Case Study

Imagine you are a support worker who visits Ted in his home once a week to assist with basic tasks. Ted has a vision impairment and lives alone. Ted tells you he is having trouble passing bowel motions (stools). He strains to pass the motion and he only passes a motion every 4 to 5 days. He is also experiencing stomach pain in between passing stools. Ted's diet consists mostly of take away meals and highly processed foods. He used to enjoy bush walking and gardening but since his vision has deteriorated in recent years he has become less and less physically active.

Q1: What is the name of the condition likely to be causing Ted's discomfort? Q2: Using the correct terminology, which body system/s are affected? Q3: What are the signs and symptoms of the medical condition? Q4: What are the casual factors of this condition, if any? (being the factors that may have caused the condition) e.g. smoking, alcohol, poor diet etc. Q5: List three (3) changes you would suggest making to improve the healthy functioning of Ted's body systems.