Chapter 1 & 2 Flashcards
Aging
A universal processs begining at birth that applies equally to young and old people
Gerontoligists view of aging
Complex process involving both losses and gains
Perceived age
Other people’s estimation of someone’s age
Chronological age
Length of time that has passed since birth
Functional age
Physiological health and psychological well-being, spiritual wellbeing etc.
Ability to participate in desirable activities
whether individuals can contribute to society
and experience personal quality of life
associated with
higher levels of well-being and with more positive attitudes
about aging.
Institutional ageism
Underlying assumptions within a culture and society, biases within policies, and protocols, that are unseen, unquestioned or dismissed
Effects of ageism
Aging anxiety
Age attribution
Anti-aging movement
Age attribution
The tendency to point to physiological problems as the result of aging instead of a pathological process
Ageism in healthcare
People often receive less aggressive treatment for common ailments, which are dismissed as a natural part of aging
Older adults and health care providers mistakenly attribute symptoms to aging rather than identify and address the contributing factors that are reversible and treatable
Gerontology
The scientific. study of the effects of time on human development
The study of aging
Geriatrics
A subspecialty of internal medicine or family practice that focuses on the medical problems of older people
Cultural Awareness
Recognizing the cualues of the client and self
Cultural Sensitivity
Recognizing cultural differences exist
Cultural recognition
recognizing that clients from different
cultures may have different customs and behaviors
3 components to successful aging
an active engagement with life, high
cognitive and physical function, and low probability of disease
and disability
Negative affects of ageism
In medical care: older people often receive less aggressive
treatment for common ailments, which are dismissed as a
natural part of aging.
@ In the workplace: older job applicants are rated less positively
than younger ones, even when they are similarly
qualified and despite considerable research showing that
job performance does not decrease in older adults.
® In nursing homes and home settings: elder abuse and neglect
is underreported.
® In media: older adults are underrepresented and stereotyped.
ethnogeriatrics,
the component of geriatrics
that integrates the influence of race, ethnicity and
culture on health and well-being of older adults,
Health disparities
significant differences with regard
to the rates of disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality
or life expectancy between one population and another.
Largest visible minority in Canada
South Asian Canadians
Are elderly men or women, married or single more likely to live below the poverty line?
Single women
How to give oral med
Sit patient upright
Provide water
Stay with pt until med is taken
Discard med if it falls on floor
Place container lid on counter with open end up
Do not estimate meds by breaking unscored tabs
Never alter form of med without pharmacy consultation
How to measure liquid medication
Measure at bottom of meniscus
Read at eyelevel
Pour from side opposite to avoid distorting label
How to meausre out tablets
Pour out into cap of bottle first then into med cup without touching it with hands or glvoes
Goal of Geriatrics
Shifted its focus from curing to caring (Medical interventions)
Emphasis on quality of life
Functional Consequences of aging
Inherent physiological processes that
increase vulnerability of older adults.
Age-Related Changes
Inevitable profressive and irreversile changes that happen to everyone
- Physically degenerative
- Psycological and spiritual potential for growth
what are Positive Functional Consequences
Those that facilitate highest level of
functioning, least dependency and best
quality of life.
Functioning for the purpose of geriatrics
Affecting the whole way a person lives
Risk factors
Factors that increase vulnerabiltiy
- Diseases
Environment
Lifestule
Support systems
Psychosocial circumstances
Adverse medication effects
Attitudes
Ways an Older Adult stays well
Health promotion activities
- Prevention and screening programs
Risk reduction interventions
Environmental modifications
Health education
Example of a risk reduction intervention in the last decade
No smoking on health care vicinity
Environmental modification example
Railings in hallways
Non-skid surfaces
Health education
Giving people all the info they need to maintain their own health
How Does a nurse know which type of care an older adult needs?
Nursing Assessment, gathering data to make a decision
Physical assessment
Functional Assessment
Mental status Assessment
Comprehensive Gereiatirca ASsessment
Environmental and safety assessment
Other assessment
IADLs
Not usually done by people in log term care facilities (There bc they cannot do them)
Common function assessment tool
KATZ
48/6 (done within 48 hours of admission over data of 6 areas)
FHA Nursing Assessment Tool
Screening document for older adults
Screening document for older adults 70+ years
The most common mental status assessment
Mini-mental state examination (MMSE)
Most liked (Confusion Assessment Method): CA<
Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (examples)
SPICES (example)
Minimum Data Set (MDS)
Monitors changes and spits out mini report
Examples of environmental and safety assessment
Fall Risk Assessment
Braden scale
Why are health assessments in older adults more complicated
It is common to have more than one chronic acute issue
Manifestation of illnesses or adverse medication effects tend to be obscure less predictable
For ever change there may be multiple possible causes
Treatments often directed at symptoms not source of problem,
Cognitive impairment affet accurate reporting
In what setting do older adults experience the most function decline
Hospital because of
Communication gaps
Poor client education
Unique patient characteristic
Incomplete transfer of info
Poor medical rec procedures
Low staffing
4 different ways of defining age
Subjective
Perceived
Chroological
Functional
What is significant about hidden biases
Unseen, unquestioned or dismissed in policy and protocols
nurse’s questions addresses an important contributor to successful aging?
“Do you feel like you actively engage with life?”
Where do older adults mainly live?
Assisted living arrangements have become increasingly common.
A nurse interviews a centenarian, gathering data for a large study. In the interview, the centenarian says, “You’re only as old as you feel, some days I feel like ‘I’m 50.’” To which definition of aging does this response
Subjective aging
Who is mostt likely to be living below the poverty line
Old single women
What is a fact about older indiginelous Cnadians
More likely to live alone than any other canadian
How should the nurse interpret the information that is available about cultural groups?
Cultural generalizations can be useful and accurate, but they do not replace individualized assessment and care.
A nurse plans culturally competent care for a variety of clients. Which culture is most strongly tied to the low health status?
Low socioeconomic status
