The Elderly and Poor Living in the Community - Research Paper Example

THE ELDERLY AND POOR LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY-GRAND PRAIRIE TEXAS Introduction Population Identification Windshield surveyremains useful in evaluating a community based healthcare problem so that appropriate remedial measure can be established. In this case, the elderly and poor living in the community was assessed in Grand Prairie in Texas neighborhood. A drive through the neighborhood showed that the East side of the street was dominated by poorly maintained and apparently older homes occupied by elderly persons. This shows that the identified vulnerable population was the elderly and poor persons residing in the survey area. This extent of poverty could be seen from shrubs, tall trees and uneven bushes surrounding the wood and vinyl built houses. The poor housing reflected significant harsh environment to the elderly raising concern on depression, dementia, and other mental health problems as there was also evident lack of social support (Schneider & Lilienfeld, 2008). The demographic information shows that the East side of the surveyed locality had limited sidewalks and this compounded the problem among the elderly and poor in regard to their safety when crossing the road. This is likely to compound their mental health problems with significant level of depression of fear of being run over by passing cars. Poorly maintained Baptist churches in the southern part of the survey area exposes the abject poverty in which the elderly languish which explains their increased exposure to depression, dementia, and other mental health problems. Considering the epidemiological characteristics of the older generation that inhabit the poorly built and dilapidated houses, they feel isolated and also suffer from old age related complications like hypertension which sums up to worsen their psychological instability hence stress and dementia. Critical assessment of the elderly and poor in Grand Prairie in Texas as noted by the windshield survey exposes several potential and pre-existing barriers that limit their access to health care services from various levels of the government. It is evident from the population under study that they face challenge in inadequate awareness, lack of transport, lack of funds and demanding service access application procedures (Hadler, 2011). These barriers become even more difficult to manage due to increased frequency of chronic health conditions and poor health that encompasses poor mobility, frail body, and age related physical limitations like loss of sight or hearing. Other potential barriers constitute cognitive impairment which comes with aging and dementia. These barriers prevents them from accessing the much needed healthcare services Community Agency The identified agency that the elderly and poor community in Grand Prairie in Texas is Arlington Charities Inc. which offers diverse support services to the population. They have a website through which contact were made and phone call to the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS).Through phone calls to the aging and disability department offered a chance to learn and asses the kind of support they offer to the population under study. Arlington Charities Inc. helps both the young and elderly in various ways. To be specific on the elderly poor population who are also faced by risk of disability, it offers counseling, foodstuff to qualified candidates among other services. Its central mission is to render service to humanity through equal access to resources. It seeks to explore the poor segment of the United States community Grand Prairie in Texas through financial, items and knowledge awareness creation towards improved health and social welfare. Some of the services this agency offers include adult day care, assistance of the elderly and poor in personal tasks, housing cleaning, laundry, shopping among others. It also helps the elderly and poor persons in the neighborhood to seek legal redress in cases of non-compliance by community resource agencies that end up harmful. It has also been responsible for the protection of the aged, disable and poor in the society against neglect, exploitation and abuse. Arlington Charities Inc. offers emergency financial support to the elderly, disable and poor that goes towards Medicare and shopping. This has remained critical in improving the condition of the vulnerable elderly and poor community in Grand Prairie in Texas. This agency obtains funding through volunteers and well-wishers that are convinced to support the course. The organization campaigns through outdoor events, social networking sites and its website to acquire funds. These funds have been critical in boosting its activities towards multidimensional humanitarian support to the elder and poor community Grand Prairie in Texas besides other beneficiaries. Arlington Charities Inc. offer door to door services like household tasks to the elderly and poor population in the area of survey and this boosts its method of assessing the extent of need of the identified elderly and poor. Offering counseling alongside material support has been effective through a well co-ordinated management and prioritized approach towards the vulnerable. It offices are located within a short radios from the residence of aged and poor community in Grand Prairie in Texas which makes access more easy. Role of the Community Health Nurse Community health nurses in the survey area has played significant role in working collaboratively with the community resource agencies like Arlington Charities Inc. They offer home-based care the elderly by prescribing drugs against age related complications like diabetes, cardiac arrests, and circulatory problems among others. According to Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine., Robert Wood Johnson Foundation., & Institute of Medicine (2011), nurses act as the communication link between government, non-government agencies and the vulnerable as they interact with them direct. It is worth to note that the elderly requires emotional support like encouragement through interpersonal interaction with the nurses. This puts nurses at the centre of helping reduce depression, dementia, and other mental health problems experienced by elderly and poor community in the survey area. The nurses are primary guidance and counseling vessels that seek personal history of individual elderly persons in the survey area and even in other regions towards improving their social and health welfare. Community health nurses are instrumental in mobilization of resources to boost access of the vulnerable population to healthcare services. Socioeconomic factor Considering the socioeconomic structure of the United States population, the disparity between the poor and the rich is reflected in various aspects of the society including access to healthcare services. Research indicates that the Hispanic and black America community is relatively poor and hence face inadequate healthcare services access due to limited funds and resources. Geographic and demographic information obtained from the windshield survey indicates that the vulnerable population consists of Hispanic people who happen to have limited access to education, jobs and economic power hence difficulty towards healthcare services at elderly age (Schneider & Lilienfeld, 2008). The economic power differences is evident in terms of the buildings in the survey area where the elderly and poor community in Grand Prairie in Texas have houses which are dilapidated and have without any identifying information of the communities. The demographic information indicates that the streets are mainly Caucasian, followed by an almost even proportion African Americans and Hispanics population. This is a group that has been exposed to significant socioeconomic discrimination hence the observed elderly and poor that dominate the surveyed vulnerable population in Grand Prairie in Texas. Political factor Political structure of the United States is dominated by Non-Hispanic whites and that means several policy recommendations are skewed. Research indicates that political influence on socio-economic policies is critical in explaining the disparity in access to education, healthcare among others. It is therefore coincidental that the vulnerable population in this survey comprised of the Hispanic and black community that are not economically empowered hence languish in poverty. Lacking political will and raging discrimination has exposed the elderly community in this windshield survey to limited government funding towards their social welfare that include nutritional diet and healthcare hence the identified health related problems (Schneider & Lilienfeld,2008). The community-based nurses use Community Participatory Health Promotion as a leadership approach in which the vulnerable population are counseled and helped to practice positive hygiene practices and physical exercise (Feldman & Alexander, 2012). This strategy ensures that the personal history of the elderly and poor persons is taken into consideration before coming up with tailor-made support programme for each of them. This will make it easier to acquire funds and other resources from community healthcare agencies, address specific problems hence improve quality of healthcare in the society. This approach includes the views of the elderly, other stakeholders and the nurses so that the decisions are objective and cost effective in terms of sound logistics. Reflection I learnt a lot about evidence –based nursing practice from the windshield survey where I interacted with real life problems that affect the society. I enjoyed the entire exercise since it was undertaken in a free physical environment, through observation with limited interference from interviewer effect. I was able to relate socioeconomic classes with access to quality healthcare, education and good housing. The elderly have significant health related difficulties if in poverty as I experienced during the Windshield Survey Assessment of Grand Prairie Texas. This experience opened my eyes on the existing socio-economic and political discrimination that is reflected in quality of life between the white majority and the immigrant minority. I therefore feel sympathetic and would volunteer to champion of increased government insurance offer to the elderly and poor for their healthcare services. I developed a positive attitude towards volunteer services to help the vulnerable in the community as this forms a critical aspect of nursing career and service to humanity. Conclusion The survey offers an insight into the need for collaboration between public and private sector to address the healthcare needs of the elderly and poor communities in the society. There is significant correlation between race and access to quality healthcare and other social amenities as seen in this survey. Multi-dimensional leadership approach that includes political policy reforms is critical in boosting healthcare access by the economically disadvantaged elderly people in the society. Change of attitude by healthcare providers like nurses has been significant in achieving set targets towards healthcare access and support to the elderly and poor community like in the case of the surveyed population in Grand Prairie in Texas References Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine., Robert Wood Johnson Foundation., & Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press. Feldman, H. R., & Alexander, G. R. (2012). Nursing leadership: A concise encyclopedia. New York: Springer. Hadler, N. M. (2011). Rethinking Aging: Growing Old and Living Well in an Overtreated Society. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Roussel, L. (2013). Management and leadership for nurse administrators. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Schneider, D., & Lilienfeld, D. E. (2008). Public health: The development of a discipline. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press. Read More