Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Older Adult Patient - Coggle Diagram

- - - - The skin becomes thinner, more fragile, and part of the subcutaneous layer of fat is lost. This is because the body produces less collagen the older we get. Since collagen is one of the building blocks of skin, the lack of it has significant effects. Some signs of changed skin integrity are feeling colder, seeing more wrinkles, and having darker spots.
    - - Skin cancer is caused by growth of cancer cells in the epidermis These growths can either be malignant or benign. The 3 types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Some major risk factors for skin cancer are fair skin, history of sunburns, sun exposure, family history, and moles.
- - - - Arthritis is a disease process where the joints are inflamed and the cartilage breaks down. The breakdown of the cartilage is what causes the pain. The inflammation of the joints occurs in the feet, hands, hips, knees and back. Some factors that can trigger the inflammation are activity level, the weather, stress, or infections. Some of the symptoms include joint pain, fatigue and fever.
    - - Osteoporosis is when the bone breakdown process happens faster than the bone remodeling process. This makes the bones weak and brittle. The mineral composition isn't as strong and the osteoclasts function faster than osteoblasts. Some signs of osteoporosis are back pain, loss of height over time, stooped posture, and easily breakable bones.
- - - - Lung cancer is when cancerous cells invade the lungs and form a tumor. This can be either benign or metastatic. However, often times lung cancer is metastitic because the cells reach the lymph nodes and travel to other parts of the body through the circulatory system. Some of the risk factors for lung cancer are smoking, air pollutants and allergens. Any carcinogens that we breath in will increase our risk for having this disease.
    - - Emphysema is the enlargement of the space in-between the bronchioles. This causes less surface area of the alveoli which decreases airflow. The alveoli are damaged and eventually will rupture, which decrease the amount of oxygen that reaches the bloodstream. A huge risk factor for this is smoking.
- - - - Diverticulitis are sac like formations in the colon (which are called diverticula). The diverticula sometime become infected and inflamed when food particles agitate it. The inflammation of the diverticula cause the pain, increased flatus, rectal bleeding, fever, constipation, and abdominal distention. This disease process is very common, affecting 50% of older adults.
    - - Appendicitis is the inflammation of the appendix. The appendix is a pouch that protrudes off of the colon. When the appendix becomes inflammed, it causes pain. This happens when something is blocked in the pouch. This can be viruses, bacteria or parasites from the digestive tract. Eventually, if no intervention is taken it can burst which can cause sudden pain, nausea, vomitting and loss of appetite.
- - - - Dementia is the build-up of proteins in the brain that interrupts brain function. Neuron loss and atrophy can lead to the symptoms. It is gradual process. Some of the symptoms include memory loss, difficulty performing ADL's. problems with speaking, impaired speaking and misplacing things.
    - - Parkinson's disease stems from a decreased amount of dopamine in the brain, which is used to help transmit nerve cells. The lack of dopamine causes a problem in the transmission of other neurotransmitters. The problem of transmission is debilitating to the basal ganglia which affects the motor ability of the cells. This causes rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability.
- - - - Type 2 diabetes is a type of glucose intolerance. The insulin that is naturally produced from the body aren't able to "unlock" the cell that is suppose to accept glucose. Therefore, since the cells aren't able to absorb the glucose, an excess of glucose is built up in the bloodstream. Some signs and sysmptoms include increased thirst/hunger, fatigue, slow healing, frequent urination.
    - - The hypo metabolic state is caused by a decrease in hormones T3 and T4. The lack of thyroid hormone causes fatigue/lethargy, weakness, weight gain, dry skin/hair, and slowed speech.
        
        In both hypothyroidism and aneurysms, the walls of the arteries are weakened. In a hypo metabolic state, it slows the hearts pumping capability, which can cause weakened heart muscles/arteries. This could potentially lead to an aneurysm.
- - - - A urinary tract infection is caused by bacteria that is in the urethra, bladder, ureters, or kidney. When the bacteria travels there it can cause irritation or inflammation of the cells and have serious effects. Some signs and symptoms of a UTI are a strong feeling to urinate, burning while urinating, cloudy urine, red or bright pink tinged urine, pelvic pain, and confusion. A way to treat this infection is with antibiotics.
        
        Confusion is a symptom of both a UTI and dementia
    - - Glomerulonephritis is when the cells of the glomeruli become inflamed. They can become inflamed by infections. The glomeruli remove excess fluid, and waste from the bloodstream, so when these cells become inflamed and don't work right, there are serious implications. Some signs and symptoms include lack of appetite, tiredness, dry/itchy skin, muscle cramps, difficulty sleeping.
- - - - Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
        
        BPH is an enlargement of the prostate gland. As the cells keep growing, the extra tissue is what causes the prostate is increase in size. This can cause problems including weak urine stream, incomplete feeling of emptying the bladder, nocturia, UTI's, and kidney problems.
    - - Breast cancer
        
        Cancer of the breasts increases in age. Although it can be seen in men, it is very common in women. Tumors form in the ducts of lobules of the breasts and metastasize in some cases to other parts of the body.
- - - - An aneurysm is when the blood vessels are weakened and eventually burst. Some of the reasons blood vessels become weak include atherosclerosis or hypertension. A bursted aneurysm can cause bleeding, stroke and even death if it isn't fixed in time.
    - - Peripheral artery disease is when there are blockages in the arteries of the legs. It causes a decrease in blood flow which then affects the surrounds tissues in the lower extremities. The lack of oxygen causes ulcers, dry skin, thickened nails, and decreased pulses.