HNN318 Care of the Older Person: Case Study on Functional Decline

This case study focuses on Marion, a 76-year-old woman, and analyzes the musculoskeletal age-related changes affecting her health. It identifies and examines physical risk factors such as tripping, psychological risk factors like potential depression due to isolation and sociological risk factors related to reduced social engagement. The study emphasizes the importance of geriatric care in supporting Marion's well-being, promoting independence, and addressing her physical and mental health needs through appropriate interventions and care strategies. This document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wide array of study resources for students.

Case Study

Table of Content.
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Explain anticipated musculoskeletal age-related changes and specifically how these changes
may impact Marion......................................................................................................................1
Identify and analyse one physical risk factor that will influence Marion’s risk for functional
decline..........................................................................................................................................2
Identify and analyse one psychological risk factor that will influence Marion’s risk for
functional decline.........................................................................................................................3
Identify and analyse one sociological risk factor that will influence Marion’s risk for
functional decline.........................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
The care nurse role mainly encompasses an autonomous as well as an aggregative care of
all the people, their well-being promotions, preventing their disorders, can delivering the care,
promoting the safe and healthy environment and many more. In this, a geriatric care nurse can
effectively concentrate on caring for older people. The care nurses are specifically educated to
understand as well as treat the frequent complex mental as well as physical well-being
requirements of the older people. They generally try to aid their patients by protecting their well-
being as well as can effectively cope with alterations within their physical as well as mental well-
being capabilities, such that aged people can old age group people can stay independent and
active as well for long terms. In this report, there is discussion about the case study of Marion
who is 76-years-old lady often living independently within the inner suburbs of Melbourne.
There is a discussion about the issues linked with ageing in case of Marion such as
musculoskeletal changes which can influence the health and condition of Marion. In addition to
this, there is also a discussion about physical, psychological as well as sociological risk factors
which can specifically impact the Marion's risk for the functional decline (Rowe, Beauchamp &
Wilson, 2021).
Explain anticipated musculoskeletal age-related changes and specifically how these changes may
impact Marion.
The alterations in posture and walking patterns (gait) are quite common with ageing. The
alterations within the skin as well as the hair are also common. In this, the skeleton can gives
encouragement as well as structure to the body. The joint are generally the regions where the
bones come together. In this, a person can lose bone density or mass as they grow older, more
specifically among women after menopause, it is because the bone can lose calcium as well as
the other minerals. As per the case scenario of Marion, as she is 76-years-old lady and in her age
group, the musculoskeletal linked alterations can specifically affect her health. In this,
osteoporosis is generally a common issue in Marion's age. The bones can break more easily,
compression fractures of the vertebrae can cause pain and can decrease the mobility. It can
significantly contributes to weakness, fatigue as well as the decreased activity tolerance. The
issues among joints can range from mild stiffness to the debilitating arthritis (Osteoarthritis) are
very common. As per Marion's case study, it is generally identified by the General Practitioner of
Marion that she is having enhancing difficulties ambulating. In addition to this, she has also
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tripped over a few times as well as can found it quite challenging to get back up. It is quite
essential with ageing times that there must be followed a healthy diet so that people at older age
can remains fit and healthy. It is known that having a good amount of nutrition is quite essential
as it can provide a person energy and can help to control the body weight. Having healthy diet
can also help Marion to prevent some illness like osteoporosis, elevated blood pressure levels,
cardiovascular illness and various other that are quite common at this particular age group. In
past times, she was remains an active member of Lions club as well as played a bridge once a
week with her group friends. From the grocery bills of Marion, Kylie, her daughter identified
that there is a reduction in the values as she has an access to her mother's online banking and her
daughter is quite concerned that she was not eating well and healthy as well. The care nurses
must help Marion to perform her daily living tasks and help her to get healthy meal such that she
can be healthy. They can effectively access the mental as well as cognitive skills of Marion to
make her comfortable with her and provide care as per her needs to improve her well-being
effectively (Rizzoli & et. al., 2018).
Identify and analyse one physical risk factor that will influence Marion’s risk for functional
decline.
As per the case scenario, the possible one physical risk factor which will influence the
Marion's risk for the functional decline such as tripping over some times and Marion can found it
quite difficult to get back up. In this, the older people are more likely to have a fall because they
may involve a balancing issues as well as the weakens muscle. At the age of Marion, most of the
people can loss their clear vision power, a long-term well-being conditions like the
cardiovascular illness, reduced pressure of blood, dementia, that can effectively lead to the
dizziness as well; as a brief loss of consciousness. Within the old age group people, it can mainly
the problematic because the osteoporosis is fairly a common issue. It can specifically improve
among both male and female, more specifically among those people who can excessively drink,
smoke and can take steroids or can involve a family history of the hip fractures. It is known that
the women who are above the age group of 55 to 60 are at higher risk because the osteoporosis is
frequently linked with the hormonal alterations which generally occurs during the menopause.
The well-being care professionals can take the falls among older people very seriously because
of the high consequences which they can have for the well-being as well as the health of such
age group people. The General Practitioner of Marion must address the effectiveness of daily
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exercise to effectively enhance the strength as well as balances of a patient as well. The falls can
be effectively overcome by engaging Marion in regular exercise, using assistive devices,
checking the vision and hearing annually. As a support worker, the care nurses must make the
surrounding environment safe by simply ensuring that the bed is at an accurate height for
Marion, help her in doing daily activities so that can also feel confident and independent. The
consequences of fall can significantly cause disabilities, having low interdependence, having a
functional decline as well as a lesser quality of life for Marion. Falls can mainly caused Marion
to feel helpless, and become depressed as well as anxious. On the other hand, sometimes Marion
is also facing difficulties to get up from the armchair when she was talking on the video call with
her daughter (Foo & et. al., 2019).
Identify and analyse one psychological risk factor that will influence Marion’s risk for functional
decline.
Studies done on psychological disorder in past few years suggest that the most recorded
ones among the elderly group are depression and anxiety. The fact that Marion was living alone
by herself and also the covid restrictions have devoid her of the regular visits by her daughter
supports the argument that she might develop psychological disorders like depression. A person
like her who was an active member in the club and enjoyed activities like social ballroom
dancing , a sudden change in her routine due to covid would definitely have put a great impact
on her mental state and indirectly on her functional state as well. People in their old age often try
to keep themselves busy in small less exerting activities so that they can maintain their
functionality to the required extent. But sitting ideal indeed put a negative effect on their motor
functioning as well as mental functioning. Mental disorders like depression have their own
physical effects on the patient. Such patients often complain of feeling tired all the time,
experience a sudden decline in appetite, suffer from insomnia or lack deep sleep and some might
even experience oversleeping as a symptom. The fact that her daughter noticed a decline in her
mother's grocery bills also suggest that her appetite is decreasing (Nyberg & Pudas, 2019).
People at this age are even susceptible to develop other psychological disorders like
dementia. The points mentioned in the study like reducing grocery bills might point towards
dementia that she is forgetting items of the grocery list but a person like her who used to play
bridge at the club even at this age, makes it a bit inconsiderable point that she might develop a
memory disorder. Pertaining to the other symptoms that are mentioned in the studies like she
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complained at her General Practitioner clinic that she was facing difficulties ambulating . Even
her daughter saw on video call that she was not able to get up off the armchair and the
information that she has tripped over a few times in past few days , all these point suggests that
she has been feeling tired lately. Though it can be due to her decreased appetite as well but
considering all the other symptoms, the sudden changes in her routine,and decreased social and
personal meeting events , it can be concluded that she might be suffering from depression. A yet
another reason that might be a contributing factor for her developing depression is her being
worried about her daughter and her three children and their health amidst the COVID pandemic.
Therefore all the analysis leads to the conclusion that she is suffering from depression.
Identify and analyse one sociological risk factor that will influence Marion’s risk for functional
decline.
As per the given case study, the one sociological risk factor which can influence the risk
of Marion for having the functional decline such as before restrictions she used to play bridges
and was an active member of the Lion club. Before restrictions of COVID she used to enjoyed
the social ballroom dancing once in a week. But after the COVID, she did not play anything or
interacted with her friends which make her feel depressed and alone. She is also living alone and
not able to perform her daily living tasks such that these things can make her dependent on other
people. Her daughter Kaylie generally contacted the care nurse at the care clinic of Marion with
a concerns which her mother is facing challenges in ambulating. For Marion, surrounded with
friends can provide her enough confident and make her independent as well. In addition to this,
living alone can specifically makes a person to feel depressed and anxious and have a feeling that
she is alone not capable of doing her daily living activities. The concept of socialization can
effectively enhances the mood, can recall the memory, cognitive process as well as is linked with
the healthy behaviours, consisting exercise as well. The care nurses should recommend Marion
to perform some physical exercise on daily basis so that she can live her life as per her needs
well (Fardouly & Holland, 2018).
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it is concluded by the provided case study that Marion is
living alone in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. As she is 76-years-old, she is not able to perform
her daily activities more confidently and alone which make her feel depressed. To provide
support and help to Marion, the care nurses must provide an effective care to her to that she can
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gain her confidence level again to live her life normally. It is analysed by the case scenario that
Marion was not eating and due to COVID she was not able to participate in games, activities as
she was an active member of Lions club. Prior to restrictions, Marion has enjoyed the social
ballroom dancing once a week but due to viral outbreak these all things has lost somewhere. She
does not communicate with her friends which she used to do. To improve her well-being, the
nurses must give her effective care and enhanced their communication with her so that she can
not feel alone and depressed.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Botti, L., Calzavara, M., & Mora, C. (2021). Modelling job rotation in manufacturing systems
with aged workers. International Journal of Production Research, 59(8), 2522-2536.
Fardouly, J., & Holland, E. (2018). Social media is not real life: The effect of attaching
disclaimer-type labels to idealized social media images on women’s body image and
mood. New media & society, 20(11), 4311-4328.
Foo, H., Mather, K. A., Thalamuthu, A., & Sachdev, P. S. (2019). The many ages of man:
diverse approaches to assessing ageing-related biological and psychological measures
and their relationship to chronological age. Current opinion in psychiatry, 32(2), 130-
137.
Ganse, B., & Degens, H. (2021). Current insights in the age-related decline in sports performance
of the older athlete. International Journal of Sports Medicine.
Martyniak, K., Wei, F., Ballesteros, A., Meckmongkol, T., Calder, A., Gilbertson, T., ... &
Coathup, M. J. (2021). Do polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against bone loss in our
aging and osteoporotic population?. Bone, 143, 115736.
Nyberg, L., & Pudas, S. (2019). Successful memory aging. Annual Review of Psychology, 70,
219-243.
Rizzoli, R., Biver, E., Bonjour, J. P., Coxam, V., Goltzman, D., Kanis, J. A., ... & Reginster, J. Y.
(2018). Benefits and safety of dietary protein for bone health—an expert consensus
paper endorsed by the European Society for Clinical and Economical Aspects of
Osteopororosis, Osteoarthritis, and Musculoskeletal Diseases and by the International
Osteoporosis Foundation. Osteoporosis International, 29(9), 1933-1948.
Roberson, Q. M. (2019). Diversity in the workplace: A review, synthesis, and future research
agenda. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 6,
69-88.
Rowe, E., Beauchamp, M. K., & Wilson, J. A. (2021). Age and sex differences in normative gait
patterns. Gait & Posture, 88, 109-115.
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