Homecare and our Aging Population
This paper will address aging population in Canada and the strain this will have on our healthcare system. The aging population will bring with it an increase in chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, dementia, and heart disease. These are complex conditions that the healthcare system is currently not prepared to handle due to the lack of home health supports. This issue is important for the nursing profession because as the population ages, people have more chronic conditions and corresponding need for hospitalization and medical care. Canada’s aging population is not sustainable in our current healthcare system as there is a lack of homecare and health promotion. It is impossible to accurately
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By 2036, nearly one in four Canadians will be a senior” (Stastics Canada, 2014, Demographics section, para. 3). There are widespread implications on the healthcare system, the economy, and society as a whole as “Canada’s median age is the oldest it’s ever been – 40.5 years old” (Paperny, 2015, para 2). “While Canadians older than age 65 account for less than 15 per cent of the population, they consume 45 per cent of provincial and territorial government health care dollars” (Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), 2014, p. 16). One of the most important issues for our aging population is the lack of home care in our current society. We cannot simply create more homecare, there are “complex webs and loops of cause and effect with the inherent potential for unpredictable and far-reaching consequences” (Van Beurden, Kia, Zask, Dietrich, & Rose, 2011, p. 74). We must first determine if it is necessary, then consider funding, staffing, resource allocation, implications on individual wellbeing, and long term effectiveness among other …show more content…
Homes often require improvements to allow a senior to be more mobile, safe and functional and help to ensure that seniors and persons with disabilities can live healthy, independent lives in the comfort of their home or family’s home (Government of Canada, 2015, para. 3). Making improvements to a house can be costly. High costs of renovations are just one barrier that prevent people from aging in their own homes, other factors include a lack of supports regarding home and yard maintenance, food preparation, dressing and bath assistance, living in a rural setting outside of the boundary for homecare, poor quality or lack of service, and lack of skilled
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).
Australia is one of the most advantaged aged care systems in the world. The increasing numbers of ageing population is one of the major transformations being experienced by
Canadian Home Care Association, “Home Care 2020: A Vision of Health, Independence & Dignity,” available at
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,
In response to the poor conditions under which home care workers in the United States work, Claire L. Stacey, the author of this article published on The Conversation, calls of attention to all American citizen to reconsider the importance of home care work for elderly or disabled individuals and the way we value this job. She builds an effective and cogent argument based on statistics, claims to legislation and use of rhetorical questions. Claire L. starts the article off by mentioning the estimate number of home care works in the United States- “There are two million home care workers in the U.S.”. This was made with the point of imply to readers the number of people working in homes.
If you've ever thought about senior homecare, you've probably heard or read some home care myths that made you stop and think twice about it. With only a third to a half of seniors receiving homecare going through a professional care agency, many family care providers wonder what the reluctance is. Perhaps some of the myths are true?
One thing every living organism has in common on this planet-- age. No one wants to age or face the fact that aging is inevitable. However, since it’s impossible to beat the never ending time clock that is life; everyone wants to be as comfortable as possible when age finally does catch up with them. When the majority of people think of comfortability in old age, they think of living in their own homes and being surrounded by their loved ones. Not many individuals want to be placed into a nursing home type facility because they can’t imagine themselves being comfortable that way. Nonetheless, even though being placed in a home does take away some of an elderly person’s independence, usually the independence lost is in activities that person can no longer do for themselves. Indeed, nursing homes do have their own set of scary stories behind them; life lost, independence lost, and privacy lost, yet many of those stories are outdated. Upon investigation, it would be easy for anyone to scare themselves out of a nursing facility due to the stories that are out there. Yet, upon even further research people would be able to see how far the United States has come in their development and evolution of nursing care facilities. The care of the elderly in the form of nursing homes has faced a tough evolution starting off with a harsh past, to what nursing homes are like now, and what people can expect for the future of these homes.
Taking care of the individuals that are getting older takes many different needs. Most of these needs cannot be given from the help of a family. This causes the need of having to put your love one into a home and causing for the worry of how they will be treated. It is important for the family and also the soon to be client to feel at home in their new environment. This has been an issue with the care being provided for each individual, which has lead to the need of making sure individuals have their own health care plan.
An article that looked at patients within hospitals in Ontario found that, about ten percent of patients waiting for a spot in long term care facility waited well over a year (Kondro, 2010). Therefore, it is known that more long term care and community dwellings for older adults are needed. Although, the constructions of more residences for older adults is important, location needs to be a priority when building these facilities. For the health of the older population, new residences need to be built within communities and neighborhoods. This will provide smoother transition into new living citations with less stress. Staying within communities would allow for familiarity; having one’s family doctors being a short distance away, access public transportation, having the opportunity to continue attending activities such as religious services. Also, remaining in one’s community may allow for feelings of being rooted in culture and receiving more culturally competent care. There are many neighborhoods within cities across Ontario and Canada that are rooted deeply in certain cultures, such as Italian or Finnish
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.
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,
Current numbers show substantial growth from the eighties, and estimates suggest that the demand for long term care among the elderly will more than double in the next thirty years. (Feder, Komisar, and Niefeld) This growth will exacerbate concerns about balancing institutional and noninstitutional care, assuring quality of care, and most importantly adopting and sustaining financing mechanisms that equitably and adequately protect the elderly who need long-term care.
The need for home care companion increases dramatically as Americans get older. By the year 2030, the number of people 65 years and older will require some type of assistance.
Many Americans prepare for adulthood by pursuing careers, building families and investing in homes. However, very few of us really think of old age and how it will impact our families. As stated by Greg Link in his journal, “The Administration for Community Living: Programs and Initiatives Providing Family Caregiver Support”, “for many older people, the ability to remain living at home in the community is often contingent upon consistent support provided by a family caregiver” (Link, 2015, p. 57). In essence, the authors point is that in order for older adults to live with dignity and age in place in their homes they require assistance from another individual. Furthermore, care takers play an imperative role in the lives of aging adults.
Canada is undergoing a demographic transition that will see a greater proportion of older adults that will require a greater understanding of their needs based on factual evidence. In an era where technology is growing more omnipresent, a challenge will be the need to overcome stereotypes that portray older adults as dependent and are unproductive. There needs to be a shift towards portraying older adults and effective and independent individuals and strengths and skills that should be acknowledged and utilized.