Over the past two decades, the number of elderly people has been on a rise within the US. The improved care services associated with the emerging technologies as well as the emergence of new methods of care delivery such as patient-centered are have all helped develop tailored mechanisms for managing these patients and therefore meeting their health needs (Flaherty, Fulmer, & Mezey, 2014). The needs of this group are typically very unique normally because they are getting into an age where they will lose a significant portion of the independence, abilities and roles and even begin to think about end-of-life issues with death being a dominant item. The degeneration of various organs and systems of their bodies due to age comes with the added challenge of exposure to illnesses and therefore explaining why this group is regarded as the highest consumers of health services as compared to other age-matched consumers of health services (Dilworth-Anderson, Pierre, & Hilliard, 2012). In that regard, within Florida, there have been several initiatives that have emerged to help serve the specific needs of this group and therefore ensure that they achieve the highest quality of life amidst the declining health status and the declining functionality of most of their systems and organs.
National Aging Network-Florida: This is a federally active program that has its presence across all states and it seeks to promote awareness on the importance of planning for long term care, while also providing educational materials to the general public on how they can actively be involved in the management of long term care for their friends and relatives. The program also facilitates the council members who work closely with the seniors by providing them with educational materials and training while helping them work with caregivers for these groups ion management of their health. The agency also works with the seniors by providing them with a networking platform where they can meet their colleagues and share their ideas and mechanisms for coping with the issues.
Area Agency on Aging: This is a charitable organization that works with seniors and their caregivers to help them prepare adequately both materially and financially while at the same time providing them with an opportunity to identify the resources within their environment that can support them. This organization also works to ensure access to healthcare resources for the senior adults while at the same time catering for the costs of care that may be incurred in cases where the senior or their family cannot sustain the treatment and management costs. It also allows the caregivers for these groups to work with social groups and social workers who will support them in the care and management of their patients not and into the long term.
Advocacy actions
A key agenda in working with seniors is to help them maximize their self-care and self-management skills so that they are not totally dependent on their families and relatives or their caregivers. My idea for advocacy would be to identify and work with the caregivers of these groups especially those within the family so that they can begin the planning and management for the future at early stage. Secondly, I would ensure that within the localities, there are agencies and preferably the faith-based agencies that can support networking for the elderly people and the caregivers. These faith-based agencies can provide a platform where caregivers can share experiences and therefore develop a platform to learn and apply evidence-based techniques to support their patients and at the same time manage their health as secondary patients (Holroyd-Leduc & Reddy, 2012).
Policy proposal
Within my practicum setting, I would advocate for a policy that calls for elderly patients to present at the clinic with their caregivers or that person with whom they can entrust in future with their health even if they may not need them at the present time. The idea is to ensure that there is collaboration between the potential or current caregiver and the care team and that this caregiver will ultimately assume the position of the key person in the management of the health of the patient (Dilworth-Anderson, Pierre, & Hilliard, 2012). Therefore, for all adults aged beyond the age of 65 years, on would be required to work with a close family member or they are assigned a social worker. They will also be referred to one of the agencies within their locality to help them reconnect and develop a social circle that reflects their needs.
References
Dilworth-Anderson, P., Pierre, G., & Hilliard, T. S. (2012). Social justice, health disparities, and culture in the care of the elderly. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 40(1), 26–32. Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Flaherty, E., Fulmer, T., & Mezey, M. (2014). Geriatric Nursing Review Syllabus: a core curriculum in advanced practice geriatric nursing. New York: American Geriatrics Society, 134-42.
Holroyd-Leduc, J., & Reddy, M. (Eds.). (2012). Evidence-based geriatric medicine (Vol. 81). John Wiley & Sons.
