problem 31

31. Discuss the common health problems of older adults.

Health problems that older adults may experience include accidents, chronic disabling disease, drug abuse and misuse, alcoholism, dementia, and abuse. Leading causes of death for people ages 65 and over are heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (smoke), pneumonia/influenza, obstructive lung disease and cancer.

a. Hypothermia: body temperature below normal. A lowered metabolism and loss of normal insulation from thinning subcutaneous tissue decrease the older client’s ability to retain heat.

b. Accidents: falls, and fire are a hazard that elder’s need to more caution of.

c. Dementia: slow, insidious process that results in progressive loss of cognitive functions. It is characterized by changes in memory, judgement, language, mathematics calculations, abstract reasoning, and problem solving ability. Common type of dementis is Alzheimer’s. A person with this disease or any other types of dementia experience increasing safety needs as their condition deteriorates.

d. Chronic Illness: arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, hearing and visual alterations, and cognitive dysfunction. Client may need increasing help with activities of daily living, such as feeding and hygiene.

e. The complexities involved in the self-administration of medication may lead to a variety of misuse situations, including taking too little or too much medications, combining alcohol and medication, combining prescribed medications with over the counter drugs, taking medications at the wrong time, or taking someone else’s medications. Page 410