SOLUTION: HLT-306 Stages of Life Essay and Interview

Assessment Description
Write a 500-750-word essay on the Stages-of-Life and the influence of age in health care from a patient’s perspective. Interview a friend or family member about that person’s experiences with the health care system. You may develop your own list of questions.

Suggested questions:

Do you feel that your stage-of-life had any effect on your interaction with health care professionals?
Which areas of the hospital or clinic were most concerned with your well-being and feelings?
Was your family with you during this hospital stay or outpatient visit?
Was your family included in your treatment, such as post-procedure instructions?
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Select a family to complete a family health assessment. (The family cannot be your own.)

Before interviewing the family, develop three open-ended, family-focused questions for each of the following health patterns:

Values, Health Perception
Nutrition
Sleep/Rest
Elimination
Activity/Exercise
Cognitive
Sensory-Perception
SOLUTION HLT 306 Stages of Life Essay and Interview
Self-Perception
Role Relationship
Sexuality
Coping

Stages of Life Essay and Interview

We experience life in different stages through which we experience different health needs. Professional health care providers and nurses must provide care to people of varying age groups and cultures who have different perceptions, beliefs, and values of illness and health (Cherry & Jacob, 2019). Healthcare professionals use patient education as an effective health promotion approach to empower individuals and communities across various age groups. The health provider must use essential and exemplary communication skills to understand the health needs of their clients, impart the intended knowledge and behavior change, and promote healthier lifestyles. As people age, they become more vulnerable to health conditions, meaning they must interact with healthcare systems more than they did at their younger age. Flint and Tadi (2021) assert that aging brings changes across body systems, requiring unique management and care. This paper explores the age phenomena and the influence one’s age has on their perspective of health care. I will prepare the paper in the form of an interview with a 65-year-old friend (F) who shares his experiences interacting with health care systems.

Interview

Me: Thank you, Mr. F, for sparing time to share your experiences with me. I am eager to learn some of the experiences you have had interacting with various healthcare systems throughout your life.

Mr. F: You are welcome. I am pleased that you have also spared your time and accorded me this rare opportunity to share with you. I am also hopeful that this will be a fulfilling session for us.

Me: Yes, that is my hope as well. To my first question, do you feel that your stage of life has affected your interaction with health care professionals?

Mr. F: Absolutely yes. I have had more health issues as I have been getting older. I am spending more time with my primary healthcare providers and various specialists. According to health professionals’ advice, I have also changed my lifestyle to address multiple medical concerns I have never had before or some I am just learning about. Additionally, I appreciate that healthcare providers, particularly nurses, offer individualized care during my other hospital visits. I also think that they give more special attention to the aged.

Me: Thank you for sharing the insights. Which areas of the clinic or hospital were most concerned about your feelings or well-being?

Mr. F: My most recent hospital experience was to have an imaging procedure, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, due to frequent abdominal pains and difficulties swallowing. The physician and nurse offered invaluable encouragement and support to me to assist me in coping with the uncomfortable procedures. Furthermore, they demonstrated outstanding patience with me throughout the encounter.

Me: Was your family with you during this hospital visit?

Mr. F: Yes, my wife and eldest son had accompanied me.

Me: That is noble of them. Were your family members included in your treatment, such as post-procedure instructions?

Mr. F: Yes, they were there when I was being given discharge health education, instructions, what to expect, what to watch out for, and when to seek immediate medical attention.

Me: That is all for today. Thank you for your time.

Mr. F: You are welcome.

From the interview, Mr. F demonstrated that age is an essential factor shaping a patient’s perspective on health care. Healthcare providers should use effective communication skills to interact with patients across all age groups. Effective communication positively impacts health outcomes, adherence, and patient satisfaction (Clarke et al., 2020). Healthcare providers should provide individualized care to their patients regardless of their age to positively impact their lives.

References

Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2019). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management (8th ed.). Mosby.

Clarke, M. A., Fruhling, A. L., Sitorius, M., Windle, T. A., Bernard, T. L., & Windle, J. R. (2020). Impact of Age on Patients’ Communication and Technology Preferences in the Era of Meaningful Use: Mixed Methods Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(6), e13470. https://doi.org/10.2196/13470

Flint, B., & Tadi, P. (2021). Physiology, Aging. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556106/