Question

Describe the characteristics of the aging process. Explain how some of the characteristics may lead to elder abuse (memory issues, vulnerability, etc.). Discuss the types of consideration a nurse must be mindful of while performing a health assessment on a geriatric patient as compared to a middle-aged adult.

Answer 1

Human aging, physiological changes that take place in the human body leading to senescence, the decline of biological functions and of the ability to adapt to metabolic stress.

Aging begins as soon as adulthood is reached and is as much a part of human life as are infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Gerontology (the study of aging) is concerned primarily with the changes that occur between the attainment of maturity and the death of the individual. The goal of research in gerontology is to identify the factors that influence these changes. Application of this knowledge can reduce the severity of some disabilities commonly associated with aging.

the characteristics of the aging process.

A)Vision

Visual acuity (ability to discriminate fine detail) is relatively poor in young children and improves up to young adulthood. From about the middle 20s to the 50s there is a slight decline in visual acuity, and there is a somewhat accelerated decline thereafter. This decline is readily compensated for by the use of eyeglasses.

B) Hearing

Hearing does not change much with age for tones of frequencies usually encountered in daily life. Above age 50, however, there is a gradual reduction in the ability to perceive tones at higher frequencies. Few persons over age 65 can hear tones with a frequency of 10,000 cycles per second. This loss of perception of high frequencies interferes with identifying individuals by their voices and with understanding conversation in a group but does not ordinarily represent a serious limitation to the individual in daily life

C) sensory impairment

After age 70 other sense organs may show a reduction in sensitivity. Reduced taste sensitivity is associated with atrophy and loss of taste buds from the tongue in the elderly

D)Skin

The primary age change in the skin is a gradual loss of elasticity. Although this basic change plays a role, other factors, such as exposure to the weather and familial traits, also contribute to the development of wrinkles and the pigmentation associated with senescence.

E) Skeletal system

With aging, the bones gradually lose calcium. As a result, they become more fragile and are more likely to break, even with minor falls. Healing of fractures is also slower in the old than in the young.

F)Psychological Aspects Of Aging

The most outstanding psychological features of aging are the impairment in short-term memory and cognition, resulting in slowed thinking and response. While these features may develop naturally as part of the aging process, research suggests that long-term lifestyle factors—such as diet, exercise, and sleep habits—and disease play a critical role. For example, aerobic exercise, which stimulates blood circulation and oxygen delivery in the brain and body, is associated with improved cognitive performance in older individuals.

Evaluation of the Elderly Patient

Evaluation of the elderly usually differs from a standard medical evaluation. For elderly patients, especially those who are very old or frail, history-taking and physical examination may have to be done at different times, and physical examination may require 2 sessions because patients become fatigued.

The elderly also have different, often more complicated health care problems, such as:such as multiple disorders, which may require use of many drugs (sometimes called polypharmacy) and thus greater likelihood of a high-risk drug being prescribed.Diagnosis may be complicated, resulting in delayed, missed, or erroneous diagnoses leading to inappropriate use of drugs.

Early detection of problems results in early intervention, which can prevent deterioration and improve quality of life, often through relatively minor, inexpensive interventions