Essay Sample on Pathophysiology

Introduction

It falls among the elderly is most common and leads to injury, disability as well as institutionalization. The causes may be complex, but fall results from an interaction between the individual characteristics and the increase in the propensity to fall. The elderly can be predisposed to factors such as an age-associated change in strength and balance, visual impairments, and some of the footwear (Blows, 2016). Most of the falls result in injuries that will require medical attention and restriction of activities, although most of the injuries are soft tissue injury. As it is evident, women are more likely to report a fall-related injury s compared to men.

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Multiple Interactions

The majority of falls in the elderly are not the results of just a single cause but multiple interactions between the person and a propensity to fall and an acute meditating factor. In an older person like Susan, the incidences of falling are associated with the increase in age. Fall is also associated with chronic medical conditions. These include cognitive impairment, arthritis that is more common in adults, and physiological changes in normal ageing.

Ashelford et al. (2016) have indicated several motilities, such as predisposing factors for falls. For instance, Parkinson's disease may increase the risk of falls through some mechanisms that include the lower musculature and cognitive impairment rigidity. Stroke is also another condition that is associated with falls. There has been condensed by the females who have indicated that they experienced loss in the peripheral sensation, dizziness, and they are associated with recurrent falls in women with a history of stroke. The motor weakness in this group of people causes less predictive falls: poor balance, inability to control the body positions, and a great contributor to falls in the elderly. Body balancing is a complex integration in the sensory information concerning the body's position and the relative of the surroundings.

Appropriate Motor Response

There is also a link to the ability to generate the appropriate motor response to control body movements. The sensory components are linked to vision, peripheral sensation, and the vestibular sense, while the motor components need muscle strength and neuromuscular control and reaction time (Cedar, 2012)). The components can be linked up, making them a higher level neurological process, which will enable the anticipatory mechanism responsible for the planning of movements and adapt to mechanisms that will control reaction and changes in demands in different tasks. The elderly should be put under some exercise to directly or indirectly address the falls and prevent them in the future. The exercises will help the elderly increase their strength and balance and intervene to maximize vision and the cognitive training that will improve the central processing and execution of the functioning. It is clear that falls provide unique physiological spaces to the functioning of the brain and are due to ageing and neurodegeneration (Collins et al., 2017). The sensory system literally controls the information on fall, and the interventions maximizing physiological function reduces motor impairment and is very effective in preventing falls.

Conclusion

In conclusion, falls are common in the elderly, and they frequently lead to injuries, disability, and other conditions. They occur due to the individual interacting with some individual characteristics, which may increase their propensity to fall. There are predisposing factors such as old age, dementia, co-morbidities, some medications, and footwear. Some environmental and situational factors are of great importance in the risks of falls. Some traditional factors should also be considered, such as fall impacts and bone strength.

References

Ashelford, S., Raynsford, J. & Taylor, V. (2016) Pathophysiology and Pharmacology in Nursing. The UK. Learning Matters.

Blows, W. T. (2016) The Biological Basis of Mental Health. 3 rd edn. London. Routledge.

Cedar, S.H. (2012) Biology of Health: Applying the Activities of Daily Living. London. Red Globe Press.

Collins, E., Drake, M. & Deacon, M. (eds) (2013) The Physical Care of People with Mental Health Problems: A Guide For Best Practice. London. Sage Publications.