question archive An assessment should always include a thorough examination of the cardiovascular system, but in the case of older adults, the examination goes much further because they are more likely to have heart consequences from medical conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or even hypertension
An assessment should always include a thorough examination of the cardiovascular system, but in the case of older adults, the examination goes much further because they are more likely to have heart consequences from medical conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or even hypertension
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An assessment should always include a thorough examination of the cardiovascular system, but in the case of older adults, the examination goes much further because they are more likely to have heart consequences from medical conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or even hypertension.
When conducting an assessment of the cardiovascular system in an older adult without presenting any heart issues, but with a recent history of falling twice, I would ask questions such as: Do you take medicines, such as blood pressure medications or diuretics? Do any medications you take that can possibly cause you any dizziness or lightheadedness?, Have you ever had any heart problems or circulation problems?, Do you have diabetes or any history of abnormal blood glucose levels? Any history of hypertension or hypotension problems, Do you have any problems with your balance? Any problems walking and becoming overly exerted? (Miller, 2019). Other questions I would ask is whether or not the patient has had any history of postural hypotension or postprandial hypotension. Postural hypotension is a drop in blood pressure that occurs when standing up after lying down so long, this can cause dizziness which can lead to a fall. Postprandial hypotension is a drop in blood pressure that occurs immediately after eating a meal which can also cause dizziness and lightheadedness that may lead to falls.
Considerations I would include in the assessment would be asking about having atypical symptoms or symptoms that many may consider a normal part of aging but really aren’t. Symptoms such as fatigue, dizzines which can be a circulatory problem or problem related to medications or other diseases, complaints about musculoskeletal pain in the upper or lower body which upper body pain can indicate problems related to the cardiovascular system or other serious problems that may need immediate attention (Miller, 2019).
