Charee Greenberg BARRIERS TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN OLDER ADULTS To: CEO & Executive VP of American Medical Association, James Madara I am addressing my white paper to you, and other constituents, because of the organization you serve. You currently serve an organization that our older adult population, 65 years and older, need more assistance in. Considering your knowledge and expertise in health and Medicare, it makes sense to address the issues that relate specifically to them. A majority of older adults are willing to make better choices towards their health such as participating in physical activity. However, they are unsure on how to do it and what services are available to them. For example, older adults are at an extreme disadvantage when searching for facilities that offer great programs that fit their physical activity goal. There are not enough fitness programs available for older adults while there are plenty of other fitness programs available for younger populations. To: Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma I am addressing my white paper to you, and other constituents, because of the organization you serve. You currently serve an organization that our older adult population, 65 years and older, need more assistance in. Considering your …show more content…
We are failing to provide adequate resources and services for this age group to assist them in living healthier. We need more funding for well trained personal trainers that know how to professionally work with individuals 50 years and older, not just younger individuals. It seems that our current focus is geared towards serving younger populations who “contribute to society” and that our seniors are not being well taken care of. In other words, it seems that the US focuses more on making sure our younger population is adequately served while our aging population is often
In Josh Barro’s article, he mainly discusses the theme of Social Security. He explains how if we raise the age for people to access Social Security, that will harm poorer Americans who have a lower life expectancy due to the type of work they do or because of lack of other proper benefits. In the video, Coming of Age in and Aging America, they discuss the main theme of aging in America and the difficulties and obstacles these individuals face on a daily basis, especially in terms of Social Security. The video covers a variety of situations that the elderly face and how America can work to make the lives easier especially in a world where our elderly population in growing. One example was in a hospital where they were able to integrate new techniques and systems to make it easier for people to work longer into their lives. The main themes of Sharon Kaufman’s journal article were health care and the reform of current plans, and discussion of life-prolonging procedures. She discusses the three main procedures used in the U.S. which are organ transplantation, cardiac procedures, and cancer treatments. Finally, Segal’s text covers the themes and policies related to aging and elderly population. She discusses the acts and programs that have been put into place such as the Older Americans Act of 1965, social security, pensions, and Medicare/Medicaid, along with a variety of others.
The selected health care measure examined within this paper is that of activity levels within the older adult population. The National Committee for Quality Assurance
More people are living much longer lives than in years past. People are very surprised to be living much longer lives than they thought they would. Health care has played a large part in patient longevity. There are many normal changes that come along with aging, however, because people are living longer these normal changes can become chronic problems. Common aging problems that can make the older adult a vulnerable population are reviewed in Gerontological Nursing (Tabloski, 2014) and can include nutritional needs, medication management, sleep changes, oral or mouth care, renal problems and musculoskeletal concerns. According to A Profile of Older Americans: 2013 (http://www.hhs.gov), there are a large amount
Experience working in the field of health care lends insight to the growing needs of the older adult population, and the barriers which impede our capacity to meet them. As the Baby Boomer age is approaching older adulthood, the rise for financial,
I have identified the aging population (greater than 55 years of age) in Chatham/Kent, Ontario (in a community I am familiar and work within); a population on the rise and with minimal government and Ministry of Health support that enables seniors to maintain quality of life,
As a person ages, theirs body cannot perform the way it used to. This will cause many elderly people to loose their job or choose to go into retirement. Both of these options cause a loss in health care as well and a reduced or exterminated income. Here alone lies a reason that the elderly population is challenged. The elderly population also has a tendency to develop a chronic illness that can be life threatening if not treated or controlled properly. This means that need for health care treatments also increases. At least 40% of those over age 65 will have nutrition-related health problems requiring treatment or management (Gigante, 2012). It is important to realize that 10% of people over the age of 65 and will develop Alzheimer’s disease and 50% of those over the age of 85 will develop this disease (Gigante, 2012). More elderly African American men and women use government aid than white men and women. Therefore, this population will be vulnerable because of the lack of funding, proper health care and insurance.
In 1965 the first Aging American’s Act was passed. This legislation was part of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society reform. In passing this legislation nearly 50 years ago, the government created a new department the focused on the rights and needs of the gaining population called the United States Administration on Aging. The original legislation was complete with seven titles. The articles include Title I—the Declaration of Objectives for Older Americans; Title II—Establishment of Administration on aging; Title III—Grants for state and community programs on aging; Title IV—Activities for health and independence, and longevity; Title V—Community service senior opportunities act; Title VI—Grants
Yes, I agree with you that people are living much longer thanks to advances in technology and medicine. Thus, the older adults (I prefer to use the term older than elderly or geriatric), is one group of the population that Healthy People 2020 has assigned a separate topic of concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested that any health promotion for the older adult has to take into consideration the psychosocial determinants of health. Given that older adults may not have the physical strength or stamina of the younger population, participation in physical activities should be encouraged (Healthy People 2020). If you don’t mind I would like to suggest that you include some kind of activity in your program
According to the Administration on Aging, people age 65 and older currently represent 12.9% of the population of the United States as of 2009, with that number expected to double in the next 15 years (Administration on Aging, 2014). Along with the continued rise in the population of older adults comes an increased need for services specifically addressing the needs of this population. Despite the increasing needs for services for older adults, seniors are among the most overlooked and underserved populations in the United States.
Most aging adults do not receive the necessary preventive services to help promote health and wellness during this stage of life. These preventive services include vaccinations and screenings. These important services help detect many diseases, delay their onset, or identify them early in their most treatable stages to ensure healthier, longer, and more productive lives for older adults (Prevention, 2011). Better people take care of themselves the longer they will live. People who balance: the right diet, making better choices and not acting sedentary has a better chance in living longer lives.
Participation in fitness and social activities are key determinants of successful aging and enables older adults to stay in their homes and be integrated into the community. Although meeting participation needs involves older adults, their caregivers and healthcare providers, little is known about their respective viewpoints. This study thus explored the perceived, met and unmet participation needs of older adults having disabilities as seen by the older adults themselves, their caregivers and healthcare providers. A qualitative multiple case study consisted of conducting 33 semi-structured interviews in eleven triads, each composed of an older adult, his/her caregiver and a healthcare provider recruited in community health settings
Proper nutrition is another key to helping the older adult stay healthy. Many older people tend to say that they know what is involved in a healthy diet but do not feel that the can afford to eat healthy (Walsh, 2015). A third component of this plan is finding ways to help the older adult in finding ways to coping with the mental stressors of daily life. The focus of these components of this plan will be discussed more in the context of this paper and will include some suggestion that would further benefit those in the rural communities. Each of these areas that this plan would promote can be promoted by different health care providers. This paper would like to discuss the disciplines that will help to promote this plan, potential communications that would happen among these disciplines. This paper would also discuss how the incorporate health plan is a culturally based plan. This plan will empower the individuals who participate in the plan and assist them to maintain their
There are many physical needs for the elderly that have to be taken care of.
The purpose of our health fair event is to educate and encourage older adults to remain active in their daily lives. Physical health is beneficial throughout one’s entire lifespan. Incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine will prevent chronic disease, improves their overall mood, and lowers their chances of injury (Aldwin & Gilmer, 2013, Chapter 5). As we go through the aging process, our bodies require us to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Moderate exercise is favorable for people of all ages. Elderly people living with chronic illnesses can also participate in moderate physical activity. Medical conditions, such as dementia, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure can all be improved by including regular exercise into an individual’s routine (Chronic Illnesses, PowerPoint).
The American population is getting older which presents us with many challenges but also present us with potential opportunities. With the length of life and quantity and fraction of older persons rise in most industrialized and many evolving nations, a crucial question is whether this population will be accompanied by continued or better-quality health, an improving quality of life, and adequate social and cost-effective resources. This answer lies in the ability of peoples and societies, as well as modern social, governmental, financial, and health service delivery systems, to provide optimum assistance to older persons.