Care of the Older Adult – Study Guide
1. Healthy People 2010: develop a set of health care objectives designed
toincrease the quality and quantity of years of healthy life of Americans and
toeliminate health disparities
2. barriers to physical activity: lack of access to safe areas to exercise, pain,
fatigue, and impairment in sensory function and mobility
3. risks for poor nutrition: multiple chronic illnesses, may have tooth or
mouth problems that may interfere with their ability to eat, may be socially
isolated,
may have economic hardship, may be taking multiple medications that can cause
changes in appetite or gastrointestinal symptoms, and may need assistance with
self-care
4. falls: leading cause of unintentional injury death in older adults in this country
5. Polypharmacy: the taking of multiple drugs concurrently, whether prescribed
orOTC
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, 6. tetnus shot: recommended re-vaccination after 10 years in the elderly
7. Mini Mental State Examination: This exam test the elderlys orientation,
reg-istration, attention and calculation, recall(memory) and visou spatial skills.
If thepatient score less than twenty indicates cognitive impairment. Aids in
detecting dementia
8. CAGE questionnaire: • Cut down: Refers to attempts by the client to cut
downon drinking
• Annoyance: Related to suggestions by friends or family to cut down on drinking
• Guilt: Relates to client guilt about drinking
• Eye opener: Relates to the need for a drink in the morning to get going
9. Elder abuse reporting: may include physical, sexual, psychological, and
finan-cial exploitation, neglect, and violation of rights
Report to adult protective service
In nursing homes and assisted living facilities must be reported to the Long-
TermCare Ombudsman Program in most states.
10. Modified Caregiver Strain Index: tool that can be used to quickly screen
forcaregiver strain with long-term
family caregivers. It is a 13-question tool that measures strain related to care
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