The New Eldercare Service Model Must Be One Of Inclusion

The challenge America now faces is the number of people reaching retirement will double in number by 2030, and the U.S. population will increase almost 20 percent ("Our Aging Nation," 2015). The goal is for the elderly to maintain and live with independence and dignity, as well as, provide a wide range of professional health and social service expertise, home care, and residential support and services that will be needed ("Our Aging Nation," 2015). Since the number of caregivers needed for this population will not be able to meet the demands other resolutions are considered necessary.

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.

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,

Although the United States is a leader in healthcare innovation and spends more money on health care than any other industrialized nation, not all people in the United State benefit equally from this progress as a health care disparity exists between racial and ethnic minorities and white Americans. Health care disparity is defined as “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social or economic disadvantage…adversely affecting groups of people who have systematically experienced greater social and/or economic obstacles to health and/or clean environment based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion” (National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities [NPAEHD], 2011, p. 3). Overwhelming evidence shows that racial and ethnic minorities receive inferior quality health care compared to white Americans, and multiple factors contribute to these disparities, including geography, lack of access to adequate health coverage, communication difficulties between patients and providers, cultural barriers, and lack of access to providers (American College of Physicians,

Health disparities are present in our health care system. Whether it be racial, educational, or environmental, these disparities exist and are detrimental to health care outcomes. While there have been recent advancements in how to eliminate or reduce these disparities, there is still a major inequity in health care for all individuals.

Disparities in health and health care in the United States have been a longstanding challenge resulting in some groups receiving less and lower quality health care than others and experiencing poorer health outcomes. Hispanics, Blacks, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and low-income individuals are more likely to be uninsured relative to Whites and those with higher incomes. Low-income individuals and people of color also face increased barriers to accessing care, receive poorer quality care, and experience worse health outcomes. The Department of Health and Human Services Disparities Action Plan (HHS) sets out a series of priorities, strategies, actions, and goals to achieve a vision of a nation free of disparities in health and health care.

One reason that is frequently cited when asking the question of why so many people in the U.S. don’t have coverage is the cost. Many populations, in particular minorities, low-income, and women cannot afford health insurance or are underinsured thus putting them at a higher risk for disease, disability and death. In the U.S in 2010, there were 50 million people uninsured (Patel & Rushefsky, 2014). Private insurance companies have denied coverage to people with preexisting conditions (as seen in the Sick Around America video) and even pregnant women, this practice illustrates the inequality and inequity issues that have permeated the health care system. The Affordable Care Act sought to remedy the issues related to health insurance coverage being accessible for all Americans but there still exists many people without

The disparities in healthcare amongst minorities, elderly, and the poor are mind blowing, but in order to help reduce disparities, there needs to be an awareness and accurate data available to assess and implement a plan to bring better quality healthcare to communities.

One of the goals of Healthy People 2020 is to increase access to health care, specifically through reducing “the proportion of persons who are unable to obtain or delay in obtaining necessary medical care” (Healthy People 2020) from 4.7 percent to 4.2 percent. The Center for Medicare Advocacy, and the California Health Policy Forum, have both identified race and ethnicity as key components of healthcare disparity. Defined as “a difference in which disadvantaged social groups such as the poor, racial/ethnic minorities, women and other groups who have persistently experienced social disadvantage or discrimination systematically experience worse health or greater health risks than more advantaged social groups,” (Center for Medicare Advocacy) policies to protect this population are non-specific.

In 2003, the Institute of Medicine published a report outlining potential steps to work towards eliminating healthcare disparities, by suggesting a strategic approach by addressing the challenges within the health care systems, the federal and state legislative context in which they operate, clinicians and their patients (Betancourt JR, King RK, 2003). The intended goals of reducing and eliminating healthcare disparities, has continually been an agenda item for policy makers over the past few decades, but there has been no significant change. The root of the segregated mindset which implies minorities should be treated as lesser class humans is a part of American history and because of this, it is America’s responsibility to eliminate it(William D,

In the United States, we believe that health care should not differ by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or geographic location. When these differences do exist, they are referred to as disparities. We see this when racial and ethnic minorities receive lower quality healthcare than whites, when age is a determinant of quality of care, when level of education or sexual orientation are taken into consideration or when a person is uninsured or must rely on government issued health coverage for care. It is important to understand that differences in

According to an article in the Health Affairs Journal there are approximately 60 million American citizens covered by state based Medicaid and Medicare programs. These individuals are at the highest risk of facing chronic health issues and has issues with their ability to access quality health care services. Low income seniors and adults with disabilities make up the vulnerable population within the United States. These individuals are the sickest and poorest individuals within the community and are dually eligible for government assisted health programs, Medicaid and Medicare. Based on an article written by Rostai, Russell, Peng, Brickner, Kurowski, and Sheehan, within today’s society, caring for the vulnerable population is fragmented,

The purpose of this report is to critically analyse key areas of practice with regard to the Healthy Living for Seniors Program (HLSP) from the perspective of a volunteer. Uniting Care Aging is a non-profit and non-government organisation; and a ministry of the Uniting Church that provides, government, church and client funded aged care services across Australia especially for Australians who are older and vulnerable. The program workers facilitate the group five days a week between 10am-3pm. The programs’ field of practice is ‘Aging’ and its major function is to link the individual, group, family or community with needed resources. Welfare practitioner’s in this program empower people and promote social justice, safety, well-being, and enhance

Innovators like Joel Landau and others are converting under-utilized buildings in Brooklyn, Manhattan and elsewhere into senior care facilities. This comes at a time when Baby Boomers (who account for over a quarter of the U.S. population) are reaching retirement age. But for Mr. Landau, caring for the elderly has a more personal meaning; when as a teenager, he provided care to his beloved, ailing grandfather with linguistic and dietary needs. What began more than two decades ago has played a key role in shaping his vision of how healthcare and the environment can enhance the quality of life for Baby

Within the article, New Healthcare Models Arise with Elderly Patients in Mind, the author discusses the various aspects of senior health care that need to be addressed and altered before our population is mainly composed of older adults. Individuals are living longer, causing them to acquire different illnesses that need to be treated. However, there are not enough doctors that specialize in geriatrics to cater to these individuals. Medicare’s fee-for-service system allows doctors that specialize in geriatrics to get paid less than other types of doctors, discouraging individuals to choose this profession. Our medical system is not prepared for the large demand of senior care that will be needed in the years to come. Our overall health care