HEALTHY AGE
Running head: HEALTHY AGE HEALTHY AGE FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT Nora Ann Ziemba, R.N. NGCSU BSN PROGRAM Abstract This paper is a functional assessment of a seventy-one-year-old female client who is in good health. The client is a member of the Lumpkin County Senior Center located in Dahlonega, Georgia. The functional assessment includes physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and environmental aspects. As part of the assessment, the basic activities of daily living, advanced activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living are recorded and a functional performance test is utilized. For the purpose of study, a visit to the home of the client allowed for an in-depth interview and observation of safety, functions, and leisure activities. The finding conclude this client to be highly functional according to the guidelines of Ebersole’s “Learning and Growing in Later Life (Ebersole and Hess, 2001, p. 40) HEALTHY AGE FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT I. Introduction The health assessment is a collection of data that provides a plan of action for the individual to maintain or improve her health status. This is a comprehensive geriatric assessment of a 71-year-old female, which integrates aspects of the client physiologically, cognitively, psychosocially, and environmentally. Tests were conducted to determine the functional levels of the client. The client is in good health, and remains active. II. Methods & Tools A. Physical Assessment Findings: 1. Fluids: The client is well hydrated, and is capable of preparing liquids and moist foods. The client is expressive regarding different tastes, and states that she drinks water, coffee, milk, tea, and soda ad lib during the day. She denies getting up from sleep to relieve excessive thirst. The client has no difficulty swallowing, and takes an antihypertensive medication twice daily and a vitamin once daily. 2. Aeration: The client has a chronic non-productive cough probably due to smoking cigarettes. Her respirations are between 17 and 21 breaths per minute at rest, and unlabored. The client becomes short of breath during added exertion requiring her to walk up more than 25 steps. The client admits to smoking less than ˝ pack of cigarettes per day. No edema to distal extremities was observed; no clubbing to nail beds, or purse-lipped breathing was observed. There are diminished breath sounds bilaterally without wheezing, crackles, or rhonchi. The client does not use home oxygen support system. She does have a previous history of breast cancer, and is status post a left mastectomy.