Transcript Learning about the Elderly

Learning about the Elderly
Elderly Statistics
• In 2008, there were an estimated 39 million
people age 65 and over in the United States,
accounting for just over 13 percent of the total
population.
• People who survive to age 65 can expect to
live an average of 18.5 more years, about 4
years longer than people age 65 in 1960.
• The life expectancy of people who survive to
age 85 today is 6.8 years for women and 5.7
years for men.
Causes of death
• In 2006, the leading cause of death among
people age 65 and over was
– heart disease
– Cancer
– Stroke
– Lower respiratory disease
– Alzheimer's Disease
– Diabetes
– Flu and Pneumonia
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLprjxFhs8
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The Aging Process
• Aging is a process that occurs in a unique
manner with each individual
• It is a multidimensional process in which the
individual’s function and health status are
related to multiple factors
• It is influenced by a variety of genetic,
environmental, and cultural factors, which in
turn, can result in physical, psychological, and
social changes.
Physical Changes
• Degenerative changes can occur where the
ability to see, hear, feel, and react may be
involved.
• Spatial orientation, mobility, and motor
coordination may decline.
• Work rate, which reflects the output of several
body systems, is diminished.
Hair Changes
• Hair
– By 35, 40% of men have noticeable hair loss, while
by 60 65% do.
– Also elderly hair tends to be thinner and fine
giving more of an appearance of hair loss.
– The growth of hair decreases as you age.
Skin Changes
• Skin changes that accompany aging include:
– Roughened or dry skin – itchy skin
– Benign growths
– Loose facial skin, especially around the eyes, cheeks,
and jaw line
– Transparent or thinned skin
– Bruising easily from decreased elasticity
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Wrinkles
Facial lines (laugh, worry)
Age Spots – brown patches
Bed Sores
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fth_qAKH
EBQ
Vision Changes
• Vision is affected by aging in various ways.
• Over one half of severe visual impairments in
the population occur in individuals who are 65
or older and legal blindness is prevalent in this
age group.
• Glaucoma, cataracts, and macular
degeneration in the retina account for many
of these visual problems.
More about Vision Changes
• Some patients may squint, rely on touch, or
start becoming withdrawn or reluctant to
communicate.
• The pupil of the eye admits 50% less light for a
person of 50 that for someone who is 20.
• Longer reaction time is required for change of
focus
• As the lens yellows with age, it filters out blue,
green, and violet colors.
Hearing Changes
• Hearing loss in the elderly is primarily caused by
atrophy of the structures of the inner ear and the
cells in the spinal ganglion.
• Hearing loss for higher frequencies occurs first.
• Some signs that the person is struggling with
hearing include: leaning closer to the speaker,
cupping their ear, positioning the head so that
the good ear is near the speaker, asking for
things to be repeated, have blank looks, or have
short attention spans.
Teeth Changes
• Tissues in your mouth, like other body tissues,
change as you grow older.
• Soft tissues (gums and cheeks) lose their ability
to stretch, and muscles become soft and weak.
• The amount of saliva produced by glands in
your mouth is frequently reduced.
• As a result, chewing becomes more difficult,
and your mouth becomes more easily irritated
and heals more slowly than when you were
younger.
Some common Teeth/Mouth issues
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Decay
Periodontal (Gum) Disease
Brittleness – can break and chip easily
Dentures
Dry mouth
Darkened Teeth
Teeth falling out
What can they eat?
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Smaller portions
Soft foods if have dentures
Pureed foods if have no teeth at all
Use spices and seasonings
Make foods appealing to the eye
Bones, Muscles, Joints
• Bone mass or density is lost as people age, they lose
calcium and other minerals.
• Between each vertebrae is a gel-like cushion, as the
disks gradually lose fluid and become thinner, the
trunk becomes shorter.
• The joints become stiffer and less flexible. Fluid in
the joints may decrease, and the cartilage may
begin to rub together and erode.
• The finger joints lose cartilage and the bones
thicken slightly. Finger joint changes are more
common in women and may be hereditary.
Bones, Muscles, Joints
• Hip and knee joints may begin to lose joint
cartilage
• Lean body mass decreases, caused in part by
loss of muscle tissue
• Fats are deposited in muscle tissue. The
muscle fibers shrink. Muscle tissue is replaced
more slowly, and lost muscle tissue may be
replaced with a tough fibrous tissue. This is
most noticeable in the hands, which may
appear thin and bony.
Effects of the B,M,J changes
• Bones become more brittle and may break more
easily.
• Overall height decreases, mainly because of
shortening of the trunk and spine.
• Inflammation, pain, stiffness, and deformity may
result from breakdown of the joint structures.
• Movement slows and may become limited. The
walking pattern (gait) becomes slower and shorter.
Walking may become unsteady, and there is less arm
swinging. Older people become tired more easily,
and have less energy.
• What can happen?
– Broken hips, falls, bruises
– Arthritis, osteoporosis
• What items will need to be used?
– Walker
– Cane
– Wheelchair
– Scooter
How can they exercise?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAsu3Em
T0HE
Psychological Changes
• Changes may occur in perception and memory;
thinking, learning, and problem-solving; mood
and attitude; self-concept, and personality.
• There may be loss of former roles and status; loss
of spouse, family and friends; a decline in
economic security; and loss of familiar
surroundings.
• These changes result in poor self-esteem and lack
of self-satisfaction.
Intellectual Ability
• Intellectual ability does not decline with aging,
it only changes.
• The intelligence that we absorb during our
lives such as vocabulary, reasoning and ability
to evaluate past experiences increases with
age.
Short-Term Memory Loss
• Elderly people sometimes suffer memory loss.
• They may easily remember things in the past,
but may have difficulty with short-term
memory.
Socio-Cultural Changes
• Social change and cultural factors affect one’s
view of him or herself as a competent
individual.
• A sense of isolation and frustration may occur
upon retirement when he or she is faced with
a decline in socioeconomic status and the
stereotypic notion of being senile,
unproductive, rigid, and tranquil.
Life Experiences
• An elderly person has been exposed to a vast
variety of life experiences and has
accumulated a great deal of knowledge in his
or her life time.
• An adult’s experiences become his or her selfidentity.
Friendships
• Do elderly people have friendships?
• How does their friendships change?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGt0udeq
yxg
Volunteering for the Elderly
• Nursing Homes - activities, maintenance,
gardening, designing bulletin boards, folding
laundry.
• Alzheimer’s Association – fundraisers, clerical
work, community education
• Hospices – phone calls, mowing, give family a
break
Other Ways to Help
• Meals on Wheels – deliver meals to homes
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqOSbjx5
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• Friends of the Elderly – matched to an elderly
friend
• Adult Day Care - activities or with meal
preparation.
• Elderly Neighbor – visit, mow, clean, shop
So, why do we
disrespect the Elderly?
Elderly Abuse
• The US has:
– 44 million persons age 60+.
– 36 million people with disabilities.
• 364,512 cases of people living at home were
reported with 43% confirmed.
• In the last 10 years abuse of elder persons
has increases 150+%.
• Domestic Elder Abuse is a family problem,
almost 90% of the abusers were family
members.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Pm8Ua
FFRE
Risk Factors
• Domestic Violence grown old.
–A partnership in which one member of
the couple has traditionally exerted
power and control over the other
through emotional abuse, physical
violence and threats, isolation and
other tactics.
More Risk Factors
• Personal problems of the abusers.
– Adult children who are still dependent upon
parent for financial assistance, housing or
other means of support.
– Mental Illness.
– Substance Abuse
Domestic Elder Abuse
• Domestic Abuse Grown Old.
– Maltreatment of an older person by someone who
has a special relationship with the elder. (e.g.
spouse, sibling, child, friend, caregiver).
– Spouses make up a large % of elder abusers.
Partnerships in which one member of a couple has
traditionally tried to exert power and control over
the other.
Institutional Elder Abuse
• Abuse that occurs in residential facilities for
older persons. (e.g. nursing homes, foster
homes, group homes, board and care
facilities.
• Abusers are persons who have legal or
contractual obligation to provide elder victims
with care and protection. (e.g. staff,
professionals, paid caregivers
Types of Abuse
• The elderly can experience abuse in much the
same way as children that are abused
– Neglect
– Physical
– Sexual
– Emotional
Financial or Material Exploitation
• The illegal or improper use of an elder’s funds,
property, or assets.
– Cashing an elder’s checks without authorization or
permission.
– Forging an elder’s signature,
– Misusing or stealing an elder’s money or possessions,
– Coercing or deceiving an elder into signing any document,
(contracts or wills).
– Improper use of guardianship or power of attorney.
Signs of Financial Explortation
• Sudden changes in bank account or banking
practice.
• Inclusion of additional names on a bank
signature card.
• Unauthorized banking, remaking of wills,
advanced directives, or other legal matters of
any kind.
• You can call Adult Protective Service if you
suspect an older adult is being abused or
neglelected