MAXIMISING OLDER PEOPLE'S POTENTIAL

Literature Review: Maximising Older People's Potential

Literature Review: Maximising Older People's Potential

Background of the Case

Pauline is a 75 years old lady who is suffering from newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (2DM), Incontinence of urinary and faecal, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). She was recently moved to 25- bedded nursing home for elderly people following hospital discharge. Pauline was admitted to hospital due to infective exacerbation. Pauline smoked heavily for thirty years and stopped smoking a year ago when the condition became deteriorated. Pauline used to live with her partner, Rob in a third floor flat, but with the physical impact of COPD leading to Pauline's breathlessness, hospital admission became inevitable in order to relieve symptoms and provide necessary support. Pauline is of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity, slightly overweight with a body mass index of 28. She is self-aware, has good communication skills and is able to make her wishes understood. She is capable of making simple decisions regarding her care. The risk factors for type 2 diabetes are: obesity, especially central obesity with a waist measurement of >80cm in women putting them at high risk (Diabetes UK 2006); being black; family history of diabetes; hypertension or previous stroke; polycystic ovarian disease. Clearly, a number of these risk factors relate to Pauline.

Discussion and Analysis

Most elderly people with different stages of incapacities want to be cared for in their own homes. Often caregivers are spouses of the same age, with their own health concerns or incapacities. These elderly couples may be supported by siblings and their spouses, other relatives or friends, neighbours, or in-home care. Because the number of elderly people is rapidly growing in every country, it is important to create sufficient home support for elderly people with growing incapacities to maintain their quality of life. If home support is not sufficient, the need for long-term care beds in hospitals or institutions grows. Insufficient or improperly allocated home support is an expensive way to care for elderly people with growing incapacities. In this paper, the focus is on the common diseases leading to incapacity and need for help for elderly individuals, the family context as perceived by the caregivers, the cultural context, the service implementation, and the health and social care policies (Narayan, 2003).

Case of Pauline

Pauline is suffering from Diabetes Type two which is a serious issue with the patient of this age. Before focusing on the methods to empower Pauline, this paper will in detail discuss the drastic impact Type 2 Diabetes can cause on Pauline, and why it is important to empower her.

The most common symptoms of diabetes are frequent urination and intense thirst and/or hunger. Other symptoms include the following:

Excessive fatigue with no apparent cause

Blurred vision

Slow healing of cuts or wounds

Frequent skin or other infections

Unexplained weight loss (only in type 1 diabetes)

People with diabetes are urged to pay attention to their diet and prevent obesity. Physicians can also check on the patient's glucose levels over a three-month period with a glycosalated hemoglobin level, or hemoglobin ...