Gerontology
Introduction
Congestive heart failure (CHF) and pneumonia are known to be one of the most dangerous and life-threatening diseases, especially in order adults. Late diagnosis for these has increased the mortality rates for the elderly. Research has proven that the consequences brought about by these health problems are irreversible. Older adults battling pneumonia and CHF require a lot of medical attention. In the last decade, the number of older adults visiting hospitals and being admitted due to these problems has been seen to be on the rise. Most of them have required to be put in intensive care units for proper treatment.
Aging is said to bring a lot of health concerns. This is mostly the contributing factor to these health problems. As one age, they will face chest issues. This is because the chest wall will reduce in size, due to the changes in the rib cage. This, therefore, makes it hard for them to breathe. There is also some likeliness of closure of the airways supplying air. This increases their chances of easily having heart failures. Also, the change in the diaphragmatic mass and strength contribute to this. As time goes by, the mass reduces as well as the strength. Their bodies become sensitive to almost every situation. Their respiratory systems become prone to diseases such as hypoxemia. Due to a lack of proper care, the elderly might have poor nutrition, which means that the food is not at all healthy for their bodies. Their bodies require warmth from all sides, which cannot be seen if they are continually feeding poorly.
The symptoms of CHF are lack of breath or running short of breath from time to time. They are not able to walk long distances; they tire easily and cannot do simple tasks without becoming weary. Researchers say that pneumonia in older adults is mostly brought by tuberculosis or the blocking of airways. Pneumonia is life taking if not adequately taken care of. Therefore those patients reporting to hospitals because of these problems should have extra hands at their disposal. To change these health problems and reduce the mortality rates, the elderly should be encouraged to take regular tests from time to time. Also, practitioners have been said to give inappropriate diagnosis and treatment to these patients, which has led to the increased mortality rates. The tools that are used to differentiate CHF from other respiratory diseases are, at times, not very accurate. Practitioners, therefore, need to be advised to be extra careful when handling these tools. Echocardiography (EC) should be encouraged for every elderly patient as it will bring out the real diagnosis of the problem. They need to undergo oxygen therapy from time to time so that they do not run short of breath. Physicians should give oxygen supplements as well as checking the blood gases. Checking blood gases is done approximately 30minutes before the oxygen saturation in the body is done. There should also be an early vaccination against pneumonia, as well as the issuing of antibiotics. Antibiotics should be given at least 4hours after reaching the hospital. This has been said to have at least a thirty-day reduction in mortality rates.
Conclusion
Gerontology is a rising filed that researchers are getting into day and night. The elderly require much attention, especially when it comes to their health. Therefore having these researches from time to time will come up with even better ways to help them.