AnJuli Swaney

4/19/2016
RNSG 2535
Spring 2016
Heart Health Teaching Project
This project centers around teaching heart health to the seniors that utilize the local Meals on Wheels
venue. Our focus will be on healthy diet, stress management and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle. This project is
presented on April 19, 2016 by Caleb Williams and AnJuli Swaney.
The group we will be teaching are assessed on several factors: prior knowledge, developmental level,
physical readiness, emotional readiness, motivation and learning style. It is a mixed group of senior citizens so many
factors will vary amongst the group itself however their developmental level and motivation will likely be similar.
Their developmental level will be at the Maturity stage as identified by Erikson. They will be facing the conflict of
ego integrity vs despair.
The learners will likely be motivated in maintaining their autonomy and integrity for as long as possible
and are more likely to be interested in a health related conversation than a group that consists of young adults or
adolescences. Due to the effect that aging has the heart they will be motivated to learn ways to prevent or slow age
related decline.
Prior knowledge will also vary due to socioeconomic class and access to health care as well as
past medical conditions. We will assume that the learners were talking to are all new to heart health to provide the
least biased and informative presentation possible. Many of the pamphlets and handouts we have are written below a
sixth grade level as recommended by AMA. The activities that we have provided are easily explained and will
enforce the learning process.
Emotional readiness will vary based on desire to be the event. Subconscious barriers due to a disruption in
their schedule may present an obstacle to teaching that isnt easily overcome. Other learners may have previous
knowledge of the subject matter and have no desire to hear it again. There may also be learners who have a lower

emotional maturity than average for their age group. While we cant overcome a desire not to be present at the event,
we will have goodie bags and an interactive display that will hopefully raise their curiosity and lower the barrier to
teaching.
Physical readiness will vary based on medical history. Some learners may be fully ambulatory while others
are confined to a wheelchair or walk with a gait assistance device due to prior injury or age related joint decline.
Learners may also auditory and visual limitations that prevent them from accurately interpreting the information. In
preparation for sensory loss we will go over all pamphlets with the group and point to relevant sections as they look
at the information. We will also ensure that we speak at an appropriate tempo and enunciate.
Learning styles vary within the group and can change per client due to the subject matter. The most
commonly accepted learning styles are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. People with a visual style tend to learn
mostly through sight they often think in pictures and learn best from visual displays. those with an auditory
learning style will benefit most from listening to lectures, speeches and oral sessions. they prefer to hear an
explanation of something rather than read about it. people with a kinesthetic learning style prefer to carry out a
physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or merely watching a demonstration (Frankel 2009) Current
research states that the majority of people use a combination of all three styles but one style is dominant. To teach to
a mixed group we will integrate all three styles in our presentation.
Environmental factors cant be ascertained until the venue is assessed. The learners may have intolerance to
temperatures, lighting conditioning, sounds or smells that arent noticed by those doing the teaching. Per Maslow
one focuses on the physiological needs first so we can ascertain that one cannot learn if theyre cold, wet, hungry or
experiencing physical discomfort. They also cannot learn when they do not feel safe. Due to the wide range of
people well be teaching we cant adequately control for each individual.
Nursing diagnosis of: Deficient knowledge r/t lack of interest, lack of exposure to information, sensory
limitation, cognitive limitation, information misinterpretation or unfamiliarity with resources. Learner will explain
what DASH diet consists of, give example of one method of stress management and explain how to incorporate
movement into daily life prior to leaving booth. Learner will understand benefit of switching to DASH diet learner
will effectively manage stress as evident by lower blood pressure, lower pulse rate and verbal reports of stress

management and learners will incorporate 30 minutes of physician approved physical activity into their day at least
3 times a week within 3 months.
1.

2.

Monitor how clients process information over time.

a. Clients are unique in how they process information. Some clients will be more uncertain
than others and may need educational interventions over time.
Consider using motivational and problem solving teaching strategies to support self-efficacy, selfregulation and self-management.
a. Advice giving and providing information alone do not directly result in behavioral
change. Encouraging clients to become involved and self-generate solutions to problems

3.

can enhance self-control and confidence.

Assess the clients literacy skill when using written information.
a. Health care professionals may overestimate reading and comprehension levels of their

4.

clients.
Provide visual aid to enhance learning.
a. Visual aids such as pictures and simple word captions have proven to be effective to

5.

highlight information, especially when working with clients with low literacy.
Involve older clients in setting their own goals and participating in the decision making process.
a. Allowing senior clients to set goals that are meaningful to them and are realistic has

6.

demonstrated positive clinical outcomes.

Ensure that the client has necessary reading aids.
a. Visual and hearing difficulties require amplification or clarification of sensory input.

The Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension Diet, otherwise known as DASH is a low sodium, low sugar,
low fat method of lowering the overall risk for stroke and coronary heart disease. In teaching DASH we will explain
the benefits of the diet and adherence to it. The teaching will be supplemented with handouts and pamphlets on the
diet as well as a demonstration on choosing DASH foods. There will also be explanation and handout on portion
sizes and a visual aid to show fat inside an artery. At the end of the DASH presentation learners will have a quiz
where they are asked to choose between a food that is on the DASH diet and one that is not.
Chronic stress is a comorbidity for many cardiac issues so our teaching will go over stress management and
prevention. We will have briefly explain how hormones, cortisol and epinephrine, cause vasoconstriction and
tachycardia then provide pamphlets on stress management. We will provide balloons to teach the group a deep
breathing exercise: Take a deep breath, filling your lungs completely, just as you would when blowing up a balloon.
Now exhale slowly through pursed lips to inflate the balloon. There will also be bubbles provided for the same
purpose. The goodie bags have stress balls and a balloon to take home.

A sedentary lifestyle is the third component we will discuss. There will be a brief lesson, complete with
visual aids on how your body responds to lack of movement. We will then present the group with handouts and
encourage them to move at least thirty minutes a day and contact their physician prior to starting an exercise
program. At the end of the presentation they will be asked how many minutes a day and how often a week they
should dedicate to movement. Due to the fact that we dont know their medical history, we will not be
recommending any specific exercise program.
At the end of the presentation the learners would have had two interactive quizzes, multiple visual aids, a
deep breathing exercise and a bag with a stress ball, a balloon, an 8 oz bottle of water, a serving of oatmeal and a
bag of fruit candy in it. They will then be presented with an evaluation sheet that has simple yes / no questions and
large font to fill out. We will be available for assistance in filling it out.

References

Badarudeen, S., & Sabharwal, S. (2010, May). Assessing Readability of Patient Education
Materials: Current Role in Orthopaedics. Retrieved April 16, 2016, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3049622/

Frankel, A. (2009). Nurses learning styles: Promoting better integration of theory into practice.
Nursing Times, 24-27. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from
http://www.nursingtimes.net/Journals/2012/08/14/c/r/k/090120ResearchLearning.pdf

Ackley, B. J., & Ladwig, G. B. (2014). Nursing diagnosis handbook: An evidence-based guide to

planning care.

Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier.

Fung TT, Chiuve SE, McCullough ML, Rexrode KM, Logroscino G, Hu FB. Adherence to a DASH-Style
Diet and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Women. Arch Intern Med.
720. doi:10.1001/archinte.168.7.713.

2008;168(7):713-