HEALTH PROMOTION OF OLDER ADULTS

Health Promotion of Older Adults

Health Promotion of Older Adults

Q 1: About the Case & Area in Which Mr. Boyd Lives

Taking a health promotion perspective, the report discusses about Mr. Boyd who is 72 years old man. Mr. Boyd lives with his wife who is 67 years old. I being a visitng nurse have been told by Mrs. Boyd that Mr. Boyd is fond of gardening but he is not taking interest in this activity for quite long. Mr. Boyd's friend Ethel told us that Mr. Boyd has a touch of Alzheimer's. Mrs. Boyd spends most of her time doing house related routing jobs including cooking meal, and other housework. Mrs. Boyd also participates her ladies' church group once a week. Mrs. Boyd remains concerned whilst leaving her husband alone at home.

Mr. Boyd has been living in Winnipeg Region for the last 25 years. If we assess the percentage of old age people (65 years and older) we come to know that this region has the highest rate of old age population in Canada.

Q 2: Mrs. Boyd's friend, Ethel has suggested that Mr. Boyd might have a “touch of Alzheimer”s”. What is ageism? Is Ethel's statement an ageist statement? Explain why it is or isn't an ageist statement?

According to Wilkinson (2001) ageism is not merely a biological phenomenon experienced identically by all people, neither is it necessarily separate stages or states of being which just 'arrive' The ageism needs to be represented as a social, physical, psychological and spiritual process in which individuals have created for themselves or have imposed upon them (Miller, 2008). As mentioned in the Mrs. Boyd's friend, Ethel has suggested that Mr. Boyd might have a “touch of Alzheimer's”. As a visiting nurse, I suggest that Mr. Boyd has the initial phase of Alzheimer's disease.

Q3: Functional and psychosocial assessment is not a neutral process. Reflect on what that means and specifically, what kind of things might constitute potentially unwanted bias to your functional and psychosocial assessment of Mr. and Mrs. Boyd.

Through this case study, I learnt that psychological assessments are difficult to administrate and they normally require special expertise and training. In this connection biasness and the functional and psychosocial assessment of the patient should be taken very seriously by the nurse. According to Wilkinson (2001) approaches to measuring the psychosocial components of the stress process may include environmental demands, subjective evaluations of stress, and emotional stress responses.

Q4: Mrs. Boyd seems to want to dominate or control the interview. What might be some of the reasons for her telling you “to direct all your questions to her”? She gives you one reason but what might be at least two other potential reasons.

During interview session with Mrs. Boyd, I came to know that she wanted to dominate or control the interview. She forcefully asked me to direct all my questions to her. I believe that the personal assessments of Mrs. Boyd might be biased or invalid. I suggested ...