NCM 114 – GERIATRIC NURSING
▪ EMPHYSEMA
COMMON NEEDS OF OLDER ADULTS:
❖ Physiological Balance
• Health and Wellness: Older adults often
require support to maintain their
physiological balance. This includes
managing chronic conditions, ensuring
proper nutrition, exercise, and
managing medications for overall well-
being.
❖ Connection
• Social Interaction: Maintaining social
connections is crucial for mental and
emotional health. Older adults often
seek companionship, friendships, and
family connections to combat isolation
and loneliness.
❖ Gratification
• Fulfillment and Purpose: Maintaining a
sense of purpose and engagement is
essential for older adults. This can
involve hobbies, volunteering, or
activities that provide a sense of
achievement and fulfillment.
COMMON PROBLEMS FACED BY OLDER ADULTS:
❖ Health problems of the aged
❖ Physical problem
❖ Psychological problems
❖ Social problem
❖ Economical
❖ Spiritual
RISK OFDISEASES IN ELDERLY
❖ Prone for infections
❖ Prone for injuries
❖ Prone for psychological problems
❖ Prone for degenerative disorders
❖ Increased risk for disease
❖ Increased risk of disability
❖ Increased risk of death
THREE CLASSIFICATION OF HEALTH PROBLEMS OF
THE AGED
❖ PROBLEMS DUE TO THE AGEING PROCESS
▪ SENILE CATARACT GLAUCOMA
▪ NERVEDEAFNESS
▪ OSTEOPOROSIS
▪ FAILURE OF SPECIAL SENSES
▪ CHANGE IN MENTAL OUTLOOK
SENILE CATARACT
• Senile cataract is a clouding of the lens in the
eye due to aging.
• It commonly develops slowly over time and
can cause blurry vision, faded colors, and
increased sensitivity to glare.
• It's a natural part of aging, and while it might
not necessarily cause total blindness, it can
significantly impair vision.
• Senile cataracts develop as a natural part of
aging and gradually impacting vision.
➢ STAGES OF SENILE CATARACT:
1. Initial Stage (Incipient):
▪ Early formation of cloudy lens.
▪ Slight blurriness in vision.
▪ Minimal impact on daily activities.
2. Intermediate Stage (Immature):
▪ More pronounced clouding of the
lens.
▪ Noticeable visual impairment.
▪ Increased blurriness, reduced
contrast sensitivity, and sensitivity
to glare.
▪ Difficulty seeing in dim light.
3. Advanced Stage (Mature):
▪ Severe visual impairment.
▪ Significant challenge in performing
daily activities.
▪ Lens may become more opaque
and yellowish.
4. Complicated Stage(Hyper mature):
▪ Potential complications or
conditions like phacomorphic
glaucoma or inflammation in the
eye's structure if left untreated.
GLAUCOMA
• Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that
can damage the optic nerve due to
increased pressure within the eye. It can
lead to gradual vision lossor blindness if
left untreated. The two maintypes are
open-angle and angle-closure glaucoma.
 • Often symptom less in the early stages.
Treatments include medications, laser
therapy, or surgery to manage eye pressure
and prevent optic nerve damage.
NERVE DEAFNESS
• Nerve deafness, also known as
sensorineural hearing loss, is a type of
hearing impairment associated with the
aging process.
• This condition is characterized by damage
to the inner ear or the auditory nerve
pathways leading from the inner ear to
the brain.
• As people age, the delicate structures
within the inner ear tend to degrade or
experience wear and tear, which can lead
to sensorineural hearing loss.
➢ Management:
▪ This type of hearing loss is often
permanent because the damage to the
delicate structures in the inner ear or
nerve pathways is usually irreversible.
▪ However, treatments such as hearing
aids or cochlear implants can help
amplify sounds and improve
communication for individuals
experiencing nerve deafness due to
aging.
OSTEOPOROSIS
• Osteoporosis is a medical condition
characterized by a decrease in bone
density and mass, making the bones weak,
brittle, and more susceptible to fractures.
• It is a common condition associated with
aging, particularly in postmenopausal
women and older adults, although it can
affect individuals of any gender.
• During menopause, women experience a
significant decline in estrogen levels,
which plays a crucial role in the
development and maintenance of bone
density.
• Estrogen helps regulate the bone
formation and breakdown. When estrogen
levels drop during menopause, this
balance between bone formation and
breakdown is disrupted, leading to
increased bone loss and a higher risk of
osteoporosis.
• Estrogen helps in calcium absorption,
which is essential for maintaining bone
strength.
EMPHYSEMA
• Emphysema is a type of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
that primarily affects the air sacs (alveoli)
in the lungs.
• In aging, emphysema is often seen as a
condition that progresses over time due to
cumulative exposure to lung irritants, such
as cigarette smoke or other environmental
pollutants, along with the natural aging
process.
• Aging can exacerbate the effects of
emphysema due to the natural weakening
of the lung tissues and reduced elasticity
that comes with age.
• Additionally, the body's ability to repair
damaged lung tissue might diminish,
contributing to a progressive decline in
lung function in individuals with
emphysema.
FAILURE OF SPECIAL SENSES
• Special senses include the senses of taste,
smell, vision, hearing, and touch.
• While aging itself doesn't universally cause
the failure of these senses, it often
contributes to changes in their function
due to natural physiological processes.
CHANGE IN MENTAL OUTLOOK
• Changes in mental outlook with aging
encompass a broad range of emotional,
cognitive, and social shifts.
 • These changes may include increased
emotional stability, deeper wisdom gained
from life experiences, adaptations to life
transitions, and potential challenges such
as cognitive changes or shifts in social
relationships.
❖ PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH LONG-TERM
ILLNESS
▪ DEGENERATIVE DISEASES
▪ CANCER
▪ ACCIDENTS
▪ DIABETES
▪ DISEASES OF LOCO-MOTOR SYSTEM
▪ RESPIRATORY ILLNESS
▪ GENITOURINARY SYSTEM
DEGENERTIVE DISEASES
• These diseases involve the progressive
deterioration of tissues or organs over
time.
• Examples include Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, and osteoarthritis.
• These conditions tend to worsen over
time, impacting an individual's physical
and/or cognitive abilities.
CANCER
• Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of
abnormal cells in the body.
• In aging, the risk of cancer increases, and
individuals might have a higher
susceptibility to various types of cancer
due to cumulative exposure to risk factors
over their lifetime.
ACCIDENTS
• As individuals age, the risk of accidents
leading to injuries such as falls becomes
more prevalent.
• These incidents can have severe
consequences due to the increased
fragility of bones and reduced physical
resilience in older individuals.
DIABETES
• Older adults are at a higher risk of
developing diabetes or experiencing
complications associated with diabetes
due to factors like decreased physical
activity, weight gain, or pre-existing health
conditions.
DISEASES OF LOCOMOTOR SYSTEM
• These conditions affect the
musculoskeletal system, leading to issues
such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, or
musculoskeletal pain.
• These conditions can significantly impact
mobility and daily activities in aging
individuals.
RESPIRATORY ILLNESS
• Chronic respiratory illnesses, such as
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) or emphysema, are more common
in older adults.
• These conditions can cause breathing
difficulties and impact overall respiratory
health.
GENITOURINARY SYSTEM DISEASE
• With aging, individuals are more prone to
genitourinary issues like urinary
incontinence, urinary tract infections, or
diseases affecting the kidneys or
reproductive organs.
• These conditions can affect daily life and
overall health.
❖ PROBLEMS DUE TO PSYCHOLOGICAL
CHANGES
▪ MENTAL CHANGES AND IMPAIRED
MEMORY
▪ SEXUAL ADJUSTMENT
▪ EMOTIONAL DISORDERS
▪ SOCIAL MALADJUSTMENT
COMMON PYSCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
• Anxiety
• Sleep Disorder
• Altered Behavior
• Guilt
• Suicide tendency
• Loss of Appetite
• Lack of Interest in society
 COMMON SOCIAL PROBLEMS
• Poverty (due to retirement, loss of
income, more expenditure due to ill
health, etc.)
• Isolation (due to death of family
members)
• Maladjustment with younger generation
• Unhealthy lifestyles like smoking,
alcoholism etc.
• Idleness and boredom are other social
problems.
• Abuse, dependency, and insecurity

ABUSE OF THE OLD

• Mistreatment of older people – referred
to as ‘‘elder abuse’’ – was first described
in British scientific journals in 1975 under
the term ‘‘granny battering.’’
• Old people may have to undergo a lot of
neglect.
• The abuse may be of a physical nature, it
may be psychological (involving emotional
or verbal aggression), or it may involve
financial or other material maltreatment.
• Elder Abuse refers to ill-treatment of an
elderly person.
SOME MAIN FORMS OF ABUSE OR NEGLECT:

• Physical Abuse
• Psychological Abuse
• Financial Abuse
• Sexual Abuse