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It is a common trait for individuals to determine their overall health status regardless of their age, sex, race, or religion. Through this behavior, people tend to determine their overall well-being in comparison to other individuals within a given setting. The healthier an individual believes he/she is, the more confident he/she is with life. Through the interviews that I had with Joseph, I managed to determine the rates of his health status from time to time. By critically expounding on this issue, Joseph asserted that at times, this practice is voluntary while at other times, it is involuntary. However, from his self-rated health, Joseph believes that his health condition is excellent for a man of his age and background. This result is essential to him since it gives him a positive attitude towards life. At this age, this type of motivation is essential especially in enhancing the mortality of an individual.
Joseph uses several methods to rate his health. Unlike most individuals of his age, Joseph believes that his health status is excellent since he does not suffer from chronic health complications such as cancer, kidney failure, arthritis, or heart diseases. These health complications are mainly associated with individuals who are above the age of 50 years old. Although he exhibits several depressive symptoms such as lack of financial stability, Joseph has developed control beliefs that motivate him to live a positive life by viewing every day as a gift. This is a trait that Joseph believes many people of his age lack.
As living beings, our bodies undergo physiological changes with time. The nature of these changes is determined by factors such as age, sex, life events, illness, genetic traits of an individual, as well as socioeconomic factors. From the interviews, Joseph admits that he has experienced several changes in his body as he is growing old. From his description, I could classify these changes into two broad categories listed below:
Sensory changes
Structural changes
According to Joseph, the major structural change that he has experienced is the loss of lean body mass. As a result, his energy levels have greatly reduced due to the reduced metabolic rates of his body thus making him feel weak. Consequently, Joseph has stated that he has experienced several changes that have affected his sense of vision and hearing. For instance, it is difficult for him to see objects that are far away from him and to hear low-pitched sounds. These sensory changes have made it difficult for him to conduct normal processes thus making him rely on other individuals, particularly his grandchildren for assistance. To cope with these changes, Joseph has modified his diet by increasing the number of energy foods that he is taking. Consequently, he uses prescribed glasses and hearing aids to enhance his vision and hearing respectively.
From his responses, however, it is evident that the reduction in his vision accuracy has had a great impact on him. Joseph admits that he loved driving his car. This was his primary form of transport as well as the best way of utilizing his leisure time. However, he lost his driving license three years ago after his optician stated that he was not fit to drive. This decision by his doctor and its implementation by the state took away an important part of Joseph’s life. Now, he says that he cannot visit his friends with ease as he used to. This has greatly reduced his quality of life since his levels of interaction and freedom of movement have been reduced. Despite these challenges, however, Joseph asserts that he is not anxious about his future quality of life. The fact that he believes he is in an excellent health condition coupled with the fact that he gets support from his wife, children, and grandchildren gives him the motivation to live even longer.
Levett-Jones’ (2012) provided several steps that should be considered in the process of determining the overall health condition of a patient in order to administer medication/care hence putting the situation under control. The information gathered from the interviews that were conducted on Joseph could be applied using Levett-Jones’ clinical reasoning model to diagnose the possible medical conditions that Joseph might be suffering from and hence develop nursing goals and interventions. From his physical appearance and the information that he revealed regarding his medical history and the symptoms he was exhibiting, I diagnosed Joseph with a metabolic disorder. This diagnosis was mainly supported by the fact that he had an enlarged waistline. An enlarged waistline is considered a major symptom of metabolic disorder. Consequently, the patient complained of reduced energy in his body. The third factor that supported this diagnosis was the age of the patient. This condition mainly affects individuals who are above the age of 50 years. The fact that Joseph was 83 years old increased his possibility of suffering from this condition.
The main goal that was set from this diagnosis was to ensure that Joseph’s health condition is maintained at a stable state. Since further tests were required to determine the severity of this condition, medication could not be administered at this stage. However, the main nursing intervention that I suggested to assist Joseph to develop adaptive changes to his condition was within his diet. As stated earlier, Joseph had modified his diet by increasing the quantity of energy-rich foods to compensate for the energy loss as a result of his lean body mass. From the physical examination that I had conducted, I managed to determine that Joseph had more body fat as compared to lean muscle. Furthermore, his decreased activity that came about because of his age suggested that he required minimal calories in his diet. However, in the process of supplying his body with additional energy, Joseph consumed foods with high-calorie content. If continued, this habit would have detrimental effects on his overall health and result in further complications such as diabetes and coronary heart disease. In this respect, the main purpose of having a dietary intervention was to ensure that Joseph’s diet comprises of foods that are rich in nutrients but have low calorie content. For instance, I suggested that it is wise for him to consume low fat milk as compared to regular milk. Studies have shown that the nutrient content in these two varieties of milk are similar. However, the calorie content in low fat milk is much lower as compared to regular milk hence becoming the best option for Joseph. Consequently, I suggested that much of the calories in Joseph’s diet should originate from the carbohydrates that he consumes. It is a well-known fact that complex carbohydrates put less stress on the body in the process of circulating blood glucose as compared to refined carbohydrates. Therefore, complex carbohydrates are the best given the age of Joseph. Finally, I advised Joseph to consume a fair amount of fiber and fluids. By consuming vegetables, fruits, grains, and cereals, Joseph will avoid complications such as constipation and dehydration hence increasing his overall metabolic process. Through this intervention therefore, Joseph will be able to put his medical condition under control.
Different individuals exhibited different characteristics and responses with regards to aging and adaptation. In this scenario, Joseph, a community dwelling aging individual has exhibited specific characteristics and responses towards aging and adaptation with regards to the environment that he lives in. Some of these responses are similar as compared to the patients who are hospitalized while others are quite different. From my personal perspective, I believe aging individuals might experience relatively similar challenges due to the constitution of the human body. As we age, we tend to develop wrinkles on our skin, become weak, and look our sensory acuity. In our case scenario, the visual and hearing senses of Joseph have been impaired with age. This phenomenon is also quite common with hospitalized patients. Therefore, it is evident that as we get old, our organs and tissues become worn out resulting into such conditions. Therefore, the fact that Joseph’s sense of sight became impaired does not explicitly state that it was as a result of the environment that he lived in but can be concluded that it is as a result of the changes that we experience in our bodies as we age.
However, Joseph exhibited some unique aging and adaptation characteristics that are not common in hospitalized patients. For instance, he had an overall positive attitude towards life. This is quite an astonishing behavior especially by individuals of his age. Most of the people at this age tend to think about death. These thoughts have detrimental effects on their mental stability and overall well-being. From my personal experience, I believe that a hospitalized environment would further destabilized the overall well-being of old patients since they hear and experience people suffering from different types of diseases, some of whom succumb to them. In such a setting, an elderly individual will tend to associate the pain that an ailing patient is undergoing through with his/her own medical condition that he/she is suffering from. However, the situation of Joseph is relatively different. His wife and life partner is alive. Furthermore, Joseph gets a lot of affection, love, and support from his children and grandchildren. From a critical perspective, it is evident that Joseph is proud of his life and the fact that he has left behind a legacy. It is as a result of this fact that he is looking forward to seeing a new generation of his great grandchildren. This will further increase his will to live. I therefore believe that a community environment is much better for aging and developing adaptive traits to the changes that will be experienced as compared to a hospital environment due to the increased positive interaction from different individuals who support old people through the aging process.
Reference
Levett-Jones, T. (2012). Clinical reasoning: Learning to think like a nurse. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Australia.
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