Individualized Aging Assessment

Utilizing a set of guided questions, I conducted an individualized aging assessment on a 65 year old Hispanic lady initialed T.M. During the interview we discussed her beliefs, ideas and lived experiences on what she perceives as successfully aging. Ms. T.M informed me that she is a widow and has five living children. Currently she resides with her eldest daughter and son-in-law. T.M is still employed as a nurse and states that she fears the day when she will have to retire. When asked what she sees as issues of aging as they affect her well- being, she sadly replies” just getting old is an issue”. She also states that she does not consider herself to be aging well since she physical feels older than most women her age. T.M reflected mostly
The tools used to further asses T.M’s problems were The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Hendrich II Fall Risk Assessment. On the PSQI, which is used to measure sleep quality and patterns, T.M scored a global score of 16. A score above 5 is clinically significantly to disturbed or poor sleep. Education on age-related changes in sleep and good sleep hygiene may be adequate treatment for T.M. Recommending she reduces the amount of caffeine she has daily and avoiding liquids near bedtime may help with nocturia. Additionally, an evaluation of her prescribed medications will also need to be considered since they may causes nocturia and interfere with
Specific questions are built into this tool to assess the effects of particular classes of medication that leads to falls. On the get up and go section she scored 1 point for being able to rise from a seated position and pushing up on the first attempt. T.M’s overall score was 5, which is considered high risk for falls. To assistance T.M in preventing future falls a review of her medications is necessary since specific medications are associated with falls. Educating her on how to rise from a sitting position to prevent orthostatic hypotension is essential. Also, an overall assessment of her home was completed to evaluate possible environmental risk factors. Throughout her living environment she had multiple safety issues which included a narrow walkway in her bedroom due to furniture, an extremely high bed, several throw rugs and poor lighting in the hall. Ultimately, to aid T.M with her risk for future falls, fall prevention education should be taught to her and her caregivers. General safety measures such as extra lighting in the hallways to the bathroom, rearranging or removing of bulky furniture, clearing clutter from walkways and encouraging the usage of non-slip socks may also help decrease her incidence of falls and future adverse