Week 2 Discussion Communication with the elderly can be challenging
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SOUTH UNIVERSITY
Week 2 Discussion Communication with the elderly can be challenging
Paper Instructions
The discussion assignment provides a forum for discussing relevant topics for this week on the basis of the course competencies covered. For this assignment, make sure you post your initial response to the Discussion Area by the due date assigned and complete your participation for this assignment by Day 7.
To support your work, use your course and text readings and also use resources from the South University Online Library. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format. Support your work, using your course lectures and textbook readings.
Helpful APA guides and resources are available in the South University Online Library. Below are guides that are located in the library and can be accessed and downloaded via the South University Online Citation Resources APA Style page. The American Psychological Association website also provides detailed guidance on formatting, citations, and references at APA Style.
- APA Citation Helper
- APA Citations Quick Sheet
- APA-Style Formatting Guidelines for a Written Essay
- Basic Essay Template
Begin reviewing and replying to peer postings/responses early in the week to enhance peer discussion. See the rubric for participation points. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing viewpoints with a rationale, challenging aspects of the discussion, or indicating relationships between two or more lines of reasoning in the discussion. Always use constructive language, even in criticism, to work toward the goal of positive progress.
TASK
Post your initial response to one of the two topics below.
Topic 1
Age related changes can affect the lifestyle/quality of life of the elderly.
- What do you think are the two most prevalent age-related changes that affect the lifestyle of the elderly?
- How would you help an elderly patient adjust to the two changes you identified?
Topic 2
Communication with the elderly can be challenging.
- Identify at least two modes of communication you have used with the elderly in your clinical practice.
- State what modes of communication were effective and which modes were challenging. Explain why.
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Sample Answer
Discussion Question 1
Aging is a critical stage in life that is characterized by considerable changes among the elderly populations. The elderly experience a number of changes that predispose them to health problems. One of the changes is changes in the density and size of the bones.
Bones tend to shrink, predisposing theme elderly people to fractures and bone pain. There is also the loss of the overall muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance (Paranhos-Neto et al., 2019). The consequence includes altered balance, stability and coordination.
The other change that the elderly experience due to aging relates to the brain. Accordingly, aging is associated with the reduction in the size of the brain. The shrinking of the brain regions such as the frontal cortex results in functional changes such as decline in memory.
The elderly also experience reduced brain activation, which lowers their execution of complex tasks (Machado, 2021; Satoh et al., 2021). The level of neurotransmitters and neuron impulses also decline, predisposing the elderly to mental health problems such as dementia.
I would help an elderly patient to adjust to the above changes by educating them on a number of lifestyle and behavioral changes. First, I will educate them the importance of increasing the intake of calcium. I will educate them the importance of taking calcium rich diets such as milk to supplement the calcium needed to strengthen the bones (Benedetti et al., 2018).
The other intervention entails educating them about the importance of vitamin D. Sources such as the sun and diets such as eggs, salmon and tuna should be eaten to increase the available vitamin D. Lastly, I will educate the importance of moderate physical activity to increase bone strength (Paranhos-Neto et al., 2019). Patient education also improves the muscle strength, which enhances their coordination of body movements.
References
- Machado, L. (2021). Understanding cognition and how it changes with aging, brain disease, and lifestyle choices. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 51(1), 128–142. https //doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2020.1796102
- Paranhos-Neto, F. P., Neto, L. V., Madeira, M., Moraes, A. B., Mendonça, L. M. C., Lima, I. C. B., Chagas, C. L. R., Lira, D. A., Spitz, J. F., Guimarães, J. a. M., Duarte, M. E. L., & Farias, M. L. F. (2019). Vitamin D deficiency is associated with cortical bone loss and fractures in the elderly. European Journal of Endocrinology, 181(5), 509–517. https //doi.org/10.1530/EJE-19-0197
- Satoh, M., Tabei, K., Fujita, S., & Ota, Y. (2021). Online Tool (Brain Assessment) for the Detection of Cognitive Function Changes during Aging. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 50(1), 85–95. https //doi.org/10.1159/000516564
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