Disparities Among Elderly

Socioeconomic status and health are strongly correlated due to both finances and education. Socioeconomic status affects lifestyle choices, diet and disparity in health care access. People in low SES often does not have health insurance and are denied access to health care services. Research studies suggest that lower SES is linked to poorer health outcomes (American Psychological Association, 2012). There are also generational differences with regard to which model patients prefer in seeking healthcare (Brannon & Feist, 2010). Many older adults perceive the biopsychosocial approach as new age. They are from a generation when infectious disease was the primary cause of death and disability and treatment to

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,

A big problem today in health care for many people is health literacy. Health literacy is when a person is able to understand and process medical information they are given. Having low health literacy can affect how a person understands, and uses information about their health and health services (Batterham 2016). Low health literacy rates lead to big issues in communication. Limited literacy impacts health behaviors, decisions, and ultimately outcomes. Many people have low health literacy which leads to bad health outcomes. Research shows that low literacy is linked with the lower likelihood of people being able to manage their own health conditions, and less access to health care services which can lead to poor health outcomes. There are many reasons people have low health literacy, A lack of formal education and poor reading ability aren't the only causes of low health literacy. Low health literacy is associated with a number of things like poor engagement in health services, health knowledge, and overall health status. People with low health literacy may feel ashamed and try to hide it from professionals and family members. Most health care professionals are unaware of the level of health literacy their patient has. (Greenhalgh 2015) There is a need to identify individual health literacy needs and address how to work on solutions to benefit them and whole groups of people. Differences in health literacy

In a health care system beset by inequality, excessive spending, and average outcomes, one segment of the population in particular presents a variety of problems and opportunities that need to be addressed: the elderly. Individuals over the age of sixty-five in the United States utilize a disproportionate share of medical services compared to the rest of the population, and the growth of this demographic means that any concerns associated with it will only continue to intensify. By studying the health care that is provided to the elderly, one not only gains insight into how this population segment could be better served, but also into how the delivery of health care for the entire population could be improved to ameliorate the problems associated with access, cost, and quality.

I agree with you Rezina, that low-income elderly people are very much affected by socioeconomic status. Because of the rising health care cost and high co-pay or deductible many patients with limited income, hesitate to go the doctor. Many low income elderly cannot afford because of the high cost of medications. According to Lange(2012), Older patients with a history of low socioeconomic status may arrive at a clinic or hospital setting with diabetes that has been undiagnosed and untreated. Even a treatment plan are made, often patient of low socioeconomic status miss their appointments and appear unwilling to follow medical guidance. Nurses need to assess patient and help if they need to navigate the medical system or make appointments for

Knowledge of the social demographic trends of age and socio-economic status is integral in the planning process of any healthcare model, as it is vital to identify the various classes of individuals being covered. For example, on average, senior citizens tend to have a higher utilization rate for health services and incur more expenses than do adolescents and those in their twenties and thirties. In order to develop a healthcare

Yet of perhaps greatest importance to the American healthcare system and industry is the demographical information of this older population in terms of its particular characteristics and disposition. More specifically, healthcare professionals and policy analysts must understand the aging populations’ economic and living situations, and their overall health status (Jacobsen, Kent, Lee & Mather, 2011). Economic factors are key as they directly pertain to the likelihood of reliance on publically-funded healthcare programs, while “the marital status and living arrangements of the elderly are closely tied to levels of social support, economic well-being, and the availability of caregivers” (Jacobsen et al., 2011, p. 4). The importance of this population’s general health status is, of course, self-explanatory.

According to Garza (2016), the elderly will have an increase need of resources and healthcare professionals to better manage their healthcare issues. “The percentage of the U.S. economy spent on health care for individuals ages 65 and older exceeds 5 percent — a proportion that is expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050. As seniors age, they may struggle to afford soaring health care costs” (Fay). Medicaid and Medicare pay for most of the senior citizen’s healthcare bills but many are still in medical debt. The cycle is continuous; as the population grows older they experience one or more chronic conditions which lead to the need for health insurance and healthcare. Epidemiologists will now have the task of seeing how the increase of medical debt affects the elderly population in relation to the diseases they experience. A study that involved 3,000 participants found that “more than 75 percent of Medicare-eligible households spent at least $10,000 out of pocket on health care… and for the remaining 25 percent the average expense was even greater: they spent a whopping $101,791 out of pocket” (Health Care Cost: Expenses Hurt Elderly The Most, Report, 2012). Finding proper healthcare professionals can also affect the elderly’s quality of life. There is a shortage of nurses, caregivers, and doctors that specialize in caring for the elderly which can be

There is increasing demand on healthcare services when there are more elderly people in the society. With the hospitalization rate of elderly is four times higher than people aged below 65 according to the estimation by Hospital Authority, increasing number of senior citizen add burden on the healthcare system especially the more affordable public sector. Hospital Authority calculated that 8800 more beds in public hospital will be needed in 20 years’ time. A longer time will be required for patients to queue for medical services, furthermore, hospitals will be compelled with heavy workload and cost public healthcare system will increase significantly.

Within the last few years, I’ve noticed some changes within the young adults who are entering college from working with my sorority. I graduated from college 2008, so I didn’t think there would be as much of a difference between myself and these young women when I first started working with them. We had Facebook and cell phones when I was in college, but it didn’t seem to be as bad as it does now with young adults always being connected. Some of the things that I’ve noticed are very similar to what the Digital Nation showed its viewers. What I’ve noticed include: decrease in maturity, not being able to understand logic, difficulty communicating with one another face to face or via media, shortness in attention spans, and difficulty with grammar.

The United States will soon come face to face with a major problem that will need serious attention and consideration, how to support its growing geriatric population. Hospitals specifically will need to focus on caring for the aging group. They will also want to acknowledge how losing their matured workforce could potentially affect their efficiency and services performed. The rise in geriatric patients can be attributed to the generation born between the years 1946 and 1964, generally known as the “baby boomers”. (Carrington College)

Heart Health and You is a study conducted to gather information on health literacy in older adults. The study is to define some underlying factors that may contribute to health literacy in older adults. I hypothesize that older adults who have at least one preexisting medical condition will have better health literacy compared to older adults who does not have any preexisting medical condition. I also hypothesize older adults with a medical condition will have higher scores on the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) and Self-efficacy of Health Literacy

Health care systems these days are very efficient. Everyone accesses the health care system if there is any health related problem. But the extent to which people in society can access health facilities available to them can vary depending on various factors such as health literacy and socioeconomic status. ‘Health literacy represents the cognitive and social skills that determine a person’s motivation and ability to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways that promote and maintain good health’ (World Health Organization [WHO], 1998). An individual’s ability of accessing good health care largely depends on the health literacy of the individual. Furthermore, Socioeconomic status (SES) is an economic and sociological combined total measure of an individual 's or family 's economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation. The effects of health literacy and socioeconomic status on older adult’s ability to access good quality health care are discussed in subsequent paragraphs.

Both scientific and medical researchers should not ignore information on rates of health service utilisation by older populations; medical and social expenses incurred on both individuals and families; as well as cultural and socioeconomic influences on the health of the ≥ 60s population. A hierarchy of data collection modules will have to be established - from systematic data collection procedures for descriptive data to comprehensive data like that found in OECD countries. Less developed regions should be able to link population-based data and administrative health information with socioeconomic and health service data in order to analyse how health programs, interventions and policies relate to health outcomes of the older individuals. Last, but not least, countries in these regions need to establish cross-national and regional panel studies in order to compare health and attributing factors for the elderly population across regions and countries.

The figure shows that the life expectancies have improved dramatically from 1925 and 1975 for the younger population, although advancement in healthcare did not make much of an effect on the elderly population during that time. Meanwhile at age 90, the probability of survival increased significantly to about 20% in 2010 and will continue to rise due to improvements in medicine. Although current evidence confirms that the population today are living longer, many are doing so in reduced health. Report shows that the population aged 65 and over struggle to manage their day-to-day activities without assistance. Health life expectancy considers mortality rates as well as the effect of nonfatal conditions.