++
“Old age ain’t no place for sissies.”
—Bette Davis
++
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this chapter, readers will be able to:
7-1. Identify preventative strategies to manage special concerns common among older adults.
7-2. Evaluate older adult frailty treatment options for best evidence-based, client-centered interventions.
7-3. Evaluate older adult medication management options for best evidence-based, client-centered interventions.
7-4. Evaluate older adult oral health and nutrition treatment options for best evidence-based, client-centered interventions.
7-5. Evaluate older adult hydration treatment options for the best evidence-based, client-centered interventions.
7-6. Evaluate older adult urinary management options for the best evidence-based, client-centered interventions regarding urinary tract infections and urinary incontinence.
7-7. Evaluate older adult fall prevention options for the best evidence-based, client-centered interventions.
7-8. Determine the implications for daily participation and health for older adults with these special concerns.
7-9. Generate strategies that foster interprofessional collaboration to manage special concerns common among older adults.
++
Mini Case Study
Peter is a 78-year-old male admitted to the emergency department today with dehydration, diarrhea, shortness of breath, and weakness. He has a history of hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and congestive heart failure. Peter retired 10 years ago and lost his dental insurance at that time. Paying for dental care out of pocket and living on a fixed income, he defers regular dental checkups to save on expenses. Peter now has a number of cavities, bleeding gums, and pain with chewing. Peter says he is having difficulty eating and has lost a significant amount of weight in the last 6 months. Peter also lives in an area of the city with contaminated water. Along with difficulty eating, he does not have access to clean drinking water, which has resulted in repeated bouts of diarrhea with concomitant dehydration.
Provocative Questions
What are Peter’s various health issues?
How are these health issues linked or related?
How could occupational therapy practitioners help Peter manage these health issues to foster better quality of life and wellness?
++
This chapter will discuss common health issues leading to special concerns for older adults. These health issues frequently co-occur in later life and include frailty, medication use, oral health, malnutrition, dehydration, urinary issues, and fall risk. At first glance, this chapter seems to introduce random health issues with no relationship to one another that perhaps do not fit elsewhere in this textbook. Yet these topics underscore the complexity of aging body structures and functions and the interdependence of multiple body functions, resulting in decreased participation, limitations in function, and occupational deprivation. The older adult’s capacity for resiliency, adaptability, and healing diminishes with age because of inefficient body structures and body functions. Extra cognitive attention and effort are needed to participate in tasks because of the bodily inefficiencies caused by the aging process. Awareness is needed to understand the intersection of these common health issues, the physical and psychosocial effects on occupational participation, the consequent development ...