Paper Example on Retired Bus Driver's Health Perception & Management: 72-Year-Old COPD & Hypertension Patient

Introduction

The person interviewed in practice is a 72-year-old retired bus driver. The patient lives with his second wife. Also, the interviewee has three children from the first marriage but none with the current wife. He was an active smoker seven years ago. The interviewed patients have been diagnosed with COPD and Hypertension. His wife, who is 65 years, wash his clothes and perform other cleaning activities.

1 B. Health perception and management

The primary health concern for the interviewee is breathing difficulties. At some point, the interviewee gets SOB. Often, he coughs and wheezes, and his wife would make sure that he uses his medications in compliance with the doctor's prescriptions. The interviewee is independent because he takes medications even without reminders from his wife. He usually attends to various continuous checkups for the doctor to examine him and determine his recovery from COPD and Hypertension. The primary doctor also orders medications for the interviewee. His house is located in less than mile to a health facility where he usually tends to the checkups planned by the primary doctor. Currently, the interviewee does not drive; he can do it when he decides.

1 C. Social health:

The patient lives with his second wife in their home. Throughout his life, the individual has been active and keeps himself typically busy by managing one of the apartments owned by a step son. Also, the interviewee does not often go to church and is not a member of any social group. Despite his inability to join the social groups, the individual has many friends who spend time together. For example, he usually goes to goes to a restaurant owned by one of his friends to dominoes.

1D. Home Assessment:

The interviewee lives in a private house with his family. The house is situated in a safe neighborhood. The house he lives with his wife is clean with little clutter. The smoke detectors are present and work properly in cases of fire outbreak. His wife performs all cleaning, cooking, and other household activities, but she hires someone to assist her in the laundry. Also, a carpenter or a contractor is hired to if the house needs to be repaired. The stairs in the house make his condition worse because he usually experiences shortness of breath while climbing them. To avoid the severity of the condition/shortness of breath, he only climbs one stair that leads to his bedroom.

1E. Community Assessment: Interview Questions

Overall impression of the surrounding neighborhood?

The neighborhood or environment consists of the house and its semi-residential area. His region is appropriate for promoting his health because of the existence of various health facilities that offer specialized services for older adults. The region also contains many buildings and businesses within a mile.

Services (medical) available for the older adult and community activities available for the older adult: Does he use it?

There are many clinics, medical offices, and hospitals in the area that the interviewee lives. Also, senior care facilities offer local senior housing and living data. The number of nursing homes and Home Healthcare offices is limited in the area in which the individual is living. Also, there is a senior center in the community that offers disability and aging resources. All the services available in the city are essential for the prevention of elderly abuse, counseling on health insurance matters, assistance and information, and legal services.

Currently, the interviewee is not using the services present in the community.

How does the individual's physical, mental, economic status, and access to transportation impact his or her ability to meet social, cultural, nutritional, and health care needs? Is anything lacking? Does he feel satisfied with the resources and their ability to access them?

Economic, mental, social, and physical status affects his access to health care services. The area where the interviewee lives have all the necessary facilities for the elderly. The interviewed person mentioned that he likes the place, and because of the satisfaction he gets from the excellent services offered in the community.

Identify any Special Needs he has related to his Health Status, Safety, and Community, and any Education Needs To be Indicated by Information you collected.

Some of the special needs to be provided to the individual include reinforcement of safety measures that can help in the prevention of risks of falls, especially while using the stairs in his house. The education needs include advising him on the importance of avoiding massive manual task my affect his breathing capabilities.

Section 2: Physical Health Interview

Medical diagnosis, Major Illnesses, Injuries, and Hospitalization

The interviewee was diagnosed with COPD that has caused illnesses two-three times a year. COPD has not created any injuries to the individual. The interviewee has never been hospitalized due to COPD. Also, the individual has been diagnosed and found having hypertension that usually occurs once or twice in a year but has never caused any injury on him. The person has not been hospitalized due to hypertension.

Allergies and Immunities

None of the foods consumed by the individual cause allergic reaction and immune responses. NKA is an appropriate medication prescribed by his primary doctor for managing all forms of allergies and immune responses when observed because they are seasonal depending on weather changes.

Immunity and Immunization

He does not get colds and rashes because his immunity is reliable, but the illnesses may are seasonal depending on weather changes. His immunization history shows that the individual received vaccination against Shingles, PPD, and Tetanus. The current immunization was done for Hepatitis B.

Body Defense Mechanism

Integument Skin: there is no change in the color and texture of the hair or scalp. No wounds and swellings on the skin. There is no history of skin trauma, but sunburn usually occurs seasonally due to changes in climate/weather. The individual has problems in the healing of wounds. There is a history of trauma on his fingers and toes because he was an active smoker. The fingers and toes have turned black due to the risks of diabetes, resulting in prolonged smoking.

Head and Neck: There is no history of head trauma on the interviewee. Also, the individual does not experience frequent colds and other related conditions. The thyroid function is normal, but he usually experiences pain in his thoracic region due to shortness of breath (Wilkinson, Perry, Blanchard, & Linsell, 2008). The individual has presented with sinus infection and difficulty in breathing. No frequent colds and allergies on the interviewee. COPD causes shortness of breath.

Some teeth are decayed due to prolonged smoking but no problem with pharynx. The history of swallow has shown that that the individual has no problem with his dental health. Currently, the gums have started to bleed due to the effects of smoking. Appetite decreased slightly due to psychological instabilities. The interviewee does not have an eye infection, but diabetes has resulted in the formation of cataracts on the eyes.

The individual does not have any hearing difficulty. Also, there is no history/examination of the hearing senses.

There is no significant history of dietary and nutritional assessment. His weight has been constant over the last three years.

Is there any daily meal pattern?

The typical meal pattern for the individual is Centrum Silver vitamins that are generally bought by his wife. The standard meal pattern is provided to improve his immune system.

Any Nutritional Supplements?

The individual takes supplements of Iron typically and vitamin C. the supplements are made with breakfast.

Do you think it is Balances, and is the Fluid Intake Adequate?

The typical meals and supplements of vitamin C and iron are balanced because they meet the needs of his body. The fluids intake is also adequate because the individual takes six to eight glasses of water per day.

Is there any Assistance with Grocery Shopping or Food Preparation needed?

Assistance is needed to identify the right time of taking the supplements to ensure compelling performances in the body (MDMBAMA, Hinton, & MDFRCPC, 2015).

Has meals on Wheels or any other Food Service been Utilized?

The use of the daily meal pattern involving the consumption of Centrum Silver vitamins is an example of utilizing the food services.

Religious, Cultural Concerns relate to Dietary Practices

Religious beliefs determined his selection of typical daily meal pattern. Cultural and religious concerns did not interfere with his dietary practices.

References

MDMBAMA, N. K. A., Hinton, L., & MDFRCPC, L. J. K. (Eds.). (2015). DSM-5 handbook on the cultural formulation interview. American Psychiatric Pub. Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=p6gvCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=PATIENT+INTERVIEW+chapter+1&ots=IxsxVqfSE5&sig=0u9CK_HHd-YfIzRIGj27A7NGt8k&redir_esc=y

Wilkinson, S., Perry, R., Blanchard, K., & Linsell, L. (2008). Effectiveness of a three-day communication skills course in changing nurses' communication skills with cancer/palliative care patients: a randomized controlled trial. Palliative medicine, 22(4), 365-375. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269216308090770