NCM 114 – Day 1 09/22/2020

Geriatrics/Gerontology - 65 years old and above

Geriatrics or Geriatric Medicine
 focuses health care of the elderly
 promotes health (preventing and
treating disease and disabilities)
 care of the elderly and their immediate
needs
Gerontology
 study of the social, cultural,
psychological, cognitive, and
biological aspects of ageing
 multidisciplinary approach to study
problems that the elderly face; seek
solutions

Nursing Theories of Aging:

1. Functional consequences
-age related changes; actions that placed the client at risk for
injury
Nsg int: promote safety and improves pt’s quality of life
2. Theory of thriving
-nurses must intervene to promote growth and development of
an
older adult
3. Middle-range theory
-nursing theory of successful aging
-pt experiences spiritual connections and the sense of meaning
and worth
Nsg int: promote mental, physical, and spiritual health through
Aging
Physical Changes - cells function less as they age
Apoptosis - death of cells; concept of wear-and-tear
The reasons for cell death are:
1. they divide only a limited number of times
2. damage to a cell causes its death
3. damage caused by harmful substances like
4. radiation, chemotherapy drugs, sunlight
Biological Theories of Aging:
1. Telomere theory
-telomeres become short and reaches it limit; no longer divide and
repair; systems then begin to lose their roles
2. Wear-and-tear theory
-humans, like automobiles, have vital parts that run down with
time, leading to aging and death
-the faster an organism lives, the quicker it dies
-cells wear out through exposure to internal and external
stressors, including trauma, chemicals, and buildup of natural
wastes
3. Endocrine theory
-events occurring in the hypothalamus and pituitary are
responsible for changes in hormone production and response that
 result in the organism’s decline

4. Free-radical theory
-unstable free radicals result from the oxidation of organic
materials (carbohydrates and proteins)
-pollutans/radicals cause biochemical changes in the cells,
shortening the ability to repair damage tissues and cells no longer
regenerate
Brain cells - does not cell divide
5. Genetic theory
6. Cross-linking theory
7. Immunologic theory
Biological Theories of Aging: