Healthy Aging Research Paper

Aging is a summary term of complex biological processes that occurs over the course of life. As an individual age’s, they experience a cognitive, functional and social decline that affects their activities of daily living and general health. As a result of these changes, the older population becomes more susceptible to a variety of illnesses. However, nurses can lessen the severity of these aging related illnesses by teaching and providing the best care for their clients in order to decrease the number of elders that suffer from these diseases through a variety of interventions and strategies. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the nurses’ role in promoting healthy aging in the older population, by addressing a significant issue that impairs the health of many older Canadian adults.

The Minnesota Department of Health defines healthy aging as the development and maintenance of optimal mental, social and physical well-being and function in older adults. States all around the country are becoming more involved in developing policies to keep the aging population healthy as legislators recognize that more than two-thirds of current health care costs are for treating chronic illnesses among older Americans. In Florida, one such initiative is The Health and Wellness Promotion Program that has been implemented by the Department of Elder Affairs to provide health education to the elderly as well as provide preventative screening programs. Through SAGE I had the opportunity to visit my mentor with my team and discuss her ideology on health aging and how that has evolved for her through her experiences with health care, social programs and her wider community. This discourse has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the aging process and the different aspects of life that come together to foster healthy aging.

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

Many elderly and their family cannot determine what are normal aging and what are not; therefore, educating them is the key role for nurses to promote safety and health for older adults. Not only assessing physical changes but also mental health assessment is important because those age-related physical changes may cause depression in older adults, which leads to other problems like “difficulty with sleeping,

The elderly population is growing with 35 million people who are age 65 years or older and half are between the ages of 65 to 74 and the other half are over the age of 75. The population age 85 years or older are the fastest growing population (Dubow, 2017). In 1991 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that 8 out of 10 people over the age of 60 had one or more chronic diseases or impairments which included arthritis, hypertension, hearing impairment, heart disease, cataracts, deformity or orthopedic impairment, chronic sinusitis,

According to Statistics Canada, aging population has steadily increased since the mid-1960. The age of 65 and older comprised 15.7% of the country’s population. Promoting health in these aging population is very crucial to minimise the severity of health complications that might occur in the long run. Gerontological Nursing involves the care of aging people and emphasize the promotion of the highest possible quality of life and wellness throughout the lifespan (Eliopoulos, c2014 p73). Aging people need Gerontological Nurses who are knowledgeable and willing to promote health and optimum quality of life with the consideration of their core needs such as physiological balance, connection and gratification (Eliopoulos, c2014 p78).

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.

Disparities in the Elder Population There are many vulnerable populations amongst healthcare and healthcare practices in today’s society. As healthcare providers, we struggle to improve and eliminate disparities due to different types of barriers. Whether it’s a language barrier or an age barrier, these barriers prohibit the continuity of care and patient safety for anyone seeking medical attention. One population in particular that struggles with disparities is the older adult population. I believe that the older adult population (65 years and older) have a higher increase of morbidity and mortality than persons younger than sixty-five because of resource availability, and inadequate health literacy.

According to Statistics Canada Report 2013, “life expectancy in Canada is one of the highest in the world” and it is expected to grow, making the aging population a key driver to our health-systems reform. By 2036, seniors in Canada will comprise of twenty five per cent of the population (CIHI, 2011). Seniors, those aged 65 years and older are the fastest growing population in Canada. Currently there are approximately 4.8 million Canadians aged 65 or greater. It is projected that this number will increase to 9 to 10 million by 2036 (Priest, 2011). As the population get aged the demand for health care and related services are expected to increase. Currently, the hospitals in Ontario are frequent faced with overcrowding emergency

Recognition, evaluation and treatment of this population requires interdisciplinary approach. The interdisciplinary approach collaborate with various groups to provide adequate resources to the vulnerable population. The internal and external factors impact health status of older adults and contributes to vulnerability risk. The internal factor occur due to physiological changes such as increasing age, gender, sensory impairment, memory impairment, substance abuse along with medical co morbidities, malnutrition, decrease in performance of activity of daily living or dependency on care giver or

The purpose of this paper is to discuss improving the older adults’ quality of care. Aging is a part of life reflected by superficial changes, such as gray hair and wrinkles (Tabloski, 2014). However, other age-related changes such as lung, kidney, and cardiovascular changes increase one’s risk of disease and disability (Tabloski, 2014). There are a number of evidence-based programs to assist nurses in improving an older adult’s quality and quantity of life, such as Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes and Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders.

Both scientific and medical researchers should not ignore information on rates of health service utilisation by older populations; medical and social expenses incurred on both individuals and families; as well as cultural and socioeconomic influences on the health of the ≥ 60s population. A hierarchy of data collection modules will have to be established - from systematic data collection procedures for descriptive data to comprehensive data like that found in OECD countries. Less developed regions should be able to link population-based data and administrative health information with socioeconomic and health service data in order to analyse how health programs, interventions and policies relate to health outcomes of the older individuals. Last, but not least, countries in these regions need to establish cross-national and regional panel studies in order to compare health and attributing factors for the elderly population across regions and countries.

I completely agree with the changes you’ll make to ensure a healthier aging process. I, myself am guilty of not applying enough sunscreen when I am out in the sun for a prolong amount of time, which in turn could increase my risk for skin cancer and wrinkles. In turn, like you, I will apply sunscreen when I am outside, directly in the sun, for a set amount of time. Smoking is a definitely a habit to avoid because it can cause all sorts of health issues in the lungs when one ages. Working out is something I have to work on as well, I don’t exercise as much as I should, but by working out 4-5 days a week I should age healthier in the long

Health care for the older person in the 21st century takes a complex strategy to assess. There are a multitude of circumstances that must be analyzed prior to developing a possible solution for appropriate health care. This paper will address four articles including strategies, quality of life of the older adult, lack of access to health care for the older adult, and programs to enhance the care of the older adult.

One of the greatest challenges of the twenty first century will be the tremendous increase in the number of older adults throughout the world. Elderly people are the most rapidly increasing age group in Canada. In 2000 there was about 3.8 million Canadians were 65 years older. Statistics of Canada projects that by 2021, it will get doubled (Hick S., 2010, p.270). It is sure that this demographic trend will affect most part of our society, especially the health care needs and the delivery of health services. There will be a huge increase in the issues that affect the older Canadians. It is important that future health care professionals especially the social Service workers should be prepared to meet the needs of the increasing aging population across the globe. This paper examines the main problems faced by senior population in Canada, the different social work theories related to ageism and the different roles, values, knowledge and responsibilities needed for gerontological social work practice.