N. Bacalso Ave.

, Cebu City Philippines

COLLEGE OF NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

CASE STUDY ABOUT CHANGES IN AGING: NCP AND DRUG STUDY

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE COURSE RLE 305

SUBMITTED BY:
ENCARGUEZ, DARA SOPHIA N.
BSN 3- N2 (GROUP 3)

SUBMITTED TO:
JASON R. LIM RN, MAN, LPT
AUDA F. RUSSEL RN, MN, DSN
FACULTY

NOVEMBER, 2020
 N. Bacalso Ave., Cebu City Philippines

COLLEGE OF NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

Name: Dara Sophia N. Encarguez Group No. 3

Task: CASE STUDY ABOUT CHANGES IN AGING: NCP AND DRUG STUDY
Date: November 20, 2020

Aging is said to be a normal process of change throughout a person’s life. We all

go through it and nobody is exempted from the said process, it is inevitable and
unavoidable. Although there are certain therapeutic and nontherapeutic ways to slow
the process down and keep a person’s body young for an extended amount or period of
time, the process will still take hold of its impact on the person’s overall health and well-
being sooner or later and in one way or another. In the clinical set-up, the use of the
term “normal aging” to help describe the clinical care received by older adults has
brought about a massively significant impact for so long. The said term can be
attributed to a lot of factors concerning the older adult’s condition and treatment not to
mention the attributions made will also serve as a basis for identifying which type of
care is suitable for the patient or older adult. With that being said, it’s highly important
for everyone to not be complacent and be mindful of the alterations happening inside
and outside of their bodies so that they can manage and do something to not let these
alterations affect and exacerbate their individual conditions.

Patient F.F.N., my patient, is already in her 70s and according to her, it’s a lot
more difficult to do her usual activities now than before. She was overwhelmingly
energetic back then and she did not have any hard time walking or running back and
forth despite her age. She got into an accident a few years ago and ever since then,
she finds it extremely hard to stand and walk. She can only walk for a short period of
time and cannot walk in long distances. And just recently her arthritis got worse than
ever which makes it even harder to ambulate. Aside from that, due to aging, she
acquired a lot of wrinkles and warts and her skin right now looks a lot thinner and paler
than before. But from among all the aforementioned changes cited, the one that I will
be formulating a nursing care plan for and focusing on will involve her most recent
issue concerning her experience with arthritis.

There are a lot of techniques to help prevent or delay the process of aging for
everyone. Although the said process is different and unique to every individual, the
techniques that will be mentioned in this paper are considered to be universally
applicable and effective for all regardless of gender, race, etc.

A few ways to naturally slow the aging process according to American Senior
Communities include:
  Eliminate processed foods from your diet. Processed foods contain a variety of
ingredients that can cause inflammation and a weakened immune system the
older you get. This inflammation is the cause of a variety of chronic conditions
and leads to a lack of energy. Adopt a diet full of wholesome, nutritious and
fresh foods to keep your body functioning at optimal levels.
 Stay hydrated. When you don’t drink enough water, your skin looks dull and
older. Water also helps lubricate the joints and flush out toxins from the body.
To keep that youthful glow, aim to drink at least two liters of water every day.
 Get your Zs. As you sleep, your body has time to repair and rejuvenate all its
systems. It’s said that just one less hour of sleep per night can increase cortisol
levels tenfold, which leads to oxidative stress and affects the balance of your
blood sugar levels. Establish a nightly routine to ensure you have plenty of time
to unwind and relax from your day to get a proper night’s sleep.
 Decrease stress levels. Just like a lack of sleep can increase cortisol levels,
feeling stressed out leads to higher cortisol levels, too. These high levels of
cortisol can rob your body of essential minerals and lead to chronic conditions
like diabetes, obesity, and even add more wrinkles to your skin. Try deep
breathing exercises or simply take a brisk walk to lower your daily stress.
 Add more physical activity. Speaking of taking that brisk walk, regular exercise
can also help slow the aging process. The benefits of exercise for seniors are
numerous and include reducing the risk for chronic conditions, improving mental
health, slowing cognitive decline, and can even keep your skin looking healthier
as toxins get released while you work up a sweat.
 Make time for your friends. Feeling lonely can increase your stress hormones and
lead to a variety of health concerns like high blood pressure and heart disease.
Make sure to carve out time throughout the week to spend with friends and
loved ones, as staying socially active can really improve your overall health.

As a student nurse, the knowledge that I have acquired from this will make me
more sensitive towards the care of the aged in way wherein I will be able to provide
older adults or my patients the type and quality of care that is appropriate and suitable
for them and their individual conditions.

Actually there are a lot of home care services available for the elderly. These home
care services include household maintenance, transportation, home modifications,
personal and health care and day programs. These services are quite popular abroad
and it’s slowly gaining its popularity here in the Philippines especially among wealthy
Filipino families. Aside from that, there are also government programs that offer
services for the elderly like those implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and
Development, PhilHealth, etc. And if an older adult is suffering from a worsening health
condition, the family can hire a professional caregiver to look after him or her and
attend to his or her medical needs. They can also bring the older adult to a doctor or
specialist to have his or her conditioned checked and so that necessary interventions
can be done.

The nurse should perform a comprehensive geriatric assessment on the elderly in

order to determine his or her medical conditions, mental health, functional capacity and
social circumstances. The areas covered by this assessment include current symptoms
and illnesses and their functional impact, current medications, their indications and
effects, relevant past illnesses, recent and impending life changes, objective measure of
overall personal and social functionality, etc.

With the growing number of the elderly population and the complex issues in caring
for older adults, interdisciplinary collaboration is particularly salient to the field of
geriatrics. The nurse must work with the interdisciplinary team hand in hand in order to
ensure that older adults get to receive high quality patient-centered care. The possible
recommendations made in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team to provide
additional information on the proper placement that answers to the needs of the older
adult clients and their families include identifying multiple problems and their potential
interactions, defining reasonable goals and priorities in treatment and developing a
comprehensive plan for continuing care.