Wellness Despite Chronic Illness: Achieving Balance Despite Limitations - Essay Sample

Introduction

After reading the given video and the evidence-based solution document, wellness within chronic illness to me means that an individual can manage their life in all dimensions despite having a specific disease that limits their ability to enjoy their life fully. I have worked with the elderly and realized that physical health for older people with chronic illness might not be achievable. However, the older person can recognize the importance of working to accommodate the desired health plan. Arn, a 86 year old man in the Elder Project video, is describing retirement life as entailing working every day (Kanopy, 2019). Adjusting lifestyles for those with chronic illnesses enables their achievement of wellness that guarantees their happy and meaningful life as they grow old. The Health Policy Institute (n.d) denoted that wellness and prevention support the progression of a disease. Physical activity, nutrition, and diet, patient education, as well as empowerment, provide the meaning of wellness for older people with chronic illness. These are essential aspects that allow approaching life with positivity and deal with issues that may arise a result of chronic disease.

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The Consequences of Pain in The Older Adults

For the aging population, the pain has various consequences, including the overall change in the health condition of a person such as difficulties in handling anything and walking. Reid, Eccleston, and Pillemer (2015) stated that pain reduced the mobility and activity of an aging adult. It increases anxiety, isolation behavior, falls, causes depression, and impairment in sleeping habits. In the Elder Project video, older adults are limited to do their physical activities. Arn is having difficulties in holding things sometimes due to painful left hand, and Clara cannot walk without support due to aching legs. Mobility is profoundly affected by pain among the aging population. Clara advised viewers not to get old as it is not the golden age that one may think (Kanopy, 2019). Pain causes delays in healthcare interventions to respond to the needs and wishes for the older adult. The effects go beyond the patient to disrupt the social and family relationships as well as causing an economic burden to the older adult (Health Policy Institute, n.d).

The Age-Related Changes That Affect Psychological and Cognitive Functioning?

According to Reid et al. (2015), change in the normal body functioning and abnormalities in the central nervous system affect the psychological and cognitive functioning. Also, the perception of things in old age change, and this affects their mental and cognitive functioning. For example, brain processes for an older person change and become slower when compared younger people. Such a change may cause a small operation when an older person overworks oneself. Clara, an 88-year-old woman in the Elder Project, fails to use reading glasses as the desire not to rely on it outweighs the need to use the device. The psychological and cognitive functioning is affected due to having an 'old mind' that fails a person sometimes by not remembering much of the past, such as life during childhood. Joanna is also described as losing memory at the age of 81 years, and that creates unhappiness in old age. It is upsetting and stressful to lose consciousness both for the patient and the caregiver.

References

Health Policy Institute. (n.d). The stern center for evidence-based policy. The University of Pittsburgh.

Kanopy. (2019). The elder project - Seven seniors face the future. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved from https://ohio.kanopy.com/video/elder-project

Reid, M. C., Eccleston, C., & Pillemer, K. (2015). Management of chronic pain in older adults. British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.), 350, h532. doi:10.1136/bmj.h532