Unit 6: Older Adult Health Assessment

Unit 6: Older Adult Health Assessment EF310-01 Tiffany Stein Kaplan University November 27, 2012

Unit 6: Older Adult Health Assessment As people age their strength and cardiovascular health and fitness begin to decrease. Many times they begin to add extra weight that seems impossible to lose which can cause an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and injuries from falling. There are many benefits to physical activity including lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes, the prevention of weight gain as well as lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and

improve balance to avoid the risk of falling. One thing that is important to remember is that some activity is better than none. It is important for all seniors to maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating a nutritious diet. There are many ways that seniors can incorporate a healthy lifestyle to stay fit, but before they begin any type of physical activity they must first consult with their doctor and be assessed to make sure that they are healthy enough to begin a fitness program (Thygerson A. & Thygerson S., 2011).

PAR-Q Rating

My client completed the PAR-Q and answered yes to a few questions but her doctor gave her the ok to begin a fitness program (Howely, E. & Franks,B, 2007).

Health Status

My client is a 65 year old female who is in good health and is active at least three days a week. She is currently on medication and has had stints placed in her cardiac arteries to relieve chest pain but she has been monitored by her doctor and has been given the okay to begin physical activity.

General Medical History

Unit 6: Older Adult Health Assessment My client recently had three stints put in cardiac arteries to relieve chest pain and blockages.

Assessment Results on testing CRF, Endurance, Flexibility, Strength

Resting heart rate: 60 bpm

Chair stand, 18

Arm curl 18

Risk Factors and Precautions

My client does have high cholesterol, high blood pressure that has both been corrected with medication. She has also had a bone scan that showed very early stages of osteoporosis.

Medications

My client is on currently on Lipitor, Lopressor, and Procardia.

Health and Lifestyle Behaviors

My client is in good health and is active at least three days a week. She enjoys walking, gardening, crafting and golfing.

Body Composition

My clientt is 64 inches tall and weighs 164 pounds. Her measurements are 37 inches around the waist and 41.5 inches around her hips. In order to calculate her BMI or Body Mass

Unit 6: Older Adult Health Assessment

Index you take the clients height in inches which is 64 and their weight in pounds which is 164. You multiply the clients weight by 703. 164 x 703= 115,292. You then divide that number by your height 115, 292/64=1,801.4375. You take that number and divide it again by your height 1,801.4372/64=28.15. My patients BMI is 28 which is considered Overweight according to the classifications for BMI Ratios in Fit to Be Well (Thygerson A. & Thygerson, H., 2007).

Nutrition

My client would like to lose 20 pounds. It is important to for my client to lose weight by making healthier nutritional choices as well as incorporating physical activity into her daily routine.

Readiness for Change

The Transtheoretical Model of Change, known as the Stages of Changes model helps us to change a problem behavior (Marcus, B. & Forsyth, L., 2007). There are five stages that an individual progresses through in order to adopt healthy behaviors or eliminate unhealthy ones. During each stage different intervention strategies help them progress to the next. Stage 1: Precontemplation-A person has an increased awareness but is not ready to make a change in his or her life in the foreseeable future. Stage 2: Contemplation-The person is aware of the problem and thinking about overcoming it. This stage may take some time. Stage 3: Preparation-Goals are set, record and analyze behavior. A person in the stage my make a firm commitment to change and believe that it can be done. Stage 4: Action-Replaces old, unhealthy behavior with new, healthy behavior and maybe vulnerable to barriers. Stage 5: Maintenance-You will still need to reward yourself and be aware of any environmental control to avoid falling into old habits (Marcus, B., & Forsyth, L., 2009).

Unit 6: Older Adult Health Assessment My client is in stage 4 for her readiness to change which is Action. She is ready to

replace old, unhealthy behavior with new, healthy behavior. She may vulnerable to barriers so it is important to make sure that we come up with easy and accessible ways for her to maintain her daily physical activity. One solution that I feel would help benefit my client is for her to get a small dog that she can take out on walks. Having a dog will help limit her excuses and will help her motivate her to get out of the house on a daily basis.

Motivational Strategies and Techniques

My client is in stage 4 for her readiness for change which leads me to believe that she is on her way to making physical fitness a lifelong habit and commitment. It is important that my client and I set both set short and long term goals together. She is already getting at least three days of physical activity so it would be great to set her long term goal to exercising five to six days a week for 30 minutes a day. A good recommendation would be for her to start off slowly and build up. Gradually increasing her work out time by five ten minutes each week would be a great way for her to build up her confidence and be able to see that she can maintain the goals that she is setting for herself. In order to help my client I need to assess and evaluate her progress every three months to make sure that she is moving forward. One way to assess my client is through questionnaires and spending one on one time talking and exercising with her.

Recommendations

Before I recommend any type of physical activity I need to make sure that my client understands the benefits of nutrition and physical activity including strength training. One of the most important things that I can recommend for my client is to practice safety and to teach her

Unit 6: Older Adult Health Assessment

what equipment would be good for her to use. I would also make sure that my client understands the importance of warming up and cooling down as well as proper stretching. In order for my client to lose twenty pounds and maintain her ideal body weight she needs to stay active and focus on her nutritional intake. According to livestrong.com (2012), the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that adults older than sixty five take part in moderate to aerobic exercise for thirty minutes per day, five times a week or vigorous aerobic exercise twenty minutes per day, three days a week. I would recommend that my client adhere to these guidelines by gradually working up to the recommended physically activity. I would also recommend that we track her caloric intake and physical activity in order to find out how many calories she will need to lose her goal of twenty pounds. I chose to use livestrong.com to calculate my clients daily caloric intake. They have a special tracker called My Plate that I input her age, height and weight as well as how active she is which and how much weighs and that she would like to lose about 1 pound per week. The livestrong.com web site recommended that her daily calorie goal should be 1493(Livestrong.com, 2012). I would make sure that my client understands the importance of incorporating nutrients like calcium and vitamin D in order to keep her bones and teeth strong as well as zinc and vitamin B12 for wound healing and vision. I would also recommend that she consume whole grains, lean proteins like fish and poultry and eat colorful fruits and vegetables such as leafy greens, tomatoes, broccoli, and an assortment of peppers. I would also recommend that she drinks plenty of water to keep herself hydrated throughout the day and to also consider juicing her fruits and vegetables to get more of the vital nutrients that her body needs (National Institute on Aging, 2012). Lastly, I would recommend a food tracker either online from livestrong.com or a daily food log so that she can monitor her caloric intake on a daily basis and see what she is lacking in her diet.

Unit 6: Older Adult Health Assessment It is important as a health professional to continue to support, encourage, and reward my client as they continue on this lifelong health and wellness journey. When a client can see the short term and long term benefits of incorporating a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and

physical activity they are more likely to stick with it and maintain their healthy habits throughout their lifetime. As a health professional there is nothing more rewarding than watching a client achieve their goals and live their life to the fullest.

Unit 6: Older Adult Health Assessment References: Thygerson, A. L. & Thygerson, S. M., (2011). Fit to Be Well. Chapters 1, 2,3,4,5, & 7.

Howley, E., Franks, B.D., (2007). Fitness Professionals Handbook 5th Edition, Human Kinetics; Retrieved on November 27, 2012 from EF310: Current Trends in Exercise and Fitness: Course Home: Direct Digital Bookshelf.

Marcus, B. H. & Forsyth, L. H. (2009). Motivating People to be Physically Active Second Ed. Champaign, IL. : Human Kinetics

Livestrong.com. (2012). Daily Caloric Intake. Retrieved 27 November 2012 from https://www.livestrong.com

National Institute of Health (2012). National Institute of Aging: Healthy Eating after 50. Retrieved 27 November from: http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/healthy-eatingafter-50