Nursing Care of Physiologic and Psychologic Disorders Medicine Essay

Nursing Care of Physiologic & Psychologic Disorders
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Nursing Care of Physiologic and Psychologic Disorders
Age-Related changes and common problems and conditions of Integumentary function
The integumentary system consists of the skin and its appendages which protect the body from different kinds of harm such as damage from outside and loss of water. It keeps the body temperature within the required limit even when environmental temperature changes (Jett, 2016). It also acts as a food source and protects the body from extreme starvation. Langerhans cells in the skin play a role in protection because they are part of the immune system.
All systems in the body accumulate delicate, and some less-delicate changes as the person gets older. These changes include a reduction in cell division, blood circulation, metabolic activity, muscle strength, and hormonal levels (Harding, 2019). In the skin, the changes are echoed in reduced mitosis in the stratum basal, which leads to a thinner epidermis.
The dermis part of the skin which facilitates the resilience and elasticity of the skin will display a reduced ability to redevelop hence leading to a slow rate of wound healing (Diegel et al., 2019). On the other hand, the hypodermis that contains fat stores will lose its structure due to redistribution and reduction in fats. Therefore, it will lead to sagging and thinning of the skin.
The accessory structures will also have reduced activity levels hence generating thinner nails and hair and decreased levels of sweat and sebum. That will cause some aged people to become intolerant of a lot of heat. Less sweat will make the skin dry and can crack if not moisturized.
Melanocytes and dendritic cells will become less active, leading to lower immunity and pale skin. Wrinkling of the skin normally arises because of failure of its underlying structure as a result of reduced elastin and collagen production hence weakening the muscles beneath the skin and the skin will not be able to retain sufficient moisture.
Less grip between the skin layers for older people. The papillae that keep together the epidermis and dermis will flatten out, therefore leading to fewer grips between the two layers hence making the skin more vulnerable to shear friction and injury.
Decrease the ability to touch and pressure. That is due to a reduction in sensory perception hence increasing the chances of ischemic incidents from lying or sitting too long in one position, for instance, a young person will shift his body weight after every 20 minutes even when sleeping, but an elderly person may not shift the bodyweight often due to sensory changes, effects of medication, and movement limitations hence leading to skin ischemia.
Nursing management for integumentary function disorders
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