Case Study of Mrs. Colgrave



Case study -Mrs. Colgrave

Introduction

The body changes with aging because changes occur in individual cells and in whole organs. These changes result in changes in function and in appearance. The case entails the condition of Colgrave who lives alone. Her health status is getting poor and the patient is not willing to move to a health care facility. Her relatives are not at home all the time to take care of her and really confused about how to tackle the situation. They are thinking to move her to a nursing facility.

Mrs Colgrave's body systems impacted on by age related changes

A decline in one organ's function, whether due to a disorder or to aging itself, can affect the function of another. For example, if atherosclerosis narrows blood vessels to the kidneys, the kidneys function less well because blood flow to them is decreased. Often, the first signs of aging involve the musculoskeletal system. The eyes, followed by the ears, begin to change early in mid-life. Most internal functions also decline with aging. Most bodily functions peak shortly before age 30 and then begin a gradual but continuous decline. However, even with this decline, most functions remain adequate because most organs start with considerably more functional capacity than the body needs (functional reserve). (Kao & Landefeld 2010) For example, if half the liver is destroyed, the remaining tissue is more than enough to maintain normal function. Thus, disorders, rather than normal aging, usually account for most of the loss of function in old age. Even though most functions remain adequate, the decline in function means that older people are less able to handle various stresses, including strenuous physical activity, extreme temperature changes in the environment, and disorders. This decline also means that older people are more likely to experience side effects from drugs(Barnard & Colón-Emeric, 2010).

Normal Ageing Changes Of The System

As cells age, they function less well. Eventually, old cells must die, as a normal part of the body's functioning. Old cells sometimes die because they are programmed to do so. The genes of cells program a process that, when triggered, results in death of the cell. This programmed death, called apoptosis, is a kind of cell suicide. The aging of a cell is one trigger. Old cells must die to make room for new cells. Other triggers include an excess number of cells and possibly damage to a cell (Boult & Wieland, 2010). Old cells also die because they can divide only a limited number of times. This limit is programmed by genes. When a cell can no longer divide, it grows larger, exists for a while, then dies. The mechanism that limits cell division involves a structure called a telomere. Telomeres are used to move the cell's genetic material in preparation for cell division. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres shorten a bit. Eventually, the telomeres become so short that the cell can no longer divide(Devore et al. ...