Health Assessment

Prompt: Read the case study and response to each of the questions. Provide succinct, relevant and evidence based responses to each question.

Mr. Clarkson, 70 years old, comes to the clinic because of continuing visual problems and joint pain in his left knee. As you begin taking a history, you note that he is wearing a hearing aid. You decide to do a focused, functional assessment.

Mr. Clarkson states that he can bathe himself as long as he can sit down to bathe but that he cannot climb into the bathtub. His wife has put a chair in the bathroom for him to use during bathing. He has no problems with toileting, dressing or eating, but he feels “tired and sore” if he has to walk more than a block. He dreads going to stores because he “can’t walk that much” and relies on his wife for grocery shopping, housekeeping, cooking and laundry chores. He hires a neighborhood boy to mow the lawn. He is able to drive his car without difficulty. He lives in a two-story house and says the once he is downstairs for the day, he tries not to go back upstairs until bedtime. His home has one bathroom on the lower level. He is a retired postal worker and enjoys spending time with his wife and in his flower garden. Lately though, the knee pain has kept him from his gardening activities. He is active in his church and local civic clubs. They have been looking forward to a seniors cruise that is scheduled in 2 months.

What are three other history questions you might ask regarding Mr. Clarkson’s mobility?
What is your assessment of Mr. Clarkson’s self-care ability?
What other questions should be included in a functional assessment?
What can you do to enhance your communication with Mr. Clarkson during the interview and examination? Support your answer.
His knee pain could be caused by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis. Which condition is best suggested by your assessment? Support your answer.
What could be causing Mr. Clarkson’s additional hearing loss?
Summarize your findings and provide recommendations for treatment and follow-up.

The paper must be structured and provide arguments that are supported, at least in part, by evidence gathered from outside sources. At minimum, the paper must contain the following:

a working thesis with an arguable, analytical claim.
a specific set of evidence (quotes, page numbers, etc.) to prove that claim, not just “example to prove my point,” or something similar. The evidence and how it proves the thesis must be apparent. Papers must include at least five scholarly references.
at least three fully developed, cohesive paragraphs with topic sentences. These topic sentences should be assertions. The paragraphs should contain ample evidence, analysis, and links to the thesis. Lack of development in paragraphs may result in no credit for the essays.
A title page, an abstract page, and a reference page
1” margins, double spacing, a 12 point Times Roman font and between eight and ten pages in length (excluding title, abstract, and reference pages)
Conform to APA formatting guidelines (6th Edition).