Problems of Aging: Physical and Mental Degeneration - Assignment Example

Running Head: Learning Journal Actions Nursing Your name Course name Instructor’s name Date of submission 1. How long do you expect to live, and why? Do you expect to be able to avoid the problems of aging, such as physical and mental degeneration (500 words) Google the work of Dr John McCormack of Latrobe University and his study of super-centenarians. When you have read about his study of the extremely aged in Australia, ask yourself what age is old? Is old age a concept that applies to everyone at retirement age, or is there is a graduated process in aging where only a small number become extremely frail? According to (Arber & Ginn, 1991) ageism is a process of systematic stereotyping and of discrimination against those who are old. This discrimination I attributed by dependence, frailty, slowness, uselessness, asexuality and financial reliance. Moreover, stereotyping is brought about by the process of their body and its betrayals such as graying, wrinkling, sagging, weakening and gendered meanings that go with them (ALS, 2005). The Australian culture is youth oriented and this has negative impact on attitudes towards ageing in a big way (Poole, 2009). Many people have internalized the age stereotypes of their culture and are likely to be involved in implicit ageism and this is why much ageism is hidden (Levy et al, 2001). People who are advanced in years can not be categorized in the same group, such ideas can be discriminatory to a demographically defined group who exhibit different levels of ill health, income and motivation As people advance in age mostly in industrialized world, they become isolated. According to Gardner et al. (1998) men are the most venerable to isolation than women since they are the most likely of losing their former workmates (Russell & Schofield, 1999). Isolation happens when the communities see like the old no longer independent and has to depend on the care provided to them by others. Aging is inevitable. However it comes with changes ranging from biological, psychological and sociological. Statistics show that old people records high visits to the hospitals and emergencies compared to the young (Victor et al, 1999). As a person advances in age, there is cognitive shifting which affect intelligence, memory and innovatively. This is a fact that there are changes that occur in the brain as a person ages but it is wrong to conclude that all older people will have memory degradation and develop a dementia related condition. The gerontological theory stated that as a person grows old, his/her personality changes not. Changes to both long term and short term memory are said to occur naturally as the aging process continues. According to Dr John McCormack, there is a need to get into details in thee demographic data so as to be more specific to which age in very old rather than just concluding that those aged 65 and over are in the aged group (McCormack, 2004). However, according to AAGNat (2004) the very old aged group lies under those 85 years and over while the old age between 75 and 84 years. The retirement age is 65 and therefore the retired fall under the aged group. However not all the retired who fall under the 65 years bracket, are generally active, mobile and independent. Mostly they are able to provide care and run their businesses. However they carry the highest levels of physically ill. They carry rising effect of underlying neurodegenerative damage of the brain. They spend a better part of their life in hospitals causing reduced mobility, loss of balance/ cognitive loss and delirium but recover at high rate. 80% of the very aged need assistance with some domestic tasks and more than 30% are dependent to personal care due to impairment in cognition capacity, gait, and balance from neurodegenerative or brain disorder (AAGNat ,2004). This therefore implies that, aging is a gradual process affecting a certain percentage of the aged making them rely on other while some who maybe of the same age are still capable of carrying on with their day to day lives. 1. Go online and find the “Little Children are Sacred” report, and/or the Northern Territory Intervention Report. 2. In your learning journal write a 200 word synopsis of the main issues of indigenous health and proposed reforms Australian Aboriginal communities suffer the worst health status. Most of this societies experience this due to their social class. This class is the system of structured inequality based on the unequal distribution of power, wealth, income and status (Germov 2005). Poor living conditions, nutrition, smoking, alcohol and drugs abuse are some of the health risks that Aboriginals are exposed to. They live in improvised/ overcrowded dwellings which expose them to various transmittable diseases. Their culture and identity are central to their perception of health and ill health (Davis, 2005); their social interaction and influences when and why aboriginal communities access services. They fall for those services that will not compromise the legitimate cultural rights, values and expectations that they dearly hold. Poor and old housing infrastructure provides conducive atmosphere for the breeding of disease causing vermin. Overcrowding also causes infections and transmission of diseases. In these areas, there are unhygienic, inadequate water and sanitation .All these results to poor health to the children in the northern Territory. The recommendation in the journal is addressing the gap in housing and health research including the context of the remote Australian Aboriginal Communities. Health can be improved if improved housing infrastructure mostly by reducing the respiratory infections (Anderson, 2001). The government has to initiate a program which support social and behavioral interventions in order to for a potential gain of improved housing to be effectively realized, 1. Collect five recent examples of domestic violence and genderised abuse. Refer to newspapers and magazines, and give precedence to Australian events. Copy them into your portfolio. Add a 100 word report on whether you feel these events were fairly reported, or whether there was evidence of bias and discrimination against any group in them. Domestic violence involves abuse ranging from physical, sexual and economical. It encompasses entrapment, injury, medical complaints, psycho social problems and many others. However, the majority of domestic violence and gendered cases have women as the victims (Walby & Allen, 2004). Those going through domestic violence have high chances of experiencing low esteem, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts. In families, children also experience violence or even witness violence within their families (Healey, 2005). Among the cases I have, they were properly reported and there is no evidence of discrimination against any group. All of them faced and experienced the desired justice. 1. Search for a fairly recent newspaper report involving medicalisation of deviance. Include a copy of the report in your portfolio. Give a 100 word commentary on the report. Think outside the box to include deviant behavior that is not criminal, such as, ADHD or ODD in children. Young people are prone to deviant behavior and victimization with psychological distress, exploring the meditorial roles of adolescent relationships with parents and teachers. Mostly the behavior is not accepted whether in schools or at home. (Haralambos & Holbron, 1992). Deviant behavior such as antisocial behavior and aggression are associated with psychological distress. These deviant behaviors can be characterized by short attention span, persistent intention, hyperactivity, forgetfulness, impulsivity and distractibility. Helping a child achieves the self awareness and discipline requires patience, determination love and energy. Parent need to be tolerance and consistence so as to help their children get out of the deviance behavior. When you have read the summary of the Not For Service Report, make a list or table/chart/flow chart of the advances and the failures in mental health care in Australia. Not for service is based on data collected from 2003 to 2005 which aim is to determine the important concerns of the people who have sought primary care or specialists mental health services Failures Advances i. Access to professional care, mostly in emergency is poor. ii. Human rights violation in mental ill detention camps iii. Rejection of findings from community assessments on mental illness. iv. Lack of leadership that is key to giving quality mental health care to Australians. v. Dislocation and disorganized health and welfare systems in the public health sector. vi. Treatment with dignity and concern irrespective of location of care vii. Access to good medical and psychological services viii. Access to programs and support to live independently and work ix. Under resourced community care. x. Failure to meet the need of the vulnerable community group. i. Financial Commitment to increase policies and programs to improve mental health services. ii. Improving on the workforce issues, cross sectoral linkages and co-mobility and human rights protection iii. Established and monitored National standard of forensic and restrictive care in detention centers. iv. Setting coherent set of health targets and goals to provide care to the mentally ill. v. Restoring the responsibility for the national mental health strategy to a cabinet level minister. vi. Socio marketing, community education programs and health workforce training in mental health to reduce the stigma of mental illness 1. What are the main ideas in each of the Germov chapters( 6+19) you have read for this topic Workplace injuries, illnesses and death affect economically the individual and the country economic status as a whole (Scholfield, T2009). Men are the most affected for they are the ones who engage in industrial jobs which are prone to injuries or even death. Medical dominance causes monopoly in the clinical field whereby it dictates that it is only a doctor who can perform certain tasks (Germov, 2009). The medical profession has being able to maintain internal stratification between rank and file whereby they offer clinical services as well a have supervisors who are accountable for aggregate performance of the workers. Macdonaldisation of medical practice represents new forms of accountability and constraint over medical profession but its prone to undermining the flexibility and quality of health care provided. References Astbury et al 2000, ‘The impact of domestic violence on individuals’, MJA, Vol 173, Number 8, p 428. Anderson, L. (2001). Aboriginal society and health: Critical issues demand what from sociologists? Health Sociology Review, 10(2), 5-20. An Introduction to Health Sociology (4th ed., pp. 307-327). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Healthy Ageing. Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health; 2005; Available from: http://www.alswh.org.au/Reports/Achievements/achievements-ageing.pdf. Arber S, Ginn J.( 1991.) Gender and Later Life. London: Sage Publications; Davis, M. (2005). What culture collide: Pre-hospital care and the indigenous patient. Response, 18(1), 29-41. Germov, J. (2009). Challenges to medical dominance. In J. Germov (Ed.), Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology (pp. 392-415). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Healey, J. (2005). Domestic Violence. Thirroul: Spinney Press. Haralambos, M., & Holborn, M. (1992). Sociology: Themes and perspectives (3rd ed.). London: Harper Collins. John McCormack (2004 ) Being very old in a young country: Centenarians and supercentenarians in Australia, Australia: Bundoora. Poole, M. (2009). Ageing Health and the Demographic Revolution. In J. Germov (Ed.), Second Opinion: Scholfield, T. (2009) Workplace health. In J. Germov (Ed.) Second Opinion: An introduction to Health Sociology (pp. 112-123) Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Russell, C. and Schofield, T. 1999. Social isolation in old age: a qualitative exploration of service providers’ perceptions. Ageing and Society, 19, 1, 69–91. The Australia Association of Gerontology National (AAGNat ), 2004 Victor, C. R., Peacock, J. L., Chazot, C., Walsh, S., & Homes, D. (1999). Who calls 999 and why? A survey of the emergency workload of the London Ambulance Service. Journal of Accident and Emergency Medicine, 16(174-178). Read More