This paper discusses the importance of taking a health history and doing a complete physical exam for older (65+) females who have no acute signs of distress and whom are living alone. First, it can be noted that, according to Ebersole and Hess (1990), health history and physical exam information has two primary functions.
First, this information can alert health care professionals to the presence of undetected disease or to the likelihood that certain diseases are at risk of being developed. Second, these assessment data provide health care professionals with the kind of baseline data needed to develop an individualized program of health promotion which Ebersole and Hess (1990) define as behaviors and activities designed to increase health and well-being.
Skipwith (1994) reports that the physical exam is particularly important because it allows health care personnel to determine: a) whether the older patient is evidencing normal or non-normal signs of aging, and b) whether patients are evidencing signs of one or more of those diseases and conditions to which older people are particularly susceptible.
Regarding assessment as it applies to normal aging, Skipwith (1994) notes that the exam should be expected to show, in varying degrees, a number of normal debilitations in the integumentary, sensory, and musculoskeletal system. Further, there should be some normal lowering of vital capacity in the cardio-vascular-respiratory trait system and a certain lessening of function with respect to the gastrointestinal-genitourinary tract system.
Also, it is normal for an exam to show slower reflexes and some atrophy of brain cells. Thus, to be complete, the physical exam must include an assessment of all of these systems.
As to diseases for which older people are susceptible, Skipwith (1994) recommends that the exam include assessments for hypertension, cancer, arthritis, visual and hearing impairments beyond those norma...