Question

Topic: Manifestations

Do physical ailments manifest differently in a geriatric patient verses other patient populations? Give an example and how the MA would demonstrate professionalism and sensitivity in their communications.

Answer 1

Geriatric patient : Patients who are older whose age is more than 60 years with chronic illness, physical and cognitive impairment.

As the geriatric patients are more vulnerable to the functional deficits/diseases than the other patient populations like young, paediatrics etc. They should be more concentrated.

Evaluation of geriatric patients should mainly focus on :

1) should first identify all the functional deficits

2) should evaluate the geriatric patient what he/she wishes to do

Clinical manifestation of disease are similar in all the age group patients but in old age patients but significant symptoms differ.

The main differences between geriatrics and normal patient population are observed in

1) initial presentation of a disease

2) severity of a disease

3) extent of a disease

4) Duration of disease

For example in incidence of diseases in normal patient population includes Primary glomerular disease of the kidney and acute rheumatic fever

Wheras in geriatric patients osteoporosis and giant cell arteritis are common

For example : Diabetes complexity in geriatric patients is more than in other patients.

Diabetes is associated with microvascular to macrovascular complexity. Ageing involves in changes of carbohydrates metabolism.

Non insulin mediated glucose uptake, insulin mediated blood flow and other molecular abnormalities are significantly impaired in the geriatric patients, this may lead to more complexity than in normal patients.

So geriatric patients should be monitored in different way.

Medical/Physical assistants demonstrate professionalism and sensitivity in the their communications in geriatric patients:

1) By allowing extra time to the geriatric patients so that the patients will get rid of nervous and communicate more problems. So that the geriatric patients can understand the new concepts.

2) Should provide physical assistance if they need

3) Should avoid destructions because some geriatric patients have impairness in hearing or hear loss

4) Should maintain eye to eye contact so that the older patients feels comfortable and ables to explain his/her problem

5) Should sit/stand in the patient's line of sight because some patients are visually impaired

6) Should be a good listener without any interruptions so that problems shared by the older patients will be communicated properly

7) Should communicate slowly and should be careful about the language by using simple medical terms so that the older patients can understand the vebal information provided by the Medical assistant.

8) The medical assistant should be able to remove the fear in the older patients while explaining the medical process etc

9) Should expain carefully each and every step of the medical procedure or medical examination/treatment