevention for the old adults Health assessment is necessary in the prevention of occurrence or further complications of health problems, especially for the old adults with chronic illnesses. Caring for these elderly people requires an understanding of the characteristic symptoms of mental disorders like dementia. To identify dementia, the care providers need to observe the cognitive impairment in these individuals including noncompliance and inability to follow certain directions. One of the key symptoms of this disorder is inability to think properly and carry out daily routines like eating, bathing, or dressing. They may also experience personality loss and inability to control their emotions. This condition may be managed to some extent through drugs, which do not treat the mental disorder, but slows it down and improves the symptoms. It is important to have shared decision-making in cases involving uncertainty as to the outcomes of a given medical intervention. The principles of nursing define the quality of care that can be provided to the elderly people. Caring for the sick involves helping these people perform activities that can help restore their health or enable them to die peacefully. This role extends to ailing elderly people. Individuals become incapacitated at old age and they are not able to perform some of the tasks. They should be assisted to regain their independence if possible. 5. The family and care for the elderly The family plays a very critical role in providing care for the elderly. Firstly, the family defines the environment for care for them. Secondly, they are responsible for coordinating for visits of physicians or other therapists and attending these visits (Dilworth-Anderson & Palmer, 2011, p.44). They have to be part of the decision-making process concerning the health of the elderly. The family is also responsible for the hands-on care of the elderly including financial support and other living tasks (Dilworth-Anderson & Palmer, 2011, p.44). The elderly need a special diet that can enable them to improve on the physiological and biological malfunctions associated with this stage of life. Several factors will affect the role played by a family in caring for the elderly, and the family’s effectiveness in performing the roles. The family attributes like composition, relationship with the elderly, family resources, and other competing tasks like employment and childcare are some of the factors (Dilworth-Anderson & Palmer, 2011, p.43). The complexity and nature of health needs of the care receiver will also affect the quality of care given to the elderly. 6. Difficulties in health promotion for adults The provision of healthcare for the older people has a number of challenges to the families. Old age comes with several complications. The individuals aged 65 years, or more, are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses than the younger adults are. The above case illustrates the difficulties that are often faced in health promotion and prevention among the elderly. The young woman has no time and resources to provide good care for her ageing mother. The case study correlates to the other findings in relation to the health complications at old age. It has been noted that the prevalence of dementia in adults increases from 5% at the age of 65 years to 40% at the age of 80 years and above (Richardson, 2006).The 88 year old has been diagnosed with dementia, a condition resulting from some disorders that affect the brain. 7. Conclusion It is necessary to have health assessment, promotion, and prevention on the ailing and ageing adults to enable them recover or die peacefully. However, providing this care is one of the challenges in the current practice of nursing. This is largely attributed to the complications in the care receivers and the socio-economic difficulties facing the care providers. In the case study, Mrs. G’s daughter is not able to provide quality care to her mother due to a number of reasons. She is employed and she goes to work throughout the day for six days. It is quite difficult to coordinate with a clinician and attend the visits. Besides, she has to provide childcare to her young children, the eldest being aged 10. It is also likely that there is scarcity of family resources to ensure quality services to the elderly widow. The daughter is a single mother of three. This implies that a big burden rests on her of providing for her children. The family is clearly not positioned well enough to care for the ageing mother. References Cherry, K. (2012). Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development: Psychosocial Development in Young Adulthood, Middle Age, and Old Age. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial_3.htm. Dilworth-Anderson, P. & Palmer, M. (2011). Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Volume 31, 2011: Pathways Through The Transitions of Care for Older Adults. New York: Springer Publishing Company. O’Brien, S. (2012). Why Older Adults Experience Poor Concentration: Study finds that the brain changes in middle age. Retrieved from http://seniorliving.about.com/od/keepyourmindshar1/a/concentration.htm. Read More