Case Study: Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Mr. A is a 45-years old Ethiopian man who lives in a Supportive living seniors apartment in Calgary, Sundial. He was approachable and engaging in conversation, and/or answering questions. Upon assessing his values, beliefs and understanding of ageing, he defines ageing as “a destiny”. Mr. A stated that “when mother gives birth, baby cry, and it is a destiny. It is genetics and we do not control it”. In 2006, Mr. A had problem with digestion and in 2014, he was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It became a “turning point” in his life when he had to get a feeding tube in 2015, that impacted his mental health as well. The psychosocial assessment was completed and he reported that he used to feel that “life was not worth living” but now he feels good about life and “it’s God

The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used due to Mr. A’s verbalization of Depression and repetitive nightmares from childhood experience. A number of significant factors for Mr. A’s depression were noted such as major events; divorce, loss of job health related problem and demographic distance from family. The GDS score for Mr. A is 7 which is which suggests depression. The Times-Up-And-Go (TUG) test was conducted to identify gait and balance abnormalities. The assessment was completed in 21.5 seconds which indicates that Mr. A has increased fall risk. Slow, steady gait and good balance were noted upon approach, however, it appears that he was struggling with balance. Due to age related memory changes, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was utilized for assessing cognitive status. The scoring for MMSE is 26 out of 30 points which indicates normal cognitive impairment, however, a follow up assessment is necessary. When he was asked to repeat three objects and remember what they are, he could recall only one object when asked to name them again in a few minutes. In addition, he could not repeat exact phrase: No ifs, ands or