Unit 2 Study Guide

Understand about health, illness, and wellness: (CHP 17 p. 295 & PP Health Promotion and Disease Prevention)
Health - is the state of complete physical, mental (emotional), and social (including spiritual) well-being, not merely the absence of disease. Health is holistic in nature; it’s the full expression of a person’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual potential. It’s a dynamic state in which the person continuously adapts to changes in the internal and external environments in order to maintain a sense of wellbeing. Health is a highly individual perception.
Illness - is an event that manifests itself through observable/felt changes in the body. Illness is the state in which the physical, emotional, social,
Examples include: caring for someone with a chronic disease; referring patient with colostomy to support group; teaching patient with diabetes to identify and prevent complications ( heart disease); referring patient with spinal cord injury to a rehab to receive training to maximize his remaining abilities.
Understand who the older adult is and physiological/psychological changes:
Successful psychological aging is reflected in the older person’s ability to adapt to physical, social, and emotional losses and to achieve contentment, serenity, and life considerations. The older adult continues to learn and problems solve and intelligence and personality remain as they have always been. A person’s social ability does not change during the course of their life: if you were a young extrovert/introvert you will be an old extrovert/introvert. Wisdom increases as we age.
As a person becomes older they go through physiological and psychosocial changes. Some physical changes are visible and some are not. In general lean body mass decreases, fat tissue increases, and bone mass decreases. Intracellular fluid decreases which can cause dehydration. Skin becomes drier and less elastic and they become more susceptible to skin tears. Bony prominences may become visible. There is a loss of overall stature and osteoporosis can occur in people who have insufficient intake