The Therapy Nursing ( Etn )

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.

It is expected that with the baby boomers significantly using the health care dollars, the provinces and territories will end up spending 60% of their GDP on health care services which accounts to $530 billion dollars of debt ( Robson, 2001). This discrepancy will put pressure on the federal government and encourage provincial policy makers to rely more on the federal government for funding instead of finding their own way to manage their health care systems better. Population aging affects the demand for and costs of health care services, given that seniors account for about 45% of provincial/ government health care dollars (Ng,Sanmartin,Tu, Manuel, 2014, pg 15). Seniors are not only the largest user group of health care, but their hospital visits and admissions are higher than any other age group. This is merely because seniors tend to have more chronic conditions which derive them to use the health care services. Due to the health care problems that many seniors face, it is important to address the future directions in which the sustainability of the universal health care resides.

Many experts in healthcare economics point out that chronic medical conditions are directly associated with higher costs (G., 2010). This association is mainly attributed to the high usage of all types of care (Kongstvedt, 2013). Reports show that the number of people suffering with chronic conditions is radically rising and forecasts suggest that the number of American’s with one or more chronic conditions will continue to grow by an estimated 37% between 2000 and 2030 (G., 2010). It is in our patient’s main interest to shift our current focus from treatment for acute conditions to target a better utilization of the recorded 78% of health spending devoted to people with chronic conditions. The new strategic approach is one of developing quality medical care for people with chronic conditions which require ongoing care and care management to improve their health status (Kongstvedt, 2013).

The patient centered medical homes (“PCMH”) approach “focuses on keeping people well, managing chronic conditions like diabetes or asthma, and proactively meeting the needs of patients.” According to the Arkansas Department of Health, chronic diseases like cancer heart disease or diabetes affect approximately over fifty percent of adult Arkansans. Yet chronic diseases are often preventable. The high rate of chronic diseases can partly be attributed health insurance coverage—“when people don’t have health insurance they tend to avoid seeing doctors. People

Since 1984, Canada has established a publicly funded healthcare system through the provisions of the “Canada Health Act,” which states that the objective of Canadian health care policy is to “facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers” (“Canada Health Act” 1). However, many Canadians feel Canada’s healthcare system is financially restricting. This system does not cover many prescription drugs or speciality drugs, which are needed for 41% of Canadian citizens aged 6-79 years old (Rotterman, Michelle et al. 1). This excludes elderly citizens who require even more medications. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information it is estimated the provincial and territorial governments spent $10.4 billion on prescription medications in 2014 (Matteo, Livio Di 2).

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

Health and human services policymakers expressed the need to move from single –disease solutions to population health interventions. The need is due to a growing public health concern- almost 1 in 3 Americans is diagnosed with multiple chronic conditions and more than 65% of health care spending is for care given to this group. (Kangovi peer research October 2017).

     In the past, Canada’s government-funded, universally accessible, health care system has been praised and admired both at home and abroad as one of the finest in the world. A great source of pride and comfort for many Canadians is that it is based on five fundamental principles. Principles that are a reflection of the values held by Canadian citizens since the formation of Medicare in 1966. These principles were reinforced in the Canada Health Act, (CHA), of 1984 and state that the Canadian system is universal, accessible, portable, comprehensive and non-profit.

Health care in the United States is currently facing a looming crisis that requires an urgent response of intervention. With the baby boomers population on the rise, there will ultimately be an increased need for long-term care (LTC) services. Pratt (2015) defines baby boomers as “the name given to the large number of people born in the period following World War II, between 1946 and 1964” (p. 17). According to Mikulaschek (2013), “Beginning in 2010, the roughly seventy-eight million baby boomers began turning sixty-five at a rate of three to four million per year leading to growing concerns over meeting their healthcare demands” (p. 86). This brings the number from about forty million in 2010 to seventy-two million in 2030 causing them to account for almost twenty percent of the total U.S. population (Mikulaschek, 2013, p. 96; Pratt, 2015, p. 17). This alarming rate will correspond to the increasing number of elderly individuals with chronic conditions who depend on LTC services for daily functioning (Pratt, 2015, p. 17). This influx of baby boomers presents the health care industry with a plethora of issues related to costs, quality, and access to the LTC services that this population so desperately needs.

Every individual in the world deserves to enjoy health and wellness. Maintaining or achieving proper health needs enables individuals to be productive at work and leisure. Traditionally, many people have had barriers obtaining adequate healthcare due to economic constraints or personal inconveniences. Despite impressive technological advances in medicine, the challenge of delivering quality healthcare to the Americans continues to be debated amongst the nation’s political and healthcare leaders. The aging baby-boomers and the increased number of uninsured people add to the equation of population growth which results in limited access to primary healthcare for the entire public. On the

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).

With the population of adults 65 and over steadily climbing, medical professionals and the healthcare system are struggling to keep up. One major issue concerning the healthcare system is that it is not set up properly provide care for these older adults. The physicians today, who regularly see patients, focus mainly has been; diagnose—usually in a 15-20 minute office visit, treat, and cure. Many of these senior citizens have multiple chronic illnesses or diseases, which require time to manage and treat. The problem is that they may not be able to explain what the real problem to a doctor in that time.

Wound care nurses play a special role in the hospital environment, and hospitals without those specialized nurses may not be able to offer the level of care as hospitals that have these specialized professionals. "Wound care nurses, sometimes referred to as wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurses, specialize in wound management, the monitoring and treatment of wounds due to injury, disease or medical treatments. Their work promotes the safe and rapid healing of a wide variety of wounds, from chronic bed sores or ulcers to abscesses, feeding tube sites and recent surgical openings" (Nursing Schools, 2012). While it may seem as if any nurse should be qualified to perform these functions, it is critical to realize that it is a specialized field. "Their main objectives are to assess the wounds, develop a treatment plan, clean wounds and monitor for signs of

Our aging population is the fastest growing proportion of the population in the United States. They are also the highest consumers in need of long-term services

Australia is one of the developed countries that have a growing ageing population, and this has a decided impact on the Australian Health System and Services, which is in fact expected to increase in the future. "...the increase in certain risk factors and the prolonging of life due to improvements in medical interventions, the prevalence of chronic disease is expected to increase in the future (Key indicators of progress for chronic disease and associated determinants, 2011, p. 1). An alarming statistic that should be taken into account is that, "...it is estimated that chronic diseases currently account for 70% of the total burden of ill health in Australia, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years, and this is expected to increase to 80%