Your friend Ling has a grandmother who is beginning to have different physical, emotional, and nutritional needs as she is getting older.

Your friend Ling has a grandmother who is beginning to have different physical, emotional, and nutritional needs as she is getting older. Ling has asked you for some advice on how to understand and care for her grandmother’s needs better. What information would you give Ling? Describe the effects of aging on nutritional needs. Discuss the physical as well as emotional effects of aging and some appropriate ways of dealing with them. Explain to Ling how she can ensure the safety of her grandmother by preventing falls as well as infections, providing a safe environment, and promptly attending to her grandmother’s needs.

2. Your retired neighbor, Sterling, hasn’t been to a doctor in years. He is planning to go for a checkup soon on his 70th birthday. Sterling is worried about his upcoming tests. He asks you what kinds of illnesses he could face as he ages and what kinds of treatments are available for those illnesses. How would you educate Sterling on the common chronic illnesses that exist and their treatments? Share with him some common chronic illnesses and the special care they require. Describe common medications taken by the elderly and chronically ill along with their effects and side effects.

3. At the health care facility where you have been working, one of the patients, Cardi, has been diagnosed with dementia. Cardi’s family is concerned about what this means for her. They ask you what her future will look like. What will dementia be like, and how will Cardi be treated for it? Explain to the family how to recognize the stages of dementia and what Cardi’s care will be like during each stage. Discuss reality orientation, reminiscing, and validation therapy.

4. As a health care worker in an assisted living facility, you have recently been asked to help with Ernie, an elderly patient who has been having some skin irritation. How would you check the integrity of Ernie’s skin condition? How would you take appropriate action to help when needed?

5. Your friend Sasha has recently been experiencing a lot of muscle aches and pains. She is looking for treatments that do not involve traditional medications. She has heard about ultrasound, hot as well as cold therapeutic massage, electronic muscle stimulation, and hydrotherapy. She asks you to explain these options to her. How would you educate Sasha? Tell her about these treatments and demonstrate an understanding of the use of each of those five modalities. Provide a detailed description of the process of hydrotherapy. Demonstrate your understanding of the techniques for applying hot and cold treatments. Include a reference to documentation in your answer so that she knows that records of these modalities are kept.