Physiologic Changes In Nursing Case Study Essay

Case Study One: Normal Physiologic Changes and Chronic Diseases/Conditions

Valerie McGoldrick

Drexel University

Case Study One: Normal Physiologic Changes and Chronic Diseases/Conditions

The purpose of this paper is to identify normal changes that occur in older adults and identify the impact these changes have on the elderly by looking at a case study of an older woman with chronic medical conditions and develop a plan of care.

A.M. is 74 years old. She is 5’1’ and weights 191 pounds. She is a widow who lives alone in an apartment in senior citizens housing. She has a past medical history of cancer, osteosarcoma that was treated with surgery and breast cancer that was treated with radiation therapy. She also has a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus type II, neuropathy of her left leg and Charcot foot. Her

The complications of diabetes can affect almost every part of your body. “In elderly patients for whom the benefits of intensive antidiabetic treatment are limited, the basic objective should be to improve quality of life, preserve functionality and avoid adverse effects, especially hypoglycemia,” (Gomez-Huelgas et al., 2018, para. 1). Eating a healthy diet can control blood sugars and help manage weight. A.M. prefers to eat bread and pastries instead fruit and vegetables. She should be eating foods low in fat and carbohydrates. She has renal insufficiency that could contribute to her nocturia and possibility of her medications not being absorbed properly. The Charcot food and neuropathy is a complication of diabetes which makes it hard for A.M. to be active and get exercise. Her left foot has a slight drop and when she walks it slaps on the ground. The osteoarthritis and osteoporosis in her right hip affect A.M.’s quality of life due to pain whenever she moves around and she is at risk for