Service Learning Project: Elderly Person Visit Victoria Weaver 10/28/13 OTA 2350 Geriatrics Lyndsay Fait

Introduction I live in a duplex apartment and my neighbor is an elderly woman named Kathy. During the past three years Ive had many opportunities to visit with her and weve become very good friends. She is very active and cheerful despite her health problems which are becoming progressively worse with age. I have a great deal of respect for her because she is very motivated and doesnt let her tribulations slow her down. When I was conducting our interview I was careful not to call her elderly because I am certain it would have offended her. In this paper I will discuss certain physical, mental, and environmental factors in Kathys life that relate to fall prevention which contributes to overall safety, health and wellbeing. Prevention Behavior Questionnaire Kathy is a very cautious individual and stated that none of her behaviors are compromising to her health. However later in the interview she stated that she does overeat when she gets stressed which is one of the reasons that she is slightly overweight. She accepted the fact that she has total control over what she eats but enjoys indulging now and then. Kathy participates in regular physical activity by going to water aerobics twice a week for 60 minutes, and going on daily walks. She said that these are positive ways for her to decrease her stress level and maintain her health. Kathy also volunteers at the Salt Lake City LDS temple two nights a week for 5 hours, and occasionally volunteers at a hospital gift shop. Kathy eats approximately three meals per day. Because she lives alone, she usually eats by herself unless she has company. Kathy considers herself to be slightly overweight so she strives to maintain a healthy diet and monitor her fat intake. On average she eats about three servings of bread, six to eight servings of fruits and vegetables, two servings of meat, two servings of dairy and one serving of beans, peas, and tofu. She doesnt like to drink regular milk

so she drinks one glass of buttermilk in the morning with a piece of toast. Kathy does not monitor her blood cholesterol level, however; she does manage her sodium intake. Kathy could not recall experiencing any falls, burns, or scalding within the past 18 months. She denies having heart disease however she does have arthritis and ovarian cancer. She has been in remission for the past couple of years but recent tests have revealed that the cancer is coming back and starting to spread. Kathy is in overall good physical condition and only experiences difficulty breathing when walking up the stairs. She is able to maintain good respirations when walking and going from a sit to stand. Kathy denies having asthma, emphysema, and any other respiratory conditions. Kathy does not have difficulty bending over to remove items from cabinets. She expressed that climbing stairs can be moderately difficult and that she has to take it easy. Although Kathy is an active lady, she can tell that her physical condition is declining due to the progression of her age and cancer. She has digressed from walking long distances to about one block at a time. If she could change anything about her health it would be to have more energy and stamina. Home safety evaluation Kathy has lived in her current residence for approximately five years. Her home is fairly neat and organized, however upon inspection I did make several suggestions to improve the overall safety of her environment. Similar to my apartment, Kathy has hardwood floors which look nice but can be very slippery. I advised her to avoid walking around in her socks, and to use sturdy footwear that have good grip on the bottom. In the living room there are two rugs that

slide around fairly easily. I recommended removing the rugs or putting nonskid backing under them as suggested by Padilla, Byers-Connon and Lohman (2012, p.199). Kathys apartment has a long hallway with two bedrooms and a bathroom between them. There is a distance of about 8 feet between her bedroom and the bathroom. The hallway is not very well lit so I suggested increasing the lighting by replacing the current light bulb with a higher watt light bulb. I also suggested putting a night light in the hallway, and in her bedroom. Because Kathy does not have problems with standing tolerance, bending, reaching, balance, or sit to stands I did not feel the need to recommend the current use of any DME. Local Resources I went to the Salt Lake County aging services department located on 2100 S. State Street and picked up some great information and resources. They gave me a 2013 senior resource directory which contains information for just about everything. I also provided her with a sheet that I picked up at the UOTA conference that lists local vendors that sell adaptive equipment. This sheet contains the address and phone numbers of Alpine Home Medical, Advanced Care, Deseret Medical, Magic Rest, IHC Home Care, Ortho Med, Peterson Medical, Assist Inc., and the Utah Independent Living Center. The sheet also suggests looking at Walmart, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Lowes, and Hope Depot for DME. I showed her a pamphlet on mobility training provided by the UTA. Since Kathy is an independent driver, this information is not applicable to her at this time. However, I wanted her to be aware of the community resources that are available should she experience a decline in her health.

Fall Prevention Handouts When I was looking for fall prevention hand outs, I wanted something short and simple that could be put on the fridge, otherwise I figured it would go into a junk drawer or folder and not be used. After much searching, I finally found three handouts that met the criteria I was looking for. All of the handouts had three tips in common: 1. Review medications and take them as prescribed. 2. Have your vision checked at least once a year. 3. Stay active or have an exercise program. Other suggestions that were listed but not on all three include: 1. Eating a well balanced meal. 2. Conducting in-home safety checks 3. Listening to your body for signs of change 4. Improve the lighting in your home 5. Reduce hazards in your home that lead to falls. After careful review of the handouts, I decided to leave a handout with Kathy called, "5 Simple Things You Can Do To Prevent Falls." I felt that this handout had the most relevant information that was currently applicable to Kathy's life and best summarized what we had discussed. It's also a simple and organized handout that is easy to read and understand. Although she is already implementing most of the suggestions, I hope that she puts this handout on the fridge as a reminder to continue doing so. Five additional questions

1. On average, how much sleep do you get during the night? Kathy likes to go to bed and get up early. Her goal is to get a full 8 hours of rest at night so she can have energy and avoid being tired during the day. 2. Have you noticed any items or furniture in your home that could potentially cause a fall? Kathy occasionally bumps into her side table by the sofa but it has not caused a fall. I suggested moving it to the other side of the sofa against the wall to avoid tripping over it in the future. 3. What are the side effects of your current medications? Do any of them make you drowsy or dizzy? Kathy takes a sleeping pill at night as recommend by her doctor. She mentioned that being drowsy has, on occasion, made her dizzy during the night when she gets up to use the restroom. 4. How often do you get an eye examination? Kathy gets her eyes checked once a year and wears her prescribed corrective lenses during the day. She just had a bilateral cataract surgery a couple of years ago and claims to now have fantastic vision. 5. Have you ever considered getting a life-alert button in case of an emergency? Kathy feels like she has not reached the point in her life where she needs to wear a life-alert necklace, but should she ever experience a fall she may consider getting one.

References

Padilla, R., Byers-Connon, S., & Lohman, H. (2012). Occupational therapy for elders: Strategies for the COTA (3rd ed., p.125). Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier Mosby.