Question

Linda is a 60-year-old woman with moderate mental retardation who has recently been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Her doctor has recommended that Linda lose weight, get regular exercise, and eat low sodium, low cholesterol diet. She lives in an adult living facility. Linda works at a local shelter. She is required to bring lunch to the shelter every day and she always brings a bologna and cheese sandwich, a bag of pretzels and a chocolate chip cookie. During her morning break, she always gets a Coke and a bag of potato chips from the vending machine for a snack. Linda has eaten this same diet every day for at least 25 years and is very resistant to the idea of changing what she eats for lunch every day. After work Linda has staff that supports her in cooking dinner and she has tried a variety of foods. On the weekends her favorite thing to do is to go to Burger King for a Whopper with cheese and a large French fries. Linda has support with going grocery shopping. She is willing to pick out a variety of foods, but she always insists on buying pretzels and potato chips. She becomes very angry when staff suggest that she leave the store without the two items. Linda had had no trouble taking medication as she has staff who remind her in the morning and at night that she needs to do this. She also has support with monitoring her weight every day. She must monitor her weight to assure that she is not retaining water. Linda does not get any regular exercise. She has trouble climbing the set of stairs to her second-floor apartment. A couple of weeks ago one of the staff that supports her tried taking her for an hour walk in a near-by park. She had to turn around after 15 minutes because she was exhausted, and declared that she would never go walking again. Linda is fascinated by machines. One of the staff on weekends noted that she watched several infomercials about treadmills, rowing machines, and other types of exercise equipment. What are the behaviors that need to be changed? What health promotion actions would help? What additional supports or information might motivate Linda? Do you believe Linda can follow her doctor's recommendations? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Linda was 60 years old lady women with moderate mental retardation who was recetly diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Doctor after diadnosed Linda recommended ger that she shoulld lose weight, get regualr exercise, eat low sodium and low cholesterol diet.She lives in an adult living facility. Linda works at a local shelter. everyday she used to have bologna and cheese sandwich a bag of pretzels and a chocolate chip cookie which is high in cholesterol. This habit she was having since 25 years. Now doctor has advised her not to take high cholesterol diet, she was not doing exercises also. She was not going for walking because she was exhausted for just 15 minutes walk, she cannot even climb the stairs for second floor.

The behavoiurs want Linda has to be changed are firstly she has change her cognitive thinking that it is her responsibility to take care of her health. Eating food with high cholesterol is not at all good and she has to change the diet what she is taking since 25 years.

Linda has to take care of her health, where she has to reduce her weight being a heart patient. So she has to regularly do the exercises like walking which is best for heart patients. She has change her diet, where she used to eat cheese, chocolate chip cookie, bag of pretzels which are high in cholesterol.

Mostly Linda is mental retarted patient, where she needs high motivation and care from the family. Because she is living in the adult living facility, where there are no person to take care of her and to tell her. That is reason she is not following the recommendatations given by the doctor. There shoild be someone to take care of her.

Linda is not following the recommendations of doctor because she is used for every thing and not bothering of her health. She is stubborn also beacuse we came to know that when she goes to store if she don't find the grocerirs she would scold the people their. If anybody is teir to look after her she may change her attitude and behaviour and may have interest to care of her health.