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Introduction
I had an opportunity to interview an unusual person living in the neighborhood. I would call him Mr. W to protect his privacy. I have seen him a couple of times in a local grocery store and I would never think he was older than 50. Thus, when a neighbor told me Mr. W was 73, I have decided he was a perfect person to conduct this interview.
Patient’s Background and Family
Thus, Mr. W is a 73-year-old White American. He is proud to tell that his grandfather had Native American roots, but there are no legal proofs of this fact. He is active for his age and looks much younger. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and was working at his father’s little family hotel since he was ten. Already as a college student, he met his future wife at the ski resort and moved to her native town three months later. Mr. W had to change the college, but he continued his education and became a construction engineer. The young people got married when Mr. W was 24 and his wife was 22 years old. They had lived happily since then until Mrs. W died six years ago. They have three children, two sons, and a daughter. At present, Mr. W lives with the family of his elder son in their family house which he constructed and build at the beginning of his family life. He has six grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
While Mr. W retired from his job, he is an active community member. Once a week he visits local schools as a volunteer and holds workshops on elementary construction engineering for students. He is also a member of a community reading club. They gather every Saturday and read-aloud because most of the members are elderly people whose vision is getting worse and they cannot read by themselves. The garden around the house is his responsibility as well. He laughs that he is not strong enough to do everything by himself, but he does the planning and finds workers to follow his instructions. Some of the recent improvements in the garden include a small waterfall and a house on a tree for his grandchildren. He claims that this house was the most creative and important project in his life because it makes his dearest people happy. One of his new gardening hobbies is growing roses. He already has about thirty species and is waiting for spring to plant some new ones.
Age-Related Health Changes
Although Mr. W lock’s young for his age and is active, his health is touched by common age-related changes. They are normal for his age but influence the quality of life. Similar to many people of his age, he has hypertension. It was diagnosed at the age of 56. However, he manages it successfully. During some years, he was observing knee pain which is also one of the common syndromes for the elderly (Nagaratnam, Nagaratnam, & Cheuk, 2016). However, after he has lost some weight, the knees hurt less.
His vision is not perfect as well. At the age of 62, a cataract was diagnosed. Nevertheless, Mr. W was operated and at present, his only eye problem is age-related farsightedness which is corrected with the help of glasses. His hearing is not changed and he is proud of it. The man is in a clear mind. He regularly visits his physician for an examination and there are no signs of mental disorders. Despite cognitive change which is normal for the process of aging, Mr. W did not lose any cognitive abilities. For example, elderly people frequently complain of memory problems, a decrease in vocabulary, or weaker conceptual reasoning (Harada, Natelson Love, & Triebel, 2013). He is sure that he still has a good memory because he has always cared for enough sleep. Nevertheless, the research does not prove any strong correlations between sleep and cognitive ability including memory in older adults (Scullin & Bliwise, 2015).
Chronic Diseases
Apart from age-related health problems, the patient has to deal with some chronic diseases. First of all, he has lived with hypertension for about 17 years. He was a little overweight at the time of the diagnosis and he followed the advice to change his lifestyle. He did not want to depend on the disease, so he changed his diet and followed the prescriptions for medical treatment. It was a correct decision because hypertension is one of the risk factors for more serious heart problems such as heart failure, stroke, and coronary heart disease (Zyoud et al., 2013). Moreover, the research proves that treatment adherence can positively influence health-related quality of life.
Another chronic disease that Mr. W has to cope with is type 2 diabetes. He first heard this diagnosis when he was 54. Now he states that it was a turning point in his life and a stimulus to make changes in his way of life. He realized that overweight and lack of exercise can make the situation even worse. Consequently, he had studied the disease with obstinacy typical of his engineering mind and developed a personal change plan which had to be completed together with the treatment plan provided by a doctor. His plan was simple and included a sugar-free diet and more activity. This approach proved to be effective because since the time diabetes was diagnosed, Mr. W has had only one case of the disease complication after his wife’s death when he was too upset to take care of himself. I believe he has a good doctor because the treatment plan and lifestyle change are similar to those reviewed in the research about the decrease of diabetes risk (Lindström et al., 2013). The results of this research proved that dietary and physical activity interventions result in a decrease in diabetes incidence. Moreover, the researchers conclude that “lifestyle intervention lasting for a median of 4 years can result in long-term protection against type 2 diabetes” (Lindström et al., 2013, p. 290).
Lifestyle Peculiarities
The lifestyle of Mr. W is conditioned by his chronic diseases and age-related health changes. Thus, he has to wear glasses, but this necessity does not influence his quality of life. The most important changes are related to hypertension and diabetes. First of all, Mr. W has to control his food. His diet should not include sugar and fats. Moreover, it is important to monitor blood pressure and blood glucose level. These procedures can be tiresome for older adults. However, Mr. W is proud to use modern technologies to support his health. Thus, both blood glucose monitor and ergometer are synchronized with his smartphone and allow him to see the dynamics of these important parameters. Also, the application gives a signal when blood pressure or glucose level show increase. Another application helps Mr. W to control his medications. He takes courses of medication for hypertension and diabetes on a regular basis. Finally, his life is full of activities. From an overweight engineer sitting in his chair, he became an active old man who values motion. He laughs that he is probably the most famous old man in the neighborhood because he is always on the move.
Health Care Attitudes
Mr. W is a man with a modern view of health care. Unlike many older adults who prefer not to complain or apply alternative treatments, Mr. W is a regular visitor to his physician. He shared that when he was young, he did not pay much attention to health and now he regrets it. Probably, healthier lifestyles could have prevented some undesirable health outcomes he had to face. Thus, apart from constant monitoring of his chronic conditions, he appears for an examination twice a year. Also, he regularly takes vitamins and microelements to support his organism. However, Mr. W is sure that healthy food and enough movement result in his good feeling.
Although he lives with the family of his older son and is still able to provide effective self-care, he does not refuse aid from the community nurses. It is a clever decision because nurses can be helpful not only in hospitals. The research proves that community nurses can influence the attitude towards older adults, infirm elderly people about the peculiarities of their diseases and the ways of treatment, contribute to treatment compliance and empower collaboration between a patient and a healthcare facility to provide better patient outcomes (Holm & Severinsson, 2014).
Conclusion
On the whole, the interview was very positive. Mr. W is a person who can serve as an example for people who suffer from chronic conditions and feel depressed. His active position can make even younger men feel envious. He demonstrates sound thinking and a rational approach to health. The man takes care of himself and manages his diseases well. He boasts that the doctors say he could live to be 100 years old with his current lifestyle. Another thing I should also mention is the support of his family. Certainly, Mr. W does much to stay active and feel well with all his conditions. However, family support is often decisive for older adults. It is crucial to feeling needed and important for every person and for older adults in particular.
Mr. W satisfies this need in his family and in community activities. Everything he does for his grandchildren or school students makes him feel younger and happier because he can be useful and interesting. This psychological component is not less significant than the general health condition of an older adult and should be considered during the development of a treatment plan. Finally, the work of healthcare facilities should not be left aside. Doctors and nurses managed to find an individual approach to their patients, develop effective treatment plans, and provide efficient patient education interventions that led to the desired results. Effective treatment together with changing lifestyles and family support led to a satisfactory result. The man successfully manages his conditions, demonstrates treatment compliance, and is a good example for other patients.
References
Harada, C., Natelson Love, M., & Triebel, K. (2013). Normal cognitive aging. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 29(4), 737-752. Web.
Holm, A., & Severinsson, E. (2014). Effective nursing leadership of older persons in the community – A systematic review.Journal of Nursing Management, 22(2), 211-224. Web.
Lindström, J., Peltonen, M., Eriksson, J., Ilanne-Parikka, P., Aunola, S., Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi, S. … Tuomilehto, J. (2013). Improved lifestyle and decreased diabetes risk over 13 years: long-term follow-up of the randomised Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (DPS). Diabetologia, 56(2), 284-293. Web.
Nagaratnam, N., Nagaratnam, K., & Cheuk, G. (2016). Diseases in the elderly. Age-related changes and pathophysiology. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Scullin, M., & Bliwise, D. (2015). Sleep, cognition, and normal aging.Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(1), 97-137. Web.
Zyoud, S.H., Al-Jabi, S.W., Sweileh, W.M., Wildali, A.H., Saleem, H.M., Aysa, H.A. … Morisky, H.S. (2013). Health-related quality of life associated with treatment adherence in patients with hypertension: A cross-sectional study.International Journal of Cardiology, 168(3), 2981-2983. Web.
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