Lucretia

Lucretia Toddlerhood is a unique period when a child has newfound independence. “Physical development during the toddler years includes some major advances in gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Walking, obviously, is one of the most significant physical milestones, which most children achieve sometime between the ages of 12 and 15 months. Soon, toddlers begin to show a host of more advanced abilities including walking backward, tossing a ball, jumping in place, and riding a tricycle. Toddlers also become more adepts at activities that require fine motor movements such as scribbling, stacking blocks, using a spoon, and drinking from a cup (Logsdon, 2017)”. The early years are a critical time in brain development that must be stimulated and foster a caring environment to support positive lifelong outcomes. Children are moving between different environments all day long and being exposed to different social environments, all of which have an impact on their overall well-being such as living in an unsafe community, receiving care within a low-quality child care setting, lack of resources available in the community or lack of policies supporting children and families. The CDC named several pathological risks related to toddler age group to include speech delay/disorder/impairment, birth defects, cerebral palsy, developmental disabilities, down syndrome, and hearing loss. There are a number of ways that a Nurse Practitioner can promote good health in children between the ages of 1 to 3 years old that must begin in the household. A Nurse Practitioner must teach and reinforce to every parent at every visit that to keep their child healthy the child must wash their hands often, commit to good oral health, regular physical activity, getting the children immunized, eating healthy foods, and regular routine visit is imperative. (CDC, 2017) The Healthy People Environmental Health website, the program I found to be very interesting is the antibiotic stewardship program. The program is overseen by the CDC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “estimates that more than two million people contract antibiotic-resistant infections in the US each year, with about 23,000 dying as a result. To address this issue, the Public Health Foundation (PHF) has partnered with the CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases since 2012 to support and improve antibiotic stewardship and healthcare-associated infection (HAI) programs in public health and healthcare settings (www.phf.org).” Reference: Logsdon, A. (n.d.). Could Your Child Have Gross Motor Skill Delays? Retrieved May 31, 2017, from https://www.verywell.com/what-are-gross-motor-skills-2162137 Antibiotic Stewardship Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2017, from http://www.phf.org/programs/antibioticstewardship/Pages/Antibiotic_Stewardship.aspx Infants & Toddlers (Ages 0-3) - Diseases & Conditions. (2016, July 21). Retrieved May 31, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/parents/infants/diseases_conditions.html Mark The age group of older adults is one that experiences a wide array of changes. These varied changes affect physical, mental and social aspects of their lives. As of 2010 Americans over the age of 65 numbered about 39 million. This 39 million is 12.7% of the total U.S. population. This number is expected to reach 20% of total population around 2050 (Edelman et. al, 2014). Obviously, this segment of the population is an ever increasing area of concern and focus for health care organizations and providers. Physical changes which effect the older adult include: nutrition/metabolic, elimination, sleep, and cognition. Nutritional/Metabolic changes often occur due to decline in gastrointestinal function. GI changes affect metabolism and absorption of nutrients. Decline in function and condition of dental health also affects nutrition. Likewise, decline in transportation and income may decrease the likelihood of acquiring healthy foods. Elimination concerns are due to the decline in bowel and function which is common in this age group. Intake of medications is increased in this demographic and often contribute to elimination problems. Constipation is a common concern due to decreased gastric motility. Incontinence presents increased risks for falls, skin breakdown, urinary tract infections and depression. Sleep is an area in which older adults have negative changes. Older adults often have chronic sleep disturbance. This lack of quality sleep decreases energy, motivation and immune system function. Cognition changes are common in the older adult. Brain weight for this group decreases due to the aging process. Current data displays that 10% of individuals age 65 and older will develop Alzheimer’s disease. This number balloons to 50% for individuals age 90 and older (Edelman et.al, 2014). Pathological risks for this age group include: suicide, falls, loneliness, isolation and hospital admission. Functional decline is increased due to chronic conditions. Muscle atrophy, increased reaction time, and sensory impairment all increase the risks of falls and injuries. Depression and thoughts of suicide rise for this age group due to decreased physical health, decreased social involvement and decline in independence. Conditions which often require hospitalization in this age group are: CHF, DM, COPD sepsis, pneumonia and CVA (World Health Organization, 2017). Advanced practice nurses can facilitate increased health and function in this group by promoting reading, social interaction and entertainment which fosters improved mental health. Education with regards to nutrition and aiding in access to healthy foods can help. Promotion of vaccinations, specifically, influenza and pneumonia are also key areas the advanced practice nurse can facilitate increased healthy outcomes in (Edelman et. al, 2014). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supports environmental health through the ongoing practice of safeguarding the population from promoting premature death, avoidable illness and disability caused by non-infectious, non-occupational environmental and related factors. The CDC gives special attention to children, the elderly, and people with disabilities (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). National Center for Environmental Health. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/. Edelman, C., Kudzma, E., Mandle, C. (2014). Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span, 8th Edition. [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/978-0-323-09141-1/ World Health Organization. (2017). Aging. Retrieved from http://www.int/topics/ageing/en/