Instructions for the Case Study: Healthy Aging
25% of total grade
This is the final assignment in the Healthy Aging course. In this assignment, students will pull together what has been learned over the semester and apply it through the development of a case study of an older individual (at least 65 years of age, anyone). It is preferable that the choice of individual is not well known, since it is more difficult to be objective, and students might rely on the individual for information rather than memory or knowledge of the person.
If the person is not well known there may be less difficulty in identifying certain aspects that could be problematic if a close friend or relative. Students will meet with the individual and perform the components from the description below.
The paper should be no more than 8 pages long, no less than 6 (not including cover or references). Please use the section headings that have been provided (in italics) in the paper to ensure each section is covered.
Use APA format for the paper, which includes citations of resources in text and in a reference list at the end. Please use 12- point font. Double space and use standard (default) margins. Please provide a cover page.
The goal of the assignment is twofold. First, to demonstrate knowledge of aging from the perspective of an aging individual, and second, to apply knowledge by performing the assigned assessments as described below. The paper will then tie the information that is collected together into the prescribed format listed below.
Format/components:
Introduction: Interview the individual and describe and introduce him/her, please do not use real names. Take about half-one page to describe who the person is: age, gender, occupation and status (retired?), appearance, living situation, likes/dislikes, hobbies, anything else that will describe the person. (2 points)
Developmental stage: Describe the developmental stage, using the person’s life as a way to illustrate the stage, explain Integrity vs Despair and explain where the person fits into these, and why. This section should be about half a page. (2 points)
Health Assessment: Do a quick health assessment but not a complete physical exam. Find a health assessment of an older person (an interview format, search online or use one that is familiar or already exists – submit a copy of the blank assessment with your assignment and ask about the person’s health. Does he/she take medications or is in great health without medications? Describe health habits that support or may not support (such as smoking) health? How well do they sleep? Do a quick run through systems (in an interview), then list the findings. Concerns? What is going well? Include two nursing diagnoses with brief explanations based on the findings. This section should be summarized in approximately one page (2 points)
Assessment: Choose an assessment from the options below (under Assessment tools), these range from spiritual assessments and dietary assessments to quality of life. Identify and describe the chosen assessment, why it was chosen, and how the person responded to the assessment (happy to do it? Confused? Agitated?), and the results/what it means (for example, the “score”? What does the score mean?) This section should be approximately one half to ¾ of a page. (2 points) The tool should be cited and included after the reference page or attached.
Life review or reminiscence: Perform a life review or reminiscence exercise with the person. Consult the readings to determine which path to take. Describe the desired approach and the results. Do you think the conversation affected the person? Describe what was observed while the person talked? Was there animation, good eye contact? Try to determine his/her feelings after the exercise is finished? What is your reaction to the exercise? This section should be one half to one page. (3 points)
Strengths: Discuss the strengths that were found in the person. This section should reflect the information found in previous sections. New information should not be introduced here. Why are these considered strengths? What are the benefits? How have they been maintained? (for example, strong family ties). This section should be one half to one page. (3 points)
Challenges: What about his/her challenges? What is at the root of these challenges? (for example, respiratory illness in smokers – here describe how long the person has smoked, how much, etc.) This section should be one half to one page. (3 points)
Referrals: Describe some of the person’s needs and local (to the person) resources that might be of assistance to them based on his/her needs. Give rationales for the recommendations, limit these to 2-3. Please describe the organizations/services and how they might help support the individual. What would the expected/hoped for outcomes be if he/she visited the
service/provider? How might it impact on their lives? Are there any barriers to using the resources identified (for example transportation), and how might the barriers be overcome? This section may take one half page-one page. (3 points)
Summary: In this section, summarize your paper. Describe the important aspects of the case as understood from assessments and findings. Describe what has been learned from this assignment, and evaluate personal performance with assessments and interpretation of data. What parts were difficult? What learning took place? How might it be done differently if there is an opportunity to perform these assessments again? This section can be one half to one page. (3 points)
APA and Spelling and Grammar count as 2 points for the total= 25 points
Assessments tool examples:
This site has a series of questions used for a spiritual assessment: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2012/0915/p546.html
Nutritional assessment: http://www.mna-elderly.com/forms/mini/mna_mini_english.pdf
Case study assignment
Introduction /2
Developmental stage /2
Health assessment /2
Assessment /2
Life review/reminisce /3
Strengths /3
Challenges /3
Referrals /3
Summary /3
Proper grammar, APA format /2
TOTAL /25
