Date of Award
1994
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Art
First Advisor
Arlene Taich
Second Advisor
Phoebe Cirio
Third Advisor
Bettie Jordan
Abstract
The education of caregivers is essential to proper care. The retention of nurse aids in long-term care of the elderly can be enhanced by specific instruction in the physical aspects of aging as it relates to the required care. The educational level of nurse aids may not give them the perspective needed to interpret the changes they see taking place in the elderly. This paper provides some of that additional perspective.
Aging changes begin at the cellular level Cell tasks are specific and functional Aging effects changes in cell function and response with subsequent visible and experienced signs and symptoms of aging. Anatomical and physiological age-related changes are the subsequent result of the overall, ongoing aging process. The body systems are interrelated and interdependent. Skin and hair require a change in the aid care as they become dry and thin. The musculoskeletal ~stem changes result in. a loss of strength and height, and includes some visual changes, all of which require special aid attention. The nervous system changes result in a slowing of the response time to stimuli The endocrine system oversees many of the age related changes. The endocrine system as well as the respiratory and circulatory systems, have few functions that the nurse aid can directly influence, yet the changes require knowledgeable aid care. The digestive and urinary systems are two of the systems most apparently affected as we age and aid knowledge of the changes can be of great assistance to the elderly. The reproductive system slowly undergoes changes in both the male and female. Aid awareness of these changes will yield better care for the elderly.
Recommended Citation
Allen, Michele Corinne, "The Normal Physiological Aspects of Aging as They Relate to Nurse Aid Care" (1994). Theses. 419.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/419
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