Overview
Physiologic Shifts and Reduced Reserve
Aging changes several hormone systems and reduces the ability to restore balance after illness or medication changes.
NCLEX-RN
NCLEX-RN
Aging changes several hormone systems and reduces the ability to restore balance after illness or medication changes. Altered glucose metabolism becomes more common but is not universal. Thirst and renal responses to changes in water balance become less reliable, increasing vulnerability to dehydration and dysnatremia. Bone loss and changes in sex-hormone and growth-hormone axes also reduce reserve. These physiologic trends do not make symptomatic endocrine disease a normal part of aging. Use function as the organizing mental model. A smaller physiologic reserve means that infection, fasting, vomiting, a missed meal, or a new medication can expose a problem quickly. The same disturbance may appear in an older adult as a fall, delirium, weakness, or loss of self-care rather than as a classic endocrine complaint. Both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia are associated with cognitive impairment, falls, fractures, and functional disability in older adults with diabetes. The nursing goal is therefore not a laboratory value in isolation. It is safe treatment that preserves cognition, mobility, nutrition, and independence.
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