...Vulnerable Population: Elderly population NUR/440 July 11, 2011 Anavictoria Fortaleza Vulnerable Population and Self-Awareness Paper The Elderly Population According to Chesnay (2008) “vulnerable populations are those with greater than average risk of developing health problems by virtue of their marginalized sociocultural status, their limited access to economic resources or personal characteristics such as gender or age. Anyone can be vulnerable at any given point in time as a result of life circumstances or response to illness or events” (p 3-4). For the last few decades, society and government have put a great deal of concern and interest on the aging population. The number of elderly population in the United States is rapidly increasing. The US population under the age of 65 tripled during the 20th century. This number is to double by the middle of next century. Over 70 million American citizens will be considered elderly by 2030, or about 20% of the population will be senior citizen (Walsh, 2009). The growing numbers are attributed to aging “Baby Boomers” and increasing life expectancies. Disability and disease are more common in elderly population such as hip fractures, parkinson’s disease, malnutrition, cardivovascular disease and malignant cancer. More than 70% of the elderly population has been diagnosed with a chronic disease (Pishchita, 2007). According to CDC, arthritis is the leading cause of disability among individuals over 65 years of age and 47% of...
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...Elderly Population and the Advocate’s Role In human services, an advocate is someone who supports their client in their decisions regarding life and gives the client a voice to make a change. Very often when dealing with the elderly population, the problem of neglect and elder abuse arises. These wrongdoings are frequently the actions of the people closest to the victim including family members (Adult Children and Spouses) and caregivers. Human Service Advocates Human service professionals work with and are advocates for the elderly population for various reasons because the population is enlarging rapidly. Advocates are supposed to work hand in hand with their clients and spread awareness regarding elder abuse and neglect. The problem arises when advocates do not protect or advise their clients from abuse, neglect, and discrimination. If neglect is suspected, the human service professional (advocate) is obligated to report any signs but that sometimes does not happen because the professional themselves are the culprits. For instance, a human service professional may work in an adult daycare facility where elderly adults go during the day while their main caregivers are working. While there the elderly client may endure physical and verbal abuse from the professionals that work at the facility. This is way too common and if the people who are supposed to be advocates for their elderly clients are actually the people who are abusing them, then the clients are not...
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...The United States is experiencing a huge increase in the number of seniors, as well as increased levels of care and needed assistance. In 2010, seniors, age 65 and older, comprised approximately 13% of the U.S. population at 40.3 million. It is projected, that by 2050, that number will grow to 20.9%.1 Several factors are contributing to the increase in the elderly population, including that people are living longer and the baby boomer generation, one of the largest, is starting to enter into their 60’s. Although there is no age cut off or recommendation, there are guidelines on when to stop driving. People are now living an average of 7 to 10 years beyond their ability to drive safely.2 Despite having numerous transportation options, from public busses, trains, taxis, there exists a gap in the market for reliable and affordable transportation for the elderly population who can no longer drive, or chooses not to. Currently, the only widespread ride options are transport vans, which are expensive unless there is merited and documented need, such as for the severely dependent. Some senior living complexes offer shuttles to grocery stores, but there is a lack of dependable day to day transportation offerings. Therefore this population usually relies heavily on family members support, with an estimated 35% dependency rate.3 What we propose is a driving service specifically for seniors that provide affordable services, along with an arm to lean on as they go from door to door...
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...INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT THE ELDERLY POPULATION Niagara College NURS 1270 Amanda Sorrell The Elderly Population How old do you want to live? This is a good question considering that according to research done by Christiansen et. al. (2009), there has been a gain of about 30 years of life expectancy on average, in developed countries globally over the span of the 20th century and Canada is no exception. This increase in life expectancy is primarily due to improvements in health care; an understanding of how disease is transmitted and can be prevented, and a better understanding of the body and how to keep it healthy (Christiansen, et. al., 2009). However, it would seem this extra lease on life comes with some extra concerns as seen in the current overall health of the elderly population which is the vulnerable group I have chosen for this assignment. This is also the group I am working with during my clinical placement this term, which is another reason I have chosen it for this paper. The members within the elderly population, in part due to extended years of life, are a group that is at risk for diminished well-being and compromised health due to changes in the aging process both physically and mentally. Nutrition, mobility and personal safety also become issues in health maintenance as we age, as is the issue of poverty that affect our elderly who are living well past the age of retirement in Canada. When our elderly population are not able to maintain...
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...The Elderly as a Vulnerable Population Lauren M. Lorio NUR/440 April 9, 2012 Maria Mendez The Elderly as a Vulnerable Population Vulnerability is defined as susceptibility or increased risk for health problems (DeChesnay, 2008). A group of individuals are considered at higher risk for illness when their physical, emotional, psychological, or social health, is compromised (Aday, 2001). There are many leading causes for why a population is considered at higher risk; socioeconomic, age, gender, demographics, personal, and cultural backgrounds are some of the key factors (Aday, 2001; Sebation, 1996). Individuals can become vulnerable at any time because of change in life circumstances, placing them at higher risk. One group considered to be a vulnerable population is the elderly. In the article, “Patterns of Perceived Barriers to Medical Care in Older Adults: a Latent Class Analysis,” authors Joshua M. Thorpe, Carolyn T. Thorpe, Korey A. Kennelty, and Nancy Pandhi (2011), examine various levels concerning barriers to health care accessibility for the elderly population. The purpose of the study is to “…identify risk factors, potentially assisting healthcare organizations with targeting policies and interventions designed to improve access in the most vulnerable older adult populations” (Thorpe et al., 2011, p. 1). Categories of distinct classes of older adults were established in the article, placing Class one at the lowest level of risk for accessibility issues, and...
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...Vulnerable population paper Vulnerable Populations in Current Events Paper Vulnerable Populations in Current Events Paper When I think of a vulnerable population, a few population groups come to mind, including mentally disabled, socioeconomically disadvantaged, those with physical limitations, children and the geriatric populations. During my assessment/admission interview of patients, I listen for clues that may indicate that they fall into a vulnerable category. I have had patients tell me that they have neglected to take care of their ailments because they cannot afford to take off a day from work, or they don’t have adequate insurance or any insurance coverage at all. The chosen article focuses on protecting vulnerable populations from pandemic influenza in the United States. According to the article, the vulnerable populations include those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women, children and persons with disabilities as well as correctional populations (to include staff and facilities). It is essential to protect these vulnerable populations in order to effectively slow or mitigate an influenza pandemic. The vulnerable population may have several barriers that prevent them from obtaining the much needed medical services. Such barriers include socioeconomic status, health beliefs, behaviors, and status; and access to health care over which an individual or family may have limited control (Hutchins, 2009, S246). Moral, ethical...
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...Vulnerable Populations-Part 1 Jane Doe University of Phoenix Nursing 531 June 25, 2012 Georgetta Baptist A vulnerable population is defined as “those at risk for poor physical, psychological, or social health” (de Chesney, 2012). There are many vulnerable populations and this paper will concentrate on the elderly. According to Walsh (2009), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), states the elderly are considered anyone 65 years old or older. With the increased lifespan of elderly, there have become new demographics of young old (65-74), old (75-84), and oldest old (85 & over), and the frail old (anyone over 65 with physical or cognitive disabilities). The US census bureau estimated in 2011, the population of elderly persons 65 and over living in the U.S. to be 311,501,917. Between 2000 and 2010, the population 65 and over grew at a faster rate than any other population in the United States, 15.1% compared to 9.7% of the rest of the US population. Thirteen percent of the population is elderly; 55.2% are married, 32% live with family members, 51.7% are female, 48.3% are male, 60% are white, 17% are black, 18% are Hispanic, and 5% are other races. Education wise, 10.9% have less than a 9th grade , 10.3% have attended between 9th and 12th grade but did not receive a diploma, 36.4% are high school graduates, 20.6% have some college, and 22.5% have Bachelor’s degree or greater. It is estimated that elderly between the ages of 65-84 are doubling as the baby...
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...Design for Elderly Friendly Nurul Hidayah Ahmad Alemi SYS 705 Advanced Interaction Design Universiti Teknologi MARA nurul0903@yahoo.com Abstract—A number of senior citizen population or elderly people increased every year. There are many difficulties and weaknesses involve as we get older such as cognitive disabilities, memory decline, poor vision, thus the assistive technology nowadays should follows some design specification that suitable for an elderly to satisfy and simplify their everyday life needs. Hence, this paper attempts to discuss about the issues, concept, applications and design for elderly friendly in details. Keywords—Elderly: Assistive Technology: Design for Elderly. II. ISSUES In the past few years, people assume elderly pathetic, poor and unfortunate also useless. They have been national development and nation. On the other hand, designer should follow some design guidelines on how to design the assistive technology or application that suitable for the elderly depending on their type of impairment or disabilities. considered not so important in the community. Nowadays, community realize that the elderly should involve or participate in the social and community activities as they had a lot of knowledge, experience and I. INTRODUCTION Elderly is defined as aged 60 years and above. The number of older people is rapidly increasing in Malaysia and also in developing countries [1],[2]. The rapid wisdom that can be shared to give some ideas in the requirement...
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...Also, at present, WritePoint cannot detect quotations or block-quotes, so comments in those areas should be ignored. Please see the other helpful writing resources in the Tutorials and Guides section of the Center for Writing Excellence. Thank you for using WritePoint. Vulnerable Paper [This title could be more inspiring. Labeling it a "paper" or an "essay" is redundant (what else could it be?), and only a few words as a title are not very explanatory (or intriguing to the reader). An ideal title has between six and a dozen words ] -Part ll Legy George HCS/531 May 7, 12 Doris Chimera Vulnerable Population- Part ll Most [Make sure paragraph indentation is five to seven spaces or one tab stop] elderly persons (64 percent [Use the symbol with numerals--64%] ) live in families with modest incomes (150 to 299 percent [Use %] of the poverty level) or moderate to high incomes (300 percent [Use %] of the poverty level or above). However, over ["Over" is used to describe something physically above...
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...Vulnerable population in the perspective of health care are those people who have many health issues that are exposed to more than average risk in terms of, physical, psychological, or social health. The main victims of Vulnerability are the elderly. The elderly are more susceptible to functional deterioration and therefore need special support and medical attention in the health care context. Caring for elderly people, especially those with medical problems can be nerve-racking, and that can combine with other stressors, such as financial or marital problems, and will further cause caregivers to become neglectful .In the long run caregivers become encouraged to send their old folks to medical facilities or senior homes. Elderly people, like many young people prefer to stay at their own home that is made up of treasured memories; they feel a sense of belonging at their own home than a senior home. In my culture caring for elderly people in their most difficult time of their lives is considered an honor and a blessing and an opportunity for great spiritual growth. In my culture it is not enough that we only check up on our elders like parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, but we act with limitless compassion, are kind, and are patient with them. We always try to remember that when we were helpless children, they were patient with us, gave us their love and preferred us to themselves. As a nurse, there are instances I forget the confines of the elderly and...
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...Physiotherapy: working hands on for elderly in residential care A perception of good health inevitably lies in the eyes of the beholder (Strain, LA 1993). While some strive to maintain their bodies in peak physical condition, health management for the elderly in residential care is treated otherwise. Years of labour and strain is evident in their physical appearance, however it is beneath all this which is key to the vitality of their lives. Physiotherapists, also referred to as physical therapists, are one profession working with the elderly to maintain a state of wellbeing for everyday activity and participation. Through prevention, strengthening and mobility, these fundamental areas in elderly conditioning have more than superficial benefits. Nurses, as well as doctors, occupational therapists and specialists, are also crucial to this client group, ensuring the best possible health is maintained. Physiotherapists are aptly equipped with the skills and knowledge to assess individual patients and prevent avoidable mishaps from occurring. Elderly people over the age of 65 are more likely to experience incidents such as falls due to arthritis, prescribed medications and general impairment (Tinetti, ME 2003). Exercise prescription programs can specifically target areas to achieve maximum range of movement and reduce these risk factors. Researchers at Yale School of Medicine found that falls among the elderly were reduced by 11 percent when clinicians incorporated management...
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...Services For many generations, care of the elderly has continually been the responsibility of various family members. The elderly individual needing care would generally stay in the home of their children or other relatives until their death like some still do today. In various cultures such as that of the Chinese and Japanese, their traditions dictate that caring for the elderly whether it be a parent or an uncle or aunt is a matter of honor and a way to show respect to their elderly. In some countries, especially impoverished ones, the care of the elderly continues to fall on the family because they have no financial means to seek other methods of care or no services are available where they live. Fortunately for those who live in countries such as the U.S., Europe and Australia, there are many services available to aid in the care of the elderly which gives family members other options and assistance as needed. Caring for the elderly consists of many different factors and can at times be impossible for those wanting to provide care for their loved ones at home. Financial factors and health factors are two of the most significant issues that determine how the elderly are cared for. Other factors hinge on whether or not the family member providing care has space in their own home, is able to arrange their schedule to provide that care, or already their own health issues that would prevent them from providing care to an elderly family member. Due to those circumstances, the...
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...The elderly population is a growing concern in the healthcare field. According to the US Census Bureau (2011), the elderly encompassed 13% of the population in the United States. The elderly population also grew at a faster rate than any other age group in the United States (US Census Bureau, 2011). The same can be said for Arizona, where are elderly make up 13% of the state population, matching the national average (R&R Partners, 2005). Of this number 39.7% have been classified with a disability. This number is expected to continue to grow as the older population continues choosing warmer climates for retirement. In Pima County our elderly population entails 14.2% of the population, which is greater than the national average. By 2015 Pima county’s elderly population is expected to reach a concerning 185,087 (R&R Partners, 2005). A vulnerable person is characterized by being open and potentially exposed to harm, and a person’s vulnerability status can change due to health, finances or social position Dyer, Franzini, Watson …Pickens, 2008). This is concerning to the health community because of the vulnerabilities the elderly face. A large number of this population will experience changes in hearing, sight speech and mobility which may lead to isolation from the community and depression. Many could experience memory loss or develop dementia causing difficulty in caring for themselves requiring them to seek assisted living facilities or in home care providers. They have a variety...
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...Global Elderly Care Differentiations Different places in the world treat our elderly in a variety of ways. There has never been one way to care for everyone. We’ve been learning about how different countries and cultures care for their elders. In some places, families all live together under one roof until death. In other places, elders are sent to nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Still, some places have a very unique way of doing things for their elderly populations. According to Huffington Post, many Asian countries have a great level of respect for their aging elders. In China, it is a law to honor one’s mother and father. There is a penalty for breaking the law and can result in expensive fines. In Vietnam, elders live with their families and are considered a source of wisdom and honor, as well as being considered the head of the household. They help with child rearing as well as household chores. In Korea, a person’s 60th birthday is celebrated with a large party. Since sixty is considered the end of the Asian Zodiac, it is a large event for them. This shows a high level of respect and courtesy for those who are lucky enough to reach that highly regarded age. In the United States, people tend to be more involved in the life of youth rather than old age. It is commonplace to emphasize individualism rather than community. The elderly community is considered to live lonely lives separated from their kids and friends, according to Jared Diamond, an anthropologist...
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...Later Adulthood Development Report Christina Burgess BSHS/325 August 30, 2015 Laura Cobb Later Adulthood Development Report “As of 2005, there were about 37 million Americans age 65 and over. By 2030, the number is projected to be 72 million- a 100 percent increase in 25 years, compared to a 30 percent growth in total population during the same period” (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010, pg. 643). During later adulthood, marks a new era in living life to its fullest. Many older adults tend be happier than ever during this phase in their life. Even though later adulthood have more health issues as they age, it is a time in a person’s life to reflect upon the life they have lived because of the use of retirement, transitioning from work to retirement, and the social policies to protect them. When an individual enters later adulthood, they then begin to go through different changes in their role and their social position in our society. In many other parts of the world, transitioning into later adulthood is a sign of wisdom and a mark of status. However, later adulthood is stereotyped into being "an awful life stage that is erroneous, and sadly is a factor in older adults' being treated as "second-class citizens" by some people who are younger" (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010, pg. 588). Moreover, many older adults are very healthy and remain to have an active lifestyle while many still think, feel and act as if they were still in their 50’s. Society tends to respect later...
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