Introduction: Each person starts their life with birth and ends it with death. Life expectancy is increasing worldwide, leading to an increasing number of older people. Health is one of the most important values in people's life, but it changes in different ways. These changes can be more or less visible. They are usually more noticeable in older people as they need more and more help with everyday tasks and become more dependent on others. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore, through a literature review, the role of the nurses in identifying the needs of older people and how they experience the role of the nurses in the process of coping with the deterioration of their own health. Methods. The literature search was conducted in PubMed and ResearchGate literature databases. We also included relevant literature from reference lists. Results: Older people with chronic respiratory diseases experience a lower quality of life, feel worse and are less able to exercise. Regular monitoring of nutritional status and meal timing, also adherence to the preferences of the older people, reduce the risk of functional decline. Chronic diseases - diabetes, obesity, hypertension - impair mental health and accelerate functional and cognitive decline. Incontinence is also a risk factor for functional decline in old age. Individualised exercise helps to improve physical and cognitive abilities, but increased physical activity does not reduce age-related decline in heart function. Discussion and Conclusion: Physical, psychological and social factors interact and have an influence on functional decline. Tailoring care to the needs of older people is key to providing quality care. The development of empathy is important and needs to be further developed and improved in the future. Expanding knowledge on functional decline, quality of care and the inclusion of empathy training, could improve the quality of life of many older people in the future and make the work of many healthcare professionals easier.
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