Older Adult's Involvement In The Community

Generally, social work is affiliated with the younger population or topics of abuse and neglect in the home. While this can be a vital part of the job description, social work is a diversified field with many other career opportunities. A social worker’s ethical job responsibilities are outlined in NASW Code of Ethics (1999). The following sections will review these responsibilities in relation to aging populations and a social workers practice.

Exercises and physical activity have been associated with numerous health benefits including reducing incidences of falls and injuries among the elderly and the geriatric population. Appropriately exercise programs and cardiovascular fitness in older people improve strength and balance. The interventions included strengthening, endurance, balance, flexibility exercises, Tai Chi, stand up/step down procedure and walking exercises. In the first research, the findings were that program targeting balance, leg strength, and freezing gait were only effective in people with milder illnesses, as opposed to more serious disorders like Parkinson’s disease. The study was done for a period of 2 years. In the second research, the findings showed that a multi-component enhanced physical performance of the community indwelling adults but did not translate to psychological outcomes or reduced rates of falling.

Aging is an inevitability of life. With age man exchanges the physical prowess of youth for the wisdom that comes through experiencing the trials and triumphs of life. As an individual enters late adulthood, age 65 and older, they experience many physical, emotional and mental changes never previously encountered and which may require an adaptation of their earlier lifestyle. Some of these late adulthood changes are primary and secondary aging, issues regarding health and wellness, family and personal relationships, and the milestone of retirement. Understanding these changes can help late age adults

The Living Old program is about the United States of America population of people who are over 85 years old. This video was broken down into a six chapters. The first chapter was called, “Our Aging Society.” This chapter was about how the geriatric population is growing and changing our current society. In addition to the present changes, Doctor Audrey Chun commented on how people in the past died from pneumonia, flus, and other things such as infectious diseases. Whereas, in present time people are dying from chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart failure, strokes, diabetes and other things that require management over the years. This chapter also touched on how the current health care system is not set up to treat chronic diseases.

The CDC (2013) defines aging in place as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level” (Healthy places terminology). The idea of aging in place has received growing attention from many entities over the past decade. According to AARP (2014), one in three Americans is now 50 or older, and by 2030, one in five Americans will be 65 and older. Moreover, evidence exists that home evaluation and home modification interventions are effective in promoting home safety, positively influencing task performance, and reducing falls in the older adult population. Regarding health care practitioners and older adults, a variety of major public health problems exist

Relatively new to this research are the correlations found between living environments and improved health and well-being for the people who live there. Employment and business opportunities also arise to support and maintain services for this vastly growing cohort. Ideas are being put forth now to create urban communities for senior living that will embrace continued learning and service opportunities. Aging-In-Place models, where seniors remain at home and in the community in which they have always lived is argued in research entitled, Innovative Models of Aging in Place: Transforming our Communities for an Aging Population (Bookman). Membership in a community can build relationships and identify common interests and purpose, as well as integrated settings to help promote meaning in the “golden years”. Bookman states that this is a global phenomenon and that in 1950 only 8% of the world population was over 60. Less than 70 years later that has changed dramatically, with the largest increase occurring in the most developed nations. The many benefits are people who are not only living longer, but leading active and healthy lives into ones 80’s and 90’s. The wisdom, experience and skills of this older population are available to family, friends and the communities for many decades. On the other hand, there are also

One out of every four homeowners in the United States is 65 years and older (Golant, 2008). The majority of aging adults would prefer to continue aging in place by remaining in their homes and neighborhoods (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2011). As a result, moving is typically a last resort. According to Golant (2008), “When the older occupants of these homes also have low incomes, the physical inadequacies of their dwelling especially increase their health and safety risks, and they become financially burdened by even routine maintenance costs” (p.5). As elderly homeowners age, it may become necessary to install modifications such as widened hallways or doorways for wheelchair use, ramps, and specially equipped bathrooms. It can be difficult for those with low incomes to find reliable and affordable professional labor to complete these improvements, especially when these individuals may be financially suffering from the weight of property taxes, insurances, and mortgages as well. Older adults with low-incomes typically reside in physically declining neighborhoods, which also puts them at greater risk for health problems, social isolation, and psychological distress (Golant, 2008). The financial burden of maintaining a home has numerous effects on the biological, social, and psychological aspects of a person’s life while

Providing eldercare to sick and aging loved ones increases women’s risk of living in poverty later in life, and specifically at retirement age due to the negative health and financial implications including gaps or decreases in employment, losses in retirement income, and the use of savings to cover out-of-pocket costs (Wakabayashi, Donato, 2006). The elderly population in the United States continues to grow at a significant rate, with estimates that approximately 80 million adults will be over the age of sixty-five by the year 2030 (Bookman, Kimbrel, 2011). Approximately seventy-five percent of elderly persons who require assistance with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living receive that support in the form

Thus, such communities will require the appropriate conditions to handle the needs of the aging. In terms of physical environment, this includes such features as safety, open spaces to promote walking, and age-appropriate leisure activities Seniors in rural communities identified the need of “walkable” sidewalks or accessible buildings as it not only supported older people in the form of physical exercise but also easier commute to attend social or personal needs (Public Health Canada, 2009). In a Study by Bascu et al, in 2012 about 40 percent of seniors experienced fall and related functional limitation. The study revealed that seniors’ safety and security concerns tend to relate more to a poor physical environment which adds to the number of accidents, including falls and complications. Seasonal conditions such as icy, wet pathways that hinder mobility increase fall and isolation. Creating a safe physical environment enables seniors to live independently and recreate personal identity in the face of the challenges of aging (Keating, Swindle & Fletcher, 2011). It may, however, be challenging to create this environment. An underlying issue is that funding is needed to ensure the availability of the resources

In this reflective essay, I shall be representing a critical understanding of the Risks in view of, an older adult, as an alternative area of practice, to that of my own nursing Adult field. The scenario takes place, within a clinical acute setting, with following the use of Driscolls Reflective Model (1994), Driscoll uses a framework to reflect on the scenario, What? Happened, So, What? How you were feeling at the time, and Now, What? Actions to be taken. However, to maintain confidentiality, which is set by the (NMC) Nursing and midwifery council (2008) all names of places and patients names have been changed and I shall be using the pseudonym Mrs M, for an 85-year older patient.

Reminiscing to 2010, when I was faced with my grandmother 's illness during the adolescent years in my life I knew that I had a passion to care for the elderly (aging) population. From this passion, it ignited a fire so strong that I pursue my certified nursing assistant certification to gain a better understanding of working with the elderly population. By doing so, it has been a great benefit to my life; aging is an inevitable experience that we all will go through during our life. It is important to ensure that our elderly individuals are still able to enjoy the best quality of life after retirement. However, as we age, there will be a lifestyle change that the aging population must encounter.

The community voted to increase elder health interventions at the 2015 Sitka Health Summit. Data collected via community-wide surveys indicated “elder care service gaps” as one of the top concerns. This data revealed a need for an accessible community-building wellness program for older adults.

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

As people age they develop many special needs related to the later period of life. Many elderly people have specific physical needs where adaptations to their home are necessary or where they need specific equipment for self care. Old age also brings new emotional challenges for the elderly person when the family can be useful in helping to meet the persons mental health needs. Senior citizens experience needs in their social life; they also experience the need for activities with other seniors. Health needs also negatively affect the elderly and cause multiple physical problems. Every elderly person experiences needs that are related to each of these areas.

As the life expectancy in the United States rises, the number of elderly in the population has also expanded. These increases have led to the oldest-old (people aged 90 and older) to become the fastest growing age group in the country. The oldest-old face many unique challenges because of their age, one of which is disability. Disability in the elderly has major impact upon society 1 and will continue will be a growing burden in years to come.