NURS 610 Assignment 2.2 Quality of Life (QOL) Paper

Order ready-to-submit essays — 100% plagiarism-free guaranteed!

Note: Our papers are 100% human-written. 

Student name

Maryville University

NURS 610

Professor Name

Submission Date

 

Quality of Life Paper

The quality of life is more significant than ever as people get older, and one needs to know what will assist people to age successfully. The present paper offers the answers of a 68-year-old participant, John, to the questionnaire about the quality of life (QOL), where he talks about his experiences and challenges related to his physical health, emotional well-being, and communication with others (Reynolds et al., 2022). Reviewing the responses of the survey on John, determining the main areas of concern, and relating them to the theories relevant to aging, this paper seeks to shed light on how health can be enhanced via collaborative goal-setting. The paper also contrasts the life of John with the health attributes of Blue Zones and the applicability of patient-centered care in helping people to lead a meaningful, healthy life as they age.

Analysis of QOL Survey

• Applicant Age, Gender, State of General Health, Comfort Level with the Interview

The survey interviewee is a 68-year-old male called John, and he describes himself as a Caucasian. John eats normally, exercises, and is physically active. He has, however, experienced certain medical issues related to movement and soreness in his joints, especially around the knees. He has a somewhat surprising overall picture of his health, which he describes as fair. He is very comfortable with the interview regardless of his medical conditions, and has no fear of giving out personal details about his life as he attempts to seek solutions to improve his general health.

• Analysis of QOL Survey

Resting on the figures, which the Quality-of-Life (QOL) survey has collected, it is possible to make certain important points. Based on his replies, the physical activities that are visible in John are moderately influenced, particularly the intense ones, such as running, the use of heavy materials, and lifting heavy materials. Additionally, he has had some slight or moderate pain over the last month, and this does appear to be impacting his performance in some of his activities, which are walking up the stairs and bending. Nevertheless, John is not a psychologically ill individual, but his responses to the questions on mood, happiness, and activity are compelling. His physical health has moderately impacted his social life, yet he is extremely socially active, and he also spends much time with his friends and relatives. On the emotional level, he has been very positive, but on some occasions, he becomes depressed or anxious.

But on a personal level, the case of John seems to be the stereotypical instance of old age, in general, and physical and emotional conditions, in particular (Reynolds et al., 2022). This means that the control of these parameters of health should be at the core of any intervention that is aimed at positively influencing the quality of life of John, as he is suffering and is already at least partially incapacitated in regard to physical locomotion.

• Three Areas of Concern

As it has been reported in the QOL survey, 3 risk areas of concern exist:

1. Physical impairment: John has physical impairments, i.e., he is not able to work hard, climb up the mountain, or even crouch as his joints ache, endangering his self-sufficiency and mobility. By doing so, when these problems become paramount, they may cause other health complications, including falls or loss of independence.
2. Pain Management: John already complains of moderate pain, and the chronicity of pain could also be attributed to the adverse reactions to his physical activity that could be directly associated with the development of cardiovascular health issues, diabetes, and other age-related complications (Koppner et al., 2024).
3. Mental Health: At risk of the emotional bright and dark spots, i.e., the patient is exposed to the impact of the physical restrictions of this condition, yet the overall mood is positive. John is exposed to the manifestation of mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression (Koppner et al., 2024).

Application of Theory or Model

• Components of a Successful Aging Theory

The normal aging process is usually termed as successful when the aging person is physically, mentally, and socially active in the later years. The Rowe and Kahn model of successful aging is a paradigm that is used to understand how the elderly can age successfully (Zhuo & Cao, 2024). This theory has three characteristics as follows: Prevention of disease and disability. Having good physical and mental performance.

• Engagement with life

The second aspect, i.e., keeping things going, is particularly relevant to John. Social activity does not seem to be an issue, and cognitive health is seemingly good, but physical health is his restricting feature. Reducing his mobility concerns and coping with his discomfort would possibly position his life more in line with the tenets of successful aging (Zhuo & Cao, 2024). Some of the interventions that may assist John are physical therapy, joint support, and pain management interventions, which may assist his physical functioning. John can then be able to sustain the ability to be independent as well as get involved in activities that could help him live a wholesome life by concentrating on these areas.

• Blue Zone Areas

Blue Zones are regions of the world that have a significantly higher potential of people living long and healthy lives (Kreouzi et al., 2022). These areas are Okinawa, Japan, and Sardinia, Italy, where rates of centenarians are high, and rates of chronic diseases are lower. Plant-based diet, exercise, proper social interaction, and purpose are some of the factors that contribute to long life expectancy in Blue Zones.

Examining the life of John and comparing it with the Blue Zones model, one can observe that this individual has certain similarities with these regions. John is very well connected socially to family and friends, which is characteristic of Blue Zone societies. Yet, such physical conditions and joint discomfort might decrease his capability of performing regular physical exercises, and it is one of the most important aspects of Blue Zone lifestyles. These are physical problems that can be solved, and this would take John nearer to the health attributes that are seen in Blue Zones.

Collaboration with Participant

• Three Short-Term Measurable Goals

In collaboration with John, three short-term goals have been defined, which can be quantified to improve his quality of life:

1. Improve Mobility and movement: John will seek to include a 30-minute practice of walking in his day-to-day life to improve joint movement and cardiovascular fitness (Lu et al., 2024). This will be assessed by recording the daily walking patterns after use of a fitness tracker.
2. Pain Management: John will strive to use the topical analgesic/anti-inflammatory agent that has been given to him by his health practitioner for his knee pain. He will also be tracking the levels of pain on a 1-10 pain scale each week to gauge effectiveness.
3. Mental Health Enrichment: John will go to a weekly mindfulness/meditation session to reduce some of the nervousness and improve his mood. In order to determine the impact of the positive and negative ratings, he will rate his mood out of 1-10 before and after every session.

• Three Long-Term Measurable Goals

In collaboration with John, three long-term goals have been developed, which are quantifiable and directed toward further enhancing his quality of life:

1. Weight Management: John will aim to lose 5-10 pounds over the next 6 months by adopting a combination of diet and physical activities to reduce the amount of pressure on his joints. This will be ascertained by weighing him on a monthly basis with the assistance of his doctor.
2. Enforce Social Inclusion: to give John a good social life, he will participate in at least one social activity (family event, community activity, etc.) per week in order to make sure that his health and social relations are effective. His attendance will be followed by the help of a calendar of events.
3. Improve General Physical Activities: John will desire to participate in knee rehabilitation exercises with physical therapy at least thrice a week. He will also evaluate his continuation of the improvement by monitoring his mobility (e.g., is able to walk without pain) at the end of each month (Lu et al., 2024).

Role as an NP

• Initial Concerns for this Participant

The initial response that came to my mind when taking the QOL survey was the physical limitations that will be placed on John in the future, how to manage his pain, and the possibility of him becoming mentally ill in old age. His responses to the questions about joint pain and mobility problems were the most worrisome, as they are the two most critical risk factors of decreased autonomy in geriatric individuals.

Having worked with John and taking into consideration his own objectives, some differences can be identified. I had made a special emphasis on pain management and improvement of mobility initially; however, John also mentioned that he wished to focus on his mental health and social interaction, which were not in my priority of consideration. This is because his ambitions of enhancing mental health and social bonds are significant elements of aging well, as they tackle both the mental and social dimensions of his life.

• Role of Patient-Centered Care and Your Role as an NP

As a Nurse Practitioner (NP), my involvement in patient-centered care is to act as an active listener to patients’ concerns, goals, and preferences. A nurse should work in tight cooperation with the patients and ensure that the care plan is compatible with their priorities and needs. Such an approach establishes a greater adherence to health standards and better outcomes. When it comes to John, including his social and mental engagement goals in his care plan will make it possible to enhance his quality of life and make him an active participant in his health.

Helping John engage in short and long-term goal setting can lead him to a greater quality of life. I will monitor his progress as his NP and implement the necessary changes to interventions and provide him with the resources and support that he is likely to need to be able to age successfully (Buerhaus et al., 2021).

Conclusion

In this paper, an overall approach toward making sure that John enjoys a better quality of life has been determined by enhancing physical, mental, and social aspects of aging. Through applying the successful aging theory, as well as making analogies with Blue Zone characteristics, we have determined strategies to improve his well-being. With John, we have developed specific goals that are measurable, quantifiable, and reflect his requirements and priorities. Lastly, my job as an NP is to assist and counsel, to ensure that the patient is the focus of care, so that John is able to achieve the outcomes that he desires to live a full and healthy life.