Chapter 10. Older person Flashcards
Development
Changes in mental, emotional and social function
Developmental task
A skill that must be completed during a stage of development for development to continue
Geriatrics
The care of aging people
Gerontology
The study of the aging process
Growth
The physical changes that are measured and that occur in a steady manner
Menopause
The time when the menstruation and menstrual cycle ends
Sexuality
The physical emotional social cultural spiritual factors that affect a person’s feelings about one’s gender identity and sexual behavior
Infancy
Birth - 1 year
- learning to walk
- learning to eat solid foods
- beginning to talk to others
- learning to trust
- beginning to have emotional relationships with family
- developing stable sleep and feeding patterns
Toddlerhood
1 - 3 year
- tolerating separation from the primary caregiver
- gaining control of bowel and bladder
- using words to communicate
- becoming less dependent on primary caregiver
Preschool
3 - 6 year
- increasing the ability to communicate and understand others
- learning gender differences
- learning right from wrong
- learning to play with others
- developing family relations
School-age
6 - 9 year
- developing social and physical skills to play games
- learning to get along with peers
- learning behaviors and attitudes common for one’s gender
- learning basic reading writing and math
- developing a conscience and morals
Late childhood
9 - 12 year
- becoming independent of adults and learning to depend on oneself
- developing and keeping friendships
- understanding physical psychological and social changes
- developing moral behavior
- developing greater muscular strength and balance
- learning how to study
Adolescence
12 - 18 year
- accepting changes in the body and appearance
- developing appropriate relationships
- becoming independent from parents
- preparing for marriage and family life
- preparing career
Young adulthood
18 - 40 year
- choosing education and career
- selecting a partner
- learning to live with a partner
- becoming a parent and raising children
- developing a satisfactory sex life
Middle adulthood
40 - 65 year
- adjusting to physical changes
- adjusting to having grown children
- adjusting to aging parents
Late adulthood
65+
- adjusting to decreased strength
- adjusting to retirement and low income
- coping with partner’s death
- developing new friends and relationships
- preparing for one’s death
Social changes:
- retirement
- reduced income
- social relationships
- children as caregivers
- death and grieving
Nervous system changes:
- Brain spinal cord lose nerve cells
- nerve cells send messages at a slower rate
- slow reflexes
- reduced blood flow to the brain
- abnormal structures can form in the brain
- brain tissue can shrink (atrophy)
- shorter memory
- trouble recalling recent events
- slower ability to respond
- dizziness
- sleep patterns change
- reduced sensitivity to pain
- smell and taste change
- eye vision change
- hearing loss
Integumentary system change
- skin becomes less elastic
- skin loses strength
- brown spots on skin
- fewer blood vessels
- fatty tissue layer is lost
- skin thins and sags
- skin is fragile
- decreased secretion of oil sweat glands
- dry itchy skin
- more sensitive to cold
- nails become thick
- whitening of hair and hair loss
Musculoskeletal system changes
- muscles shrink (atrophy)
- muscle strength decreases
- bones become weaker and brittle
- vertebrae shortens
- joints become stiff
- hip and knee joints become flexed
- loss of height
Circulatory system changes
- heart pumps with less force
- heart valves thicken and stiff
- heart rate becomes slower
- abnormal heart rhythms
- heart enlarges
- heart walls thicken
- arteries narrow
- less blood flow
- fatigue
- red blood cells decrease
Respiratory system changes
- respiratory muscles weaken
- some lung tissue is lost
- lung tissue becomes less elastic
- chest is less able to stretch and breathe
- difficulty breathing (dyspnea)
- decreased strength for coughing
Digestive system changes
- decreased saliva production
- difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- decreased appetite
- decreased secretion of digestive juices
- difficulty digesting fatty foods
- loss of teeth
- decreased peristalsis causing flatulence (gas) and constipation
Urinary system changes
- kidney function decreases
- reduced blood supply to kidneys
- kidneys atrophy
- bladder tissues less able to stretch
- bladder muscles weaken
- bladder may not empty completely
-UTI may occur
Immune system changes
- fewer immune cells
- immune responds slower
- healing slows
- ability to detect and correct cell defects
Reproductive system changes
Men:
- erections take longer and lost quickly
- less forceful orgasms
- longer phase between erection and orgasm
Women:
- Menopause
- estrogen and progesterone decrease
- uterus vagina and genitalia atrophy
- vaginal dryness
- arousal takes longer
The person needing nursing center care may suffer from:
- loss of identity
- loss of possesions
- loss of independence
- loss of real-world experiences
- loss of health and mobility
Feeling useless, powerless and hopeless
Inappropriate sexual behaviors have many causes:
- nervous system disorders
- confusion, disorientation, and dementia
- drug side effects
- fever
- poor vision
