Download Helpful explanations of how the body works Heart Blood pressure

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Helpful explanations of how the body works
ƒƒ Heart
ƒƒ Blood pressure
ƒƒ Body temperature
ƒƒ Fluid balance
ƒƒ Nutrition
ƒƒ Body weight
And more, all in one handy booklet!
Skills for Care
West Gate,
Grace Street,
Leeds
LS1 2RP
telephone 0113 245 1716
fax 0113 243 6417
email [email protected]
web www.skillsforcare.org.uk
© Skills for Care 2011
Ref: DS022
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Physical health
Part of the Learning through Work series
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Physical health - Part of the ‘Learning through Work’ series (2011)
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Published by Skills for Care, West Gate, 6 Grace Street, Leeds LS1 2RP
www.skillsforcare.org.uk
© Skills for Care 2011
Ref: DS022
This is a priced publication and must not be copied or reproduced in any way without
the express permission of the publisher.
Skills for Care is the employer-led strategic body for workforce development in social
care for adults in England. It is part of the sector skills council, Skills for Care and
Development.
This work was researched and written by Alexander Braddell, working to a
commission from Skills for Care.
Bibliographic reference data for Harvard-style author/date referencing system:
Short reference: SfC 2011 (DS022)
Long reference: Physical health - Part of the ‘Learning through Work’ series, (Leeds, 2011) www.skillsforcare.org.uk (DS022)
Contents
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Monitoring physical health
Energy
Breathing (1)
Breathing (2)
Cardiovascular system
Heartbeat
Pulse
Blood pressure
Heart conditions (1)
Heart conditions (2)
Body temperature
Keeping warm, staying cool
Fluid balance
Nutrition
Glucose
Diabetes
Body weight
Pressure sores
Quiz
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Using this booklet
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When monitoring a person’s health and wellbeing, it is helpful to have some understanding of
ƒƒ The heart
ƒƒ Blood pressure
ƒƒ Body temperature
ƒƒ Fluid balance
ƒƒ Nutrition
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The booklet explains important aspects of how
the body works. It also explains the language
we use when we talk about physical health.
The booklet is divided into topics (one per page).
It is designed for busy people – each topic can
be read in less than three minutes.
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How to use this booklet
ƒƒ Find a couple of colleagues
ƒƒ Read a topic together
ƒƒ Agree what it means
ƒƒ Discuss how it relates to your own work
ƒƒ See if your supervisor or manager agrees
ƒƒ Decide how you can use what you have
learned to improve the quality of care
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Talking with colleagues is the key
The moment you start talking about something,
you’re thinking about it.
Once you start thinking about it, you’re learning.
Tip Start with a topic that interests you.
Don’t feel pressured – learn at your own pace
and remember what they say:
Days that make us happy, make us wise!
1. Monitoring physical health
Monitoring a person’s physical health is an
important part of caring for the person.
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One of the ways we monitor physical health is by
taking measurements.
Things we measure include
Body temperature
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Pulse (i.e. heart rate)
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Blood pressure
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Respiratory (i.e. breathing) rate
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Blood glucose (i.e. sugar) level
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Fluid intake and output
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Caloric intake
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Weight
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Body mass index
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Repositioning
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There is a normal range for all these
measurements, but within that range individuals
vary.
Taking accurate measurements over a period
of time helps to tell us how a particular person’s
body works.
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Accurate records of the measurements help us
to notice any change in the person’s health at
once.
That allows us to make timely adjustments to the
person’s care plan.
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
Accurate
measurements
Accurate
records
= 
Effective
care planning
2. Energy
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Human bodies need energy to function. The
body creates energy from nutrients and
oxygen.
The air we breathe is about 20% (one-fifth)
oxygen. The rest is mostly nitrogen.
We take air into our lungs. There the oxygen
passes into our blood.
Our heart pumps the oxygen-carrying blood
through our blood vessels to every part of our
body.
This is called the cardio-respiratory system.
Food and drink provide nutrients (proteins,
carbohydrates, fats, sugars, minerals, vitamins).
What we eat goes to our stomachs and
intestines. There, the nutrients pass into our
bloodstream and circulate throughout the body.
This is the digestive system.
One of the most important nutrients is glucose,
a type of sugar.
See page 15 for more on glucose.
Our body’s cells combine oxygen with glucose
to create energy.
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For this process to work, the inside of our body
(i.e. organs such as the liver, kidneys etc) needs
to be around a certain temperature, normally
about 37° Celsius.
See page 11 for more on body temperature.
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There must also be enough water in the body.
See page 13 for more on body water.
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Waste products
The waste products from creating energy in this
way include the gas carbon dioxide.
The blood carries this back to the lungs and we
breathe it out.
3. Breathing (1)
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Breathing or respiration is one of four vital signs
that measure the body’s basic functions.
The other vital signs are
ƒƒ Pulse (i.e. heart rate)
ƒƒ Blood pressure
ƒƒ Body temperature
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We breathe to bring oxygen into the body and
take out carbon dioxide.
We inhale (breathe in) oxygen and exhale
(breathe out) carbon dioxide.
Air from our mouth and nose goes down our
airways (the trachea and bronchial tubes) into
our lungs.
There it reaches the alveoli, tiny air sacs.
Here oxygen passes into the bloodstream while
carbon dioxide passes out into the lungs to be
exhaled, a process called gaseous exchange.
Mouth and
nose
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Airways
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Air
Alveoli
They are tiny
and there are
millions of
them
Inside the
alveoli –
oxygen
going into
the blood,
carbon
dioxide
going out
into the
lungs
4. Breathing (2)
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Respiratory rate is the number of breaths a
person takes per minute.
We calculate it by counting how many times the
chest rises in a given period of time, usually one
minute.
Healthy adult = between 12 and 20 breaths a
minute and up to 45 during exercise.
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People with asthma, heart disease or diabetes
may take many more breaths than a healthy
person – two to three times as many.
Breathing rate does not change much with age.
An elderly person should be able to breathe
easily. Breathing problems are not normal.
Did you know?
Respiration is from spirare (say it: spi-rah-ray),
Latin for breathe. Vital (as in vital signs on page 3)
comes from vita, Latin for life.
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Asthma
We line our airways with a thin layer of mucous.
Normally, this mucous coats our airways
without obstructing
Alveoli
Airway
the flow of air.
Mucous
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During an asthma
attack, we tighten
our airways and
secrete more mucous.
This extra mucous
can then block our
small airways.
This reduces our
ability to inhale
oxygen and exhale
carbon dioxide.
To compensate, we
breathe harder
and faster.
Normal
Asthma
attack
Blocked
airway
5. Cardiovascular system
The body is supplied with oxygen and nutrients
by the blood.
Cardio = heart
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Blood is circulated through the body by the
cardiovascular system.
Vascular = blood vessels
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Right
atrium
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The heart is a muscle with four chambers: the
right and left atria (Latin for hall) and the right
and left ventricles (Latin for belly).
Right
ventricle
Left
atrium
Left
ventricle
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Oxygen is added to the blood in the lungs.
This oxygenated blood goes through the heart’s
left atrium to the left ventricle.
The left ventricle pumps it out to the rest of the
body through the arteries (that carry only
oxygenated blood).
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The arteries narrow into arterioles and into hairthin capillaries that take the blood into all parts
of the body where the oxygen is absorbed by
the body’s cells.
The deoxygenated blood (now carrying carbon
dioxide away) is sent back through capillaries
that widen into veins.
Veins carry the deoxygenated blood back to the
heart’s right atrium and ventricle. They pump it
back to the lungs, where carbon dioxide is
replaced with oxygen and the cycle begins again.
6. Heartbeat
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The heart pumps blood by contracting and
relaxing (like a fist squeezing and unsqueezing).
We call this pulsation the heartbeat.
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What happens during a heartbeat?
The left and right atria contract at the same time.
This is called the atrial systole (systole means
contraction). It forces all the blood in the atria
down into the ventricles.
The ventricles then contract. This is called the
ventricular systole. It forces blood out into the
vascular system of arteries and veins.
After the atria and ventricles contract, they relax.
This is called the atrial and ventricular diastole.
The diastole allows first the atria and then the
ventricles to fill with blood, before the next systole.
How to say it
Systole = sis-tuh-lee
Diastole = di-as-tuh-lee (Both words come from
Greek, the first European language of science.)
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Two sounds are associated with a heartbeat.
Both are caused by valves opening and closing
in the chambers of the heart.
First sound: Valves between the atria and the
ventricles, stopping blood from flowing back into
the atria from the ventricles.
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Second sound: Valves between ventricles and
arteries (pulmonary and aorta), stopping blood
flowing back from the arteries into the ventricles.
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Aorta
Right
atrium
Pulmonary artery
Left
atrium
Valves
Valves
Right
ventricle
Left
ventricle
7. Pulse
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Each time the heart pumps blood into the
arteries (the systole) it sends a wave of pressure
that causes the arteries to expand. In between
heartbeats (the diastole), the arteries relax.
This expansion and relaxation can be felt at the
neck, wrist and several other places as a pulse.
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Taking someone’s pulse is a way of measuring the
rate, rhythm and strength of their heart beat.
The normal pulse for a healthy adult at rest is
from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
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Exercise, illness, injury and emotion may
increase the pulse.
Abnormal heart rate
Our heart rate may be too fast (tachycardia) or
too slow (bradycardia) or just irregular.
Heart rate may be affected by caffeine, medicine
and the health and fitness of the heart itself.
We call abnormal heart rate arrhythmia.
Pulse rates (beats per minute)
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Less than 40 = below normal
40 to 60 = normal when sleeping
60 to 100 = normal for healthy adult at rest
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100 to 220 = normal during exercise, but too
high for adult at rest
More than 220 = too high in any circumstances
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Women tend to have higher pulses than men.
Abnormal heart rate symptoms
Chest pain, fainting, light-headedness
Dizziness, paleness, shortness of breath
Sweating, irregular pulse
Palpitations (throbbing) of the heart
8. Blood pressure
Blood pressure measures the force of the blood
against the walls of the arteries.
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This force rises when the heart contracts to
pump blood into the arteries (the systole). It falls
when the heart relaxes to refill with blood (the
diastole).
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The arteries expand (i.e. stretch open) during the
systole to accommodate the force of the blood.
The arteries relax (i.e. close in again) during the
diastole when the force lessens.
How easy it is for blood to move through the
arteries depends on how strong the heartbeat
is, how elastic the arteries are and how thick
the blood is. Weight, diet, fitness and age
(arteries grow less elastic with age) all affect this.
If it is difficult for the blood to move, the heart
has to work harder and blood pressure rises.
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In the UK blood pressure is measured in
millilitres of mercury (mm Hg), from when we used
a sphygmomanometer with a mercury column.
Blood pressure is expressed in two numbers,
first the higher systolic pressure, then the lower
diastolic pressure.
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Healthy adult blood pressure is around 120
mm Hg (systolic) over 80 mm Hg (diastolic).
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High blood pressure (hypertension, associated
with heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease) is
140/90 and above, but it is unhealthy for
people with diabetes or heart conditions to
have blood pressure above 130/80.
Low blood pressure (hypotension, associated
with dizziness, fainting, infection) is below 90/60.
Did you know?
Hypo = below normal
Hyper = above normal
9. Heart conditions (1)
Cardiovascular disease (heart and blood vessel
disease) causes one in every three UK deaths.
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Hardening of the arteries
As we grow older our arteries harden.
We call this process arteriosclerosis.
Say it: ahh-tier-rio-skler-osis
Sclerosis means hardening.
The arteries also become clogged with fatty
deposits called atheroma (say it: ath-er-romer).
Atheroma is cell debris.
We call this process atherosclerosis.
This makes it more difficult for the heart to send
oxygenated blood around the body.
The vessels that supply the heart itself with blood
are called the coronary arteries.
The narrowing of these arteries restricts the
supply of blood to the heart and may cause chest
pains called angina.
Complete blockage may destroy heart muscle.
We call this a heart attack (or myocardial
infarction). This type of cardiovascular disease is
called coronary heart disease.
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Heart failure is when the heart is unable to
pump blood around the body properly, e.g. due
to narrowing of the arteries or heart attacks. It is
serious, but can be treated.
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When a blood vessel is injured, to repair itself
it first clots some blood around the injury. We
call this blood clot a thrombus. Thrombosis is
when a clot restricts or blocks the normal flow of
blood through a blood vessel.
Sometimes a clot is carried away from where it
formed and it blocks a blood vessel in another
part of the body. This is called an embolism.
If the wall of a blood vessel has been weakened,
it may balloon out to form an aneurism, a pocket
of blood, which, if it bursts, can cause serious
problems (e.g. a stroke), even death.
10. Heart conditions (2)
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Blocked or burst blood vessels can restrict or
completely cut off blood (and with it oxygen and
glucose) to different parts of the brain, causing
severe injuries, including stroke and peripheral
arterial disease.
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Stroke
A stroke is when blood is cut off to an area of
the brain. If the blood supply is not restored very
quickly, that part of the brain may suffer
permanent damage, leaving the person unable
to speak or move certain parts of their body.
Peripheral arterial disease
This occurs when the blood supply to a
person’s arms or (more commonly) legs is
restricted.
Symptoms include pain, weakness, numbness,
cramping, sores, wounds and ulcers that heal
slowly or not at all.
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High blood pressure
Diabetes
High cholesterol
Obesity
Lack of exercise
Drinking large amounts of alcohol
Smoking
Genetics, i.e. heart trouble in the family
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Risk factors for heart disease
Things that make a person more likely to
develop a heart condition:
By addressing these factors (e.g. eating well and
exercising) we reduce the risk of developing
cardiovascular disease.
Where cardiovascular disease is already present,
addressing these risk factors helps us to
manage the problem.
11. Body temperature
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Our body only functions within a certain
temperature range. If we become too cold or too
hot the organs of our body stop working.
Body temperature varies by person, age, activity,
environment and time of day, but for most
people 38.0°C or more is above normal, 36.0°C
or less is below normal.
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Normal temperature range for the body
Mouth (oral) 36.3 to 37.5°C
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Armpit (axillary) 36.2 to 36.9°C
Ear (tympanic) 36.6 to 37.8°C
Core (internal) 37 to 37.8°C
Body temperatures that are not normal
35°C or below = hypothermia (too cold)
40.5°C or above = hyperthermia (too hot)
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Body temperature in older people
As we age, it becomes harder for us to control
body temperature.
We lose some of the fat under our skin that
helps us stay warm.
We are less able to sweat and less able to run a
fever.
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Fever is one of our body’s natural defence
mechanisms.
When our body is infected with a virus or
bacteria, the body increases its heat to kill the
infection.
At the start of this process, we may feel shivery
and cold.
Because older people are less likely to run a
fever, it is important to check for infection when
an older person does run a fever.
12. Keeping warm, staying cool
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Hypothermia Not enough heat
When the body becomes cold, it stops sending
blood to outer parts (the skin, fingers and toes,
ears etc) where heat may be lost.
This concentrates the blood in the centre of the
body, stressing the heart and lungs.
The blood may also thicken, increasing the risk
of blood clots.
See page 9 for more on blood clots.
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Food, hot drinks, bed socks, thermal underwear,
many thin layers of clothing and heating help
prevent hypothermia.
Hyperthermia Too much heat
When the body becomes hot, it tries to cool itself
by perspiration (sweating). Sweat is made up of
body water and salts.
The loss of this can lead to dehydration, heat
exhaustion and heatstroke, causing dizziness,
fainting, vomiting, confusion, fits, brain damage
and even death.
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Cold drinks, loose cotton clothes and a breeze
help the body cool itself safely. Keeping
someone cool in e.g. a wet sheet can also help.
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Room temperature guide
20-24°C helps keep the body at the right
temperature.
21°C is ideal for living rooms.
18°C is fine for bedrooms, when we are in bed.
Out of bed, below 20°C poses a health risk.
At 16°C and below, lung / breathing problems
are more likely.
At 12°C blood pressure rises, increasing the risk
of heart attack and stroke.
At 5°C hypothermia can set in, leading to death.
Room temperatures above 25°C may also pose
a health risk, particularly in very hot weather.
Older people and anyone who cannot easily
sweat need temperatures below 26°C.
13. Fluid balance
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Water makes up about 60% (nearly two-thirds)
of our body weight.
That means a man weighing 70 kg has five litres
of blood and 40 litres of water in his body.
Water serves many vital functions in the body,
including blood flow, digestion, controlling body
temperature and removing toxins (poisons) from
the body.
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We normally lose about two and a half litres
(2.5 l) of water every day.
About a litre and a half is lost through urination
(peeing). The rest is lost through perspiration
(sweating), defecation (pooing) and respiration
(breathing).
We replace this water by drinking and eating (all
food contains water).
We need to drink at least a litre of water a day.
What we eat should give us another litre of water.
We get the rest (about 300ml) from the body’s
own chemical reactions.
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Thirst and hydration
When the body senses that we need water, it
makes us feel thirsty – but, from about the age
of 50 our sense of thirst weakens.
Older people may not feel thirsty.
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If a person fails to replace the water they lose,
they become dehydrated*.
This can cause headaches, tiredness,
discomfort, reduced and abnormally dark urine,
dizziness, constipation, increased heart and
breathing rates, raised body temperature,
nausea, loss of vision and delirium.
Take particular care when a person loses water
through diarrhoea or vomiting.
If a person fails to replace 15% or more of their
body water, their body organs are likely to fail
and the person may die.
This means four to five litres, depending on the
person’s size.
*Dehydration comes from hydor, Greek for water.
14. Nutrition
Nutrition is food that nourishes the body.
Along with water, nutrients include
Carbohydrates (including sugars and
fibre) for energy and digestion
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Proteins, to build and repair the body
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Fat, to absorb vitamins and for energy
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Vitamins and minerals, needed in very small
quantities for many bodily functions.
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Most food contains some or all of these things, but
bread, rice and pasta are rich in carbohydrates
and fibre. Meat, fish, eggs and dairy products are
rich in protein. Meat and dairy products are also
rich in fat. Fresh fruit and vegetables are good
sources of vitamins and minerals.
The body needs salt, but more than 6g a day is
bad for the heart, as is too much fat or sugar.
A balanced diet contains a mix of nutrients
and gives the body the right amount of energy.
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We measure food energy in calories (kcal) or
joules (kJ). Food packets show both, e.g.
Typical values per 100g: Energy 135kJ, 32kcal
(tin of soup), but in the UK we use calories.
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If the food we eat gives us more energy than we
use, we store the energy as body fat and gain
weight. If our food gives us less energy than we
use, we lose weight.
See page 17 for more on weight.
A normally active woman uses 2000 calories in
a day and a man 2500 calories, but the actual
amount depends on a person’s age, physical
condition and lifestyle.
Older people may need less, e.g. for a woman
1800 calories and for a man 2100 calories.
15. Glucose
Glucose is the body’s main source of energy.
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It is a type of sugar found in starchy foods, such
as bread, pasta and potatoes, and in milk and
fruit, as well as in sugary foods.
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By digesting these foods, we take the glucose
into our blood (glucose is also called blood
sugar). The blood carries it to our cells. The cells
absorb the glucose then combine it with
oxygen (a process called cell metabolism) to
make energy. The cells use this energy to build
and maintain the body.
In many parts of the body cells must be
stimulated to absorb glucose by insulin, a
hormone* produced by the pancreas (a gland
beneath the stomach). Having the right amount
of insulin is important.
are chemicals produced by our
body to set off reactions in our cells.
*Hormones
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Too little insulin means that cells cannot absorb
glucose. This leads to hyperglycaemia (say it:
hi-per-gly-seem-ia), high blood sugar, linked to
diabetes. See page 16.
Too much insulin means that cells absorb too
much glucose. This leads to hypoglycaemia,
low blood sugar.
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Eating is usually enough to restore the body’s
glucose level, but, if hypoglycaemia is allowed to
persist, it can lead to dizziness, speech problems,
fits, passing out, brain damage and death.
Our glucose level varies, but between meals it
should be 4-6 millimoles per litre of blood,
written mmol/l, or mmol/dm3.
Note: some glucometers abroad show milligrams per decilitre (mg/dl).
To convert mmol/l  mg/dl: multiply by 18.
To convert mg/dl  mmol/l: divide by 18.
16. Diabetes
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Diabetes is a disorder of the body’s metabolism
(i.e. its energy creating process) that makes the
person produce a lot of urine, but feel very thirsty.
There are different kinds of diabetes, but the
most common is diabetes mellitus*, when the
urine contains a lot of sugar.
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There are two types of diabetes mellitus. Both
involve the hormone insulin that allows the cells
to absorb glucose (blood sugar, see page 15).
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Type 1 Diabetes: the body fails to produce insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes: the body produces insulin but
the cells do not use it properly (insulin resistance).
Both are chronic conditions, long term diseases
that can be controlled, but not cured.
Type 1 diabetes tends to affect young people.
Most adults with diabetes have type 2, often
related to obesity. It is a progressive disease,
meaning that it gets worse with time.
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Untreated diabetes can lead to nerve damage,
heart disease, kidney failure, eye damage, brain
damage, coma and death.
We control Type 1 diabetes by injecting insulin.
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Type 2 diabetes is controlled by eating a healthy
diet and monitoring glucose levels in the blood.
It may also become necessary to inject insulin.
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High blood pressure, smoking and obesity are
all dangerous for people with diabetes.
*Why is it called diabetes mellitus?
Diabetes is from diabaino, Greek for to pass
through, mellitus is Latin for sweet.
Diabetes mellitus = sugar passing through the
body.
17. Body weight
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Water accounts for roughly two-thirds of body
weight.
Bone, blood, muscle, fat and other tissues (such
as ligament) make up the remaining third.
How much a person weighs depends partly on
their height and partly on their muscle and fat.
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Body mass index (BMI) is a way to see if
someone’s weight is in the healthy range.
Healthy BMI is normally between 20 and
25. Less than 20 means the person may be
underweight. More than 25 means they are
probably overweight.
To calculate BMI, you need the person’s weight in
kilograms and height in metres. Square the height
(multiply it by itself) then divide the weight by it.
Here’s an example:
Weight = 60kg Height = 1.6m
1.6 x 1.6 = 2.56
60/2.56 = 23.4
BMI = 23.4 (in the healthy range)
People can be
Under weight: BMI less than 20
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At their ideal weight: BMI 20 to 25
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Overweight: BMI 26 to 30
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Obese: BMI over 30
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People who are overweight or obese have too
much body fat.
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Fat is important for health. It protects organs,
keeps the body warm and helps absorb vitamins.
It is also how the body stores energy from food. If
we eat more food than we need, the body stores
the energy as fat and we put on weight.
Obesity is a medical condition that may lead to
diabetes, breathing difficulties, heart disease,
stroke and arthritis.
Learn more
Ask your manager how we calculate BMI for
non-weight bearing people.
18. Pressure sores
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When a person is bedridden and unable to
change position, they are at risk of developing
pressure sores (also called bed sores and
pressure ulcers).
Three things can cause sores:
Pressure The weight of the body stops blood
reaching the parts of the body pressed against
the bed. Cells die and sores develop.
Shearing When a person slides up or down in
bed or on a wheelchair, muscle inside the body
may be pulled away from the skin it is connected
to. This interferes with blood circulation and
causes sores.
Friction
Any movement that rubs against the
skin may damage it, causing sores to develop.
Moisture and poor nutrition add to any
problem.
Older people are at particular risk.
Pressure sores are hard to cure.
Pressure sores can be fatal.
11
12
*
1
* 3* 4* 5* 6*
2
*
*
*7
*8
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*
*
9
10
Sores develop at points that take the body’s
weight in the bed or chair, including
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1. Back of the head
7. Calf
8. Heel
3. Elbow
9. Toes
4. Base of spine
10. Knees
5. Buttocks
11. Chest
6. Thigh
12. Ear
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2. Shoulders
To avoid problems, the person must be moved
at regular intervals so that their weight is
redistributed onto different parts of their body.
19. Quiz
1. How do accurate daily records of a person’s
physical health help care planning?
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2. How do our cells use oxygen to create
energy?
3. Where does the gaseous exchange take place?
4. Does an adult’s breathing rate change as
they get older?
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5. How does the heart work?
6. What happens after the atrial systole?
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7. What is the resting pulse rate for a healthy
adult?
8. Why do we measure blood pressure?
9. What is arteriosclerosis?
10. What happens when someone has a stroke?
11. What makes it hard for us to control body
temperature as we get older?
12. What is a healthy room temperature?
13. How much body water do we lose in a day?
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14. What is the most salt a person should eat
in a day?
15. What stimulates cells to absorb glucose?
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16. What is the difference between Type 1 and
Type 2 diabetes?
17. What does a person’s BMI indicate?
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18. How often must a person be repositioned
to avoid pressure sores?
The information you need to answer these and
many more questions is in this booklet.
For answer 1, see page 1.
See page 2 for answer 2 and so on.
Bonus Q What’s the connection between
mucous and asthma?
What next?
You may find some of the other booklets in this
series useful.
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Using numbers in care work covers
measurement, temperature, time and more.
Number skills for care workers explains
fractions, decimals, percentages and more.
Talking about how much, how often looks
at how we say numbers, quantities, times and
dates.
Talking about bodily functions and feelings
looks at the everyday expressions we use to talk
about our bodies and how we are feeling.
For more on developing your care work
knowledge and skills, including qualifications:
ƒƒ Visit the Skills for Care website at
ƒƒ www.skillsforcare.org.uk
ƒƒ Go to the Developing skills section
Learning through Work series
> Reporting and other care work writing
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> Writing skills for care workers
> Talking about bodily functions and feelings
> Physical health
> Using numbers in care work
> Number skills for care workers
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> Talking about how much, how often
Index
Cardiovascular disease, 9
Cardiovascular system, 5
Cell metabolism, 15
Chronic condition, 16
Coronary arteries, 9
Coronary heart disease, 9
Dehydration, 13
Diabetes mellitus, 16
Diabetes, 16, 17
Diarrhoea, 13
Digestive system, 2
Embolism, 9
Energy, 2
Fat, 14
Fever, 11
Fibre, 14
Fluid balance, 13
Fluid intake, output, 13
Food energy, 14
Friction, 18
Glucose, 2, 15, 16
Hardening of arteries, 9
Heart with diagram, 5, 6
Heart attack, 9
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Alveoli, 3, 4
Aneurism, 9
Angina, 9
Arrhythmia, 7
Arteriosclerosis, 9
Arthritis, 17
Asthma with diagram, 4
Atheroma, 9
Atherosclerosis, 9
Balanced diet, 14
Bed sores, 18
Blood clot, 9
Blood pressure, 8
Blood sugar, 15
BMI, 17
Body fat, 11, 14, 17
Body water, 13
Body weight, 17
Bradycardia, 7
Breathing difficulties, 17
Breathing, 3
Calories, 14
Carbohydrates, 14
Carbon dioxide, 2, 3, 4, 5
Pressure points, 18
Pressure sores, 18
Pressure ulcers, 18
Protein, 14
Pulse, 7
Records, 1
Repositioning, 18
Respiratory rate, 4
Room temperature, 12
Salt, 14
Shearing, 18
Smoking, 10, 16
Stroke, 10, 17
Sugar, 14
Tachycardia, 7
Temperature, 2, 11, 12
Thirst, 13
Thrombosis, 9
Thrombus, 9
Vital signs, 3, 4
Vitamins, 14
Vomiting, 13
Weight gain, 14
Weight loss 14
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Heart disease, 9, 10, 17
Heart failure, 9
Heart rate, 7
Heartbeat, 6
Hormone, 15
Hyper- / hypo, 8
Hyperglycaemia, 15
Hyperthermia, 12
Hypoglycaemia, 15
Hypothermia, 12
Insulin, 15, 16
Joules, 14
Lungs with diagram, 3, 5
Measurements, 1
Metabolism, 15, 16
Minerals, 14
Monitoring, 1
Myocardial infarction, 9
Nitrogen, 2
Nutrition, 14
Obesity, 10, 16, 17
Oxygen, 2, 3, 4, 5
Pancreas, 15
Peripheral arterial disease, 10