Common Health Challenges
Course Description
This course introduces students to the normal structure and function of the human body and normal bodily changes associated with aging. Students will explore common challenges to health and healing in relation to each body system. Students will also be encouraged to explore person-centred practice as it relates to the common challenges to health and, in particular, to end-of-life care.
Minimum course hours: 115
Learning Outcomes
- Explain the structure and function of the human body and normal changes associated with aging:
- 1.1 Describe the organization of the human body, including cells, tissues, and organs.
- 1.2 Describe the structure and functions of the major body systems.
- 1.3 Discuss the natural changes in each system associated with aging.
- Discuss common challenges to health and healing:
- 2.1 Discuss the experience of illness, disability, and common challenges to healing.
- 2.2 Discuss the experience of chronic illness and implications for care.
- 2.3 Describe common health challenges related to each body system.
- 2.4 Describe common neurodevelopmental disorders.
- 2.5 Discuss how to implement a person-centred caring approach for specific health challenges.
- Discuss nutrition as it relates to managing common health challenges:
- 3.1 Identify components of common special diets.
- 3.2 Identify community resources to support clients’ dietary intake.
- Discuss the components of person-centred, end-of-life care for clients and families:
- 4.1 Discuss the philosophy and principles of care used in hospice and palliative care settings.
- 4.2 Describe caring and problem-solving as these relate to end-of-life care in facilities and in community settings.
- 4.3 Discuss elements of legal and ethical practice in end-of-life care.
- 4.4 Describe common reactions and experiences as people approach death.
- 4.5 Discuss physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and spiritual needs of the dying person and appropriate interventions.
- 4.6 Discuss common reactions of family members and ways to support the family.
- 4.7 Describe processes involved in the care of the body after death.
- 4.8 Discuss the effects of a client’s death on the health care workers involved in the dying process.
- 4.9 Explain the importance of and ways to provide self-care following the death of a client.
Course Content
Medical Terminology
- Word elements: prefixes, roots and suffixes, and abbreviations.
Structure and Function of the Human Body
- Organization of the human body: cells, tissues, and organs.
- Major body systems:
- Integumentary
- Musculoskeletal
- Cardiovascular
- Respiratory
- Digestive
- Urinary
- Reproductive
- Endocrine
- Nervous
- Immune
- Natural changes associated with aging
Challenges to Health and Healing
- The experience of illness and disability.
- Common challenges to healing:
- Transitions
- Loss
- Pain
- Illness
- Death
- Broad effects of health challenges on the individual and family (e.g., changes in physical health can be expected to also affect psychological, cognitive, social, and spiritual health).
- Common disorders related to each body system (relevant examples in parenthesis):
- Integumentary (common skin disorders, pressure ulcers, pain).
- Musculoskeletal (falls, fractures, contractures, arthritis, osteoporosis, pain).
- Cardiovascular (hypertension, hypotension, edema, coronary artery disease, blood clots, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure).
- Respiratory (cyanosis, dyspnea, apnea, orthopnea, hyperventilation, hypoventilation, COPD, asthma, pneumonia).
- Digestive (vomiting, diarrhea, dysphagia, lack of appetite, dehydration, constipation, obesity, hiatal hernia, diverticular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease).
- Urinary (urinary tract infections, renal failure).
- Reproductive (benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), sexually transmitted infections (STIs), erectile dysfunction).
- Endocrine (diabetes, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism).
- Neurological (CVA/stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ALS, acquired brain injuries, spinal cord injuries).
- Sensory challenges:
- Normal sensory changes of aging.
- Speech and language challenges (aphasia, apraxia, dysarthria).
- Hearing and visual challenges.
- Cancer.
- Common communicable diseases (including, but not limited to, MRSA, VRE, C. difficile infections, influenza, coronaviruses, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and tuberculosis).
- Neurodevelopmental disorders (Down syndrome, autism spectrum, cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, fragile X syndrome, phenylketonuria (PKU)).
- Chronic illness:
- Basic definition and concepts.
- Implications for care.
- Focus on self-care.
- Community and consumer resources related to various health challenges.
Nutrition and Common Health Challenges
- Special diets:
- Texture-modified diets
- Restricted diets
- Diabetic diet
- High protein diet
- Liquid and pureed diets
- Food allergies and intolerances
- Diversity and nutrition:
- Vegetarian diets
- Belief-based diets
- Cultural differences
- Community resources to support clients’ dietary intake.
End-of-Life Care
- Hospice and palliative care — philosophy and principles of care.
- The journey of dying — understanding and coming to terms with death and dying.
- Caring and problem-solving as related to palliative care in facilities and in community settings.
- Legal and ethical practice and safety in palliative care.
- Quality of life issues — honouring the individual, family, and rituals.
- Common reactions and experiences as people approach death.
- Physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and spiritual needs and appropriate interventions.
- Comfort measures for:
- Pain
- Breathing challenges
- Challenges with eating and drinking
- Dehydration
- Bowel function
- Restlessness
- Delirium
- Common reactions of family members and ways to support the family.
- The moment of death and care of the body after death.
- Grief and grieving.
- Self-care for the caregiver:
- Personal and professional boundaries.
- Recognizing the impact of loss on the caregiver.
- Recognizing signs of and preventing stress and burnout.