ALU 301 Chapter 5 Underwriting the Elderly Questions with Correct Answers, A+

Unique qualities of the elderly population - 1. The heterogeneity of the population 2. The presence of comorbid conditions 3. The occurrence of Frailty. Population heterogeneity - Diversity in health status among individuals of similar age. Heterogeneity - Is expressed on an individual basis in that the signs and symptoms of disease can be unusual and the impact of the disease on function is variable from one person to the next. Comorbidity - The combination of two or more impairments that increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. Is common in the aging population. High blood pressure and arthritis were most common. Frailty - Identified as one of the geriatric syndromes, is characterized by a person's high risk for variety of poor outcomes such as falls, acute illness, slow recovery, dependency. Non-Medical Considerations - Accidental Death Injuries from accidents are the sixth leading cause of death. Falls represent the primary cause.Driving and Moving violations that are the most common are failure to yield, failure to obey traffic signal or sign. Polypharmacy - The use multiple medications concurrently Major causes of Morbidity in elderly - Arthritis, hypertension, hearing impairment, heart disease Aortic stenosis - is the most common significant valvular disease in older people. Impaired left ventricular function in the setting of aortic stenosis is a poor prognosis. Cancer in the elderly - Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the elderly. Signs such as unexplained weight loss, low serum cholesterol, new onset of anemia ASCENT - A tool used to determine a robust person from a frail. A- Activities of daily living S- social involvement C- cognition E- exercise capacity N-nutrition T-trips/falls Basic Activities of Daily living - ADL'S include Bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring from bed to chair, eating, urinary and bowel continence