CULTURAL

REGARD FOR ELDERS AND

PERCEPTION OF HEALTH
Health care and socio-cultural practices for
elderly patients in different ethnic groups
• Faller and Macron (2013)
FRENCH
- Health care involves physical exercise, food, prayer and work
LEBANESE & PARAGUAYS
- Faith and religiosity guide care
CHINESE & BRAZILIANS
- Traditional medicine and teas
FILIPINOS
- Mix of traditional and modern medicine

•
Health care and socio-cultural practices for
elderly patients in different ethnic groups
• Faller and Macron (2013)

LEBANON FRANCE
• Health and care for aging • Health and care for the aging
• Eating well • Periodical health tests for prevention
• Drinking adequate amounts of water
• Healthy diet
• Sleeping well
• Frequent massages
• Exercise
Health care and socio-cultural practices for
elderly patients in different ethnic groups
• Faller and Macron (2013) • Less fried food
• Always be joyful

BRAZIL
• Health and care for aging
• Frequent exercise
• Healthy diet
CHINESE
• Health and care for aging
• Less salt
PHILIPPINES
- Proper exercise and diet
- Value of religiosity and faith to a higher
being
- -Proper hygiene
RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED
WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS
HEART DISEASE
• Cigarette smokers (2x compared to nonsmokers)
• High BP
• High serum cholesterol levels
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Sedentary lifestyle
CANCER
• Age
• Genes
• Diet
• Drugs and medical treatments
• Infections
• Inflammatory disorders
• Environmental factors
PNEUMONIA
• Malnutrition
• Environmental factors
• Age
• Infections
CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT
• Smoking
• Diet
• Lifestyle
• Age
• Hypertension
• Hyperlipidemia
DIABETES MELLITUS
• Race
• Age
• Family history
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity
• Hypertension
• Abnormal cholesterol levels
OSTEOATHRITIS
• Age
• Sex
• Obesity
• Joint injuries
• Genetics
• Metabolic diseases
• Birth defects
PATTERNS OF ILLNESS OF THE
ELDER PERSONS
Terminal Illness
• Disease trajectories and a
common framework described
four trajectories
• Important aspect of this model is
the concept level of function:
ranges from high to low
Sudden death
• happens when there has been little warning
and no regular contact with the health system
leading up to death
• person may go from normal functioning to
death following a short, acute episode of illness
Terminal Illness
• Level of functioning may remain high for a
long time and then have a sudden dip and
a short time (several months) before
death
• This group uses extensive health services,
such as palliative care, for a relatively
short period at the end-of-life
 Organ Failure
• The pattern will be a number of acute
episodes of illness that will often require
time in hospital and respond to treatment.
While the patient recovers from each of
these episodes, they tend to not recover to
their previous level.
• Death may come suddenly in the end as a
consequence of an acute episode that the
person does not have the reserve to recover
from.
Frailty
• The pattern starts off with a low level of
functioning and has a slow gradual
decline
GERIATRIC ASSESSMENT
Introduction
• “Geriatrics” is the science that deals with the study of diseases and their treatment
peculiar to old age.
• UN is considered 60 years as the age of transition to the elderly age group
1. Early Old Age - up to 75 years
2. Late Old Age – above 75 years
Geriatric Health Problems
• Due to Aging
- Glaucoma, Osteoporosis, Nerve- deafness
. Problems Associated with Long-term illness
- cancer, accident, diabetes
. Psychological Problems
- Mental changes, sexual adjustments, Emotional Disorder
Geriatric Assessment
• A multidimensional interdisciplinary diagnostic process focused on determining a
frail order person’s medical, psychological, and functional capability in order to
develop a coordinated and integrated plan for treatment and long term follow up
Why it is important?
• Effectively addresses the “Five I’s of Geriatrics”
1. Intellectual impairment
2. Immobility
3. Instability
4. Incontinence
5. Iatrogenic Effect
MEDICAL HISTORY
1. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS
2. CHIEF COMPLAINTS
3. PRESENT ILLNESS
4. PAST HISTORY
5. SOCIAL HISTORY
6. FAMILY HISTORY
MEDICAL EXAMINATION
1. VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
2. LOCOMOTIVE DISORDER
3. NEUROLOGIC DISORDER
4. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
5. RESPIRATORY DISORDER
6. WEIGHT CHANGES
7. HEARING LOSS
8. GENITOURINARY DISORDER
9. PSYCHIATRIC PROBLEM
10. ABDOMINAL PROBLEM
HISTORY OF PRESENTING CONDITION
• Michael is a 61 year old senior partner in Law firm. While eating breakfast, Michael
experience sudden onset slurring of speech, had facial droop on his left hand side
with weakness in left side upper and lower limbs. Michael’s wife Mary spotted
these sudden onset of symptoms and immediately called for an ambulance, which
arrived within 15 minutes.
• PAST MEDICAL HISTORY
• Asthma Dx aged 8
• Hypertension Grade 1 – Dx 5 years ago
• Prediabetes – Dx 3 years ago