This document provides an overview of the major body systems, including their structures, functions, and common age-related changes. It discusses the skin, skeletal, muscular, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, urinary, digestive, endocrine, and immune systems. For each system, it lists key components, functions, normal aging changes to watch for, and nursing considerations for care.

1. Chapter 9

2.  Homeostasis – body harmony
 Metabolism – Physical and Chemical
processes
 Must be working at steady level
 Changes are signs and symptoms
 Change in temp – indicates infection
 Body systems – all work together and have
own structure and function

3.  Organs – Make up body systems – specific
function
 Tissues – Make up organs
 Cells – Make up tissues – building blocks

4.  Anterior/ – front
 Posterior/Dorsal – Back
 Superior – toward head
 Inferior – away from head
 Medial – toward midline
 Lateral – to the side, away from body
 Proximal – closer to torso
 Distal – away from torso

5.  Function – Protective covering
 Protects internal organs from injury
 Prevents bacteria from entering body
 Prevents water loss, essential to life
 Made up of glands and tissues
 Function – Sense Organ
 Heat, pain, cold, touch, pressure

6.  Thinner skin
 Less elastic
 Feels colder
 Hair thinner, gray
 Wrinkles, “liver” spots
 Nails more brittle
 Dry, itchy more often, due to decreased
circulation

7.  Help with bathing
 Apply lotions
 Be gentle – skin fragile
 Gently brush hair
 Keep them warm
 Keep bed linens wrinkle-free
 Be careful when giving nail care - diabetic
 Encourage them to drink fluids

8. Signs of Skin breakdown:
 Reddened skin
 Cuts, abrasions, skin tears
 Swelling
 Scalp or hair changes
 Skin that appears different from normal or
that has changed

9.  Bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, cartilage
 Gives body structure and function
 Skeleton protects internal organs
 Types of joints
 Ball and socket joint – movement in all directions
 Hip and shoulder
 Hinge joints – movement in one direction
 Elbow, knee

10.  Attached to bones, cause body movement
 Voluntary – arm and leg – skeletal
 Involuntary – diaphragm – breathing
 Exercise – important for maintaining health
 Improves circulation, muscle tone
 Immobility – Can’t move
 Caused by disease process sometimes
 Contributes to muscle atrophy (shrinking)
 Loss of strength, constipation, blood clots
 Contractures – shortening of muscles, inflexible,
freezes in position

11.  Weak muscles, loss of tone (shape)
 Slower body movements
 Joints stiffen
 Height is lost – lumbar/thoracic vertebra
 Brittle bones (osteoporosis) loss of bone
density – holes in bones

12.  Fall prevention – to prevent fractures
 ROM – to keep joints mobile
 Encourage self-participation in ADLs
 Encourage walking, if able

13.  Changes with ADL participation
 Changes with ROM
 Swelling of joints
 Pain in joints

14.  Control and message center of the body
 Senses and interprets information
 Made up of brain, spinal cord, and nerves
 Brain
 3 main sections
 Cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem
 Cerebrum – right and left sides of brain
 R - Controls movement & function left side of body
 L – Controls movement & function right side of body.
 Cerebellum – Balance & voluntary muscle movement
 Spinal Cord – houses nerve pathways

15.  Slower reflexes – does not react as quickly
 Decreased sensation – not able to fully sense
hot and cold accurately
 Possible memory loss – short term – “where
did I put those car keys???”

16.  Help resident make lists for reminders.
 Put a calendar on the wall for them.
 Give time for decision-making or responses
to questions.
 Never rush them.

17.  fatigue, pain that is unusual
 Shaking (hands, head, body)
 Trembling (in fingers, hands, elsewhere)
 Difference in speech (slurred, not making
sense)
 Unable to move one side of body (sudden)
 Any other symptoms related to stroke

18. Normal changes of aging are:
Decline in:
 Vision and hearing
 Smell (things smell different than normal)
 Taste (can’t taste something that is otherwise
normal…salt, sugar, usually need more of)
 Touch – diminished sensation (hot, cold)

19. Any reported change in:
 Vision
 Hearing
 Dizziness
 c/o pain in a different location

20.  Heart
 Acts like a pump
 Blood vessels
 Carries blood throughout body
 Blood
 Carries oxygen and nutrients to all areas of body

21. 2 phases of the heart beat:
 Systole (sis-toe-lee) – contraction phase
 Diastole (dye-as-toe-lee) – relaxation phase
 Blood pressure measures pressure against vessel
walls during these two phases

22.  Heart pumps less efficiently – less squeezing
 Decreased circulation – blood moves slower
 Narrowed blood vessels- plague build-up adds
to slower blood movement

23.  Encourage exercise and movement – take for
a walk, if on care plan
 ROM – can do in bed or wheelchair
 Allow time for completion of activities –
don’t ever rush!
 Keep Warm – this improves the circulation of
blood.

24.  Change in pulse rate
 Faster or slower
 c/o weakness or fatigue
 Change in ability to perform own ADLs
 Swelling in extremities
 Blue anything – lack of oxygen
 Chest pain – heart attack
 SOB – heart attack
 Severe headache – could be stroke

25.  Organs – Lungs and Trachea
 Inspiration and expiration (one full breath)
 1. Breathe in…
 2. Breathe out…
 Oxygen and carbon dioxide
 a. we breathe in oxygen
 b. we breathe out carbon dioxide (waste product)
 This whole process is called:
“Ventilation and Perfusion”

26.  Adjust position as needed – HOB up
 This helps when residents are short of breath.
 After surgery or with pneumonia:
encourage deep breathing and coughing to
expel mucous buildup.
 Observe and report…
 Change in RR
 Coughing, wheezing, other sounds
 Pale, blue, or gray look
 Chest pain
 Discolored sputum

27.  Organs – kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra
 See page 137 & 138
 Function:
 Filters blood and excretes waste products
through urine
 Normal changes of aging…
 Filtering capability diminishes
 Bladder muscle tone weakens
 Frequent urination – more trips to the BR
 Frequent UTIs

28.  Encourage fluid intake, if applicable
 Answer call light promptly
 Keep residents clean and dry, if incontinent

29.  Weight loss or gain- fluid retention
 Swelling – cause by fluid retention
 Color, odor, consistency or urine, if unusual
 c/o pain, burning with urination
 Inadequate fluid intake – could lead to
dehydration
 c/o abdominal pain
 c/o frequency – increase BR trips

30.  Organs
 See page 139
 Main functions
 Digestion – food in
 Elimination – waste out

31.  Answer call light promptly
 Encourage fluids and nutritious foods
 Dentures in and fitting
 Observe swallowing precautions

32.  Problems with
 Dentures, swallowing, mouth pain
 Incontinence
 Poor appetite
 BMs, unusual or no
 N,V,D
 c/o heartburn

33.  Glands – regulation of hormones
 Pancreas – insulin
 Thyroid – thyroid hormones
 Diabetes
 Blood sugar levels
 Capillary blood glucose – finger stick
 Observe and report…
 c/o headache
 Weakness
 Blurred vision
 other…see pg 141 – signs related to high/low
blood sugar

34.  Body’s attempt to fight off invading
organisms
 Skin, mucous membranes, nose hair
 Inflammatory response includes:
 Swelling, redness, increased temperature
 This response begins when there is an invading
organism inside the body.

35.  Wash hands frequently
 Encourage personal hygiene
 Take accurate VS
 Keep resident’s area clean
 Report abnormal VS or other to RN or LPN