Example Of Nursing: Care Of Older Adults Essay

There are a number of important factors that greatly increase an individual’s life expectancy. People who are unhealthy are often not in denial about what affects longevity—often they may believe that the health “rules” do not apply to them, but they will almost always know what the rules are overall.
Upon completion of the life expectancy quiz, I was told “You are expected to live to 84 years old. Chances are 50 percent that you will live between 78 and 93.5 years, but you have a 5% chance of dying before age 56.5 and a 5% chance of living past 101” (Gosset.wharton.upenn.edu, 2015). This means that I am expected to live longer than the average male and the average female in the United States, but that my longevity is not so much longer than average as to be unusual. A freak accident or unseen illness may cause me to die earlier, in my 50s, or unforeseen circumstances may allow me to live longer, but there is a high likelihood that I will live into my eighties.
There are a number of diseases that run in my family, so the interventions that I use to stay healthy are very important, especially now, while I am young. If I do not pay attention to my health at this young age, I am likely to become ill when I get older. For instance, certain behavior-related cancers run in my family, like lung and throat cancer, as well as melanoma; if I am not careful now, while I am young, it seems likely that I will contract one of these diseases when I am older.
Osteoporosis is also something that is a concern in my family, so I am sure to always take the important vitamins and minerals in supplement form. My diet is generally good, but I want to be certain that I get all the important vitamins and minerals I need, so that I do not have deficiencies later; it is particularly important to be proactive with one’s health so that any health problems that could potentially occur are minimized.
As I age, I plan to ensure that I have money put aside so that any future children I might have are not burdened by my medical issues, no matter what they are. I also plan to stay as physically active as possible so that I can avoid diseases that are commonly associated with lack of activity like obesity. Since obesity is often linked with diabetes and other poor health conditions, it is particularly important to me to avoid obesity.
There are a number of concerns that are necessary to think about regarding older adult care. First of all, elder abuse and neglect are very real problems in the care system, and of course, I do not want to be the victim of this issue; to minimize the likelihood of this, I will ensure that I engage in proper whistle-blowing and reporting behaviors in every location I work in.
I also suggest that nursing institutions engage in behaviors that prolong elders’ lives and increase their happiness levels. Often, elders can become fatigued and depressed as a result of their living situations, and providing entertainment and stimulation for these individuals is very important for their overall mental state. Providing a clean and safe environment for elders is obviously very important, but keeping elders who are in need of constant, round-the-clock treatment mentally healthy is just as important, and is often overlooked by individuals who are responsible for their care.

References

Gosset.wharton.upenn.edu,. (2015). How Long Will I Live? - Life Expectancy Calculator. Retrieved 10 March 2015, from http://gosset.wharton.upenn.edu/mortality/perl/CalcForm.html
Hawkes, K. (2004). Human longevity: The grandmother effect. Nature, 428(6979), 128-129. doi:10.1038/428128a
Pollan, M. (2008). In defense of food. New York: Penguin Press.