Geriatric Practice Flashcards
what is the first aging reality
1st and 2nd order realities
- 1st: verifiable, repeatable facts (when you were born)
-2nd: meaning and value associated with facts (pension, social)
aging realities assumptions
Abilities, capacities
Roles, responsibilities
Rights/privileges
in the US there is approaximalty ___million Americans aged 65 and older
in Canada by 2031 there will be __million Canadians over 65 (25% of pop)
89million
9 million
Ageism defined
ageism was coined by Robert Butler, a geriatrician, to describe the “prejudice and discrimination against older adults
a socially constructed way of thinking about older persons based on negative attitudes and stereotypes about aging and a tendency to structure society based on an assumption that everyone is young, thereby failing to respond appropriately to the real needs of older persons.
what is age discrimination
prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a person’s age.
Individual acts or systemic.
geriatrics
o Geriatrics is the study of “health and disease in later life; the comprehensive health care of older persons; and the well-being of their informal caregivers
gerontology
o Gerontology is the study of the aging process and individuals as they grow from midlife through later life, including the study of physical, mental and social changes; the investigation of the changes in society resulting from our aging population; the allocation of the knowledge to policies, programs, and practice.
chronic conditions and older adults
Chronic conditions are especially prevalent among older adults.
For persons over age 65, 90% have a chronic condition, and 77% have two or more chronic conditions.
The focus of treatment is managing the chronic illness by reducing symptoms
according to the National Center for Health Statistics (2012), the most frequently occurring or chronic conditions among older persons are:
uncontrolled hypertension (34%), diagnosed arthritis (50%), heart disease (32%), cancer (23%), diabetes (19%), and sinusitis (14%).
dementia
is a progressive brain impairment that interferes with memory and typical intellectual functioning
a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with the ability to perform activities of daily living.
not a specific disease only an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms
two most common types of dementia
alzheimers and vascular dementia (after a stroke)
the symptoms of dementia may vary, but two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia
(a) memory,
(b) communication and language,
(c) ability to focus and pay attention,
(d) reasoning and judgment, and
(f) visual perception.”
symptoms of alzheimers
Early: difficulty remembering newly learned information because Alzheimer’s changes typically begin in the part of the brain that affects learning.
Progressive: disorientation, mood and behavior changes; deepening confusion about events, time and place; unfounded suspicions about family, friends and professional caregivers; more serious memory loss and behavior changes; and difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking.
Early diagnosis and intervention methods are improving dramatically, and treatment options and sources of support can improve quality of life.
reduced mobility can be experienced in many different ways
episodic
seasonal
chronic
what do old people lose out on with reduction in mobility and quality of life
loss of independence
loss of social connections
frailty
define frailty
Frailty is a non-specific state of increasing risk, which reflects multisystem physiological change
The physiological changes that underlie frailty do not always achieve disease status, so that some people, usually the very elderly, are frail without having life-threatening illness
continuum of older adults
young-old = 65-74
old-old = 75-85
oldest of the old = 85+
physical activity is connected to the ____,____and____ of diseases and chronic conditions
prevention, management, and treatment
physical activities secondary health and wellness benefits for older adults include
therapeutic interventions
promoting sense of independence
reduction in depression and feelings of isolation
providing mechanisms for social interaction
what are the roles of RTs in geriatric care
expert clinician trainer and educator consumer of evidence supervisor and manager quality of life advocate
what is the primary health prevention
interventions are designed to intervene before any illness occurs
what are secondary health preventions
interventions are intended for those who have risk factors for a disease but do not yet have a diagnosis or symptoms
what are the tertiary health preventions
interventions are designed to minimize the negative impact of the sickness, restore function and prevent complications. treat and rehabilitate are the goals
the efficacy of RT in geriatrics
o Older adults with chronic conditions benefited from physical activity by displaying significant increases in physical performance and functional mobility.
o Persons with dementia who received RT significantly decreased depression, agitation, apathy, and passivity and increased self-efficacy
program considerations for age and leisure
activities both stable and changing
motivations
meanings
time
age-based programming ignores
age modifiability external facts (social/historical) intersectionality of diversity markers
barriers of aging and leisure
stereotypes of aging and ageism built environment access financial cost lack of suitable programming self perceived efficacy and not wanting to be a burden
adaptive physical activity
advocacy and HR training
caregivers or leisure facilitators
suitable programming considerations
accessible facilities and on site programming
