HP 626 week 2 discussion social aging issues and ageism impacts discussion questions

Paper Instructions

Initial Post

If your first name begins with the letters A–M Topic 1 – Ranking Social Aging Issues

Imagine you are a senator preparing for this year’s policy agenda. Your primary stakeholders are aging service providers, so keep this in mind as you rank the social issues.

You must rank, from the highest priority to the lowest priority, the following social aging concerns to determine which issue should be your major focus. Include an explanation for your ranking choices that can be understood by ordinary constituents as well as make sense to professionals in the field.

  • Fall prevention program
  • HIV/AIDS interventions
  • Social isolation
  • Mental health services gap

Your initial post should be 500 to 700 words, with one to two supporting references included. If your first name begins with the letters N–Z Topic 2 – Combating Ageism In a Word document or PDF document, complete the following

  • Locate two images or advertisements one that represents aging in a positive way and one that seems to be representing an older person in a less flattering or ageist way. Include the website link to the images or advertisements.
  • You can use images from any source, such as greeting cards, as long as you can show the image or advertisement. (You can take a picture of the greeting card, for example, and copy and paste it onto the document, then identify the greeting card.)
  • Include the context or target from where you found the images or advertisements. For example, if you found one of your images from the Dove campaign, indicate that.
  • Identify what you believe to be the intended or target audience for each image or advertisement.
  • Compare and contrast the images you found and how you think they represent society’s views about aging. Use the learning materials to support your claims.

What role as a service provider for aging adults would you have in combating ageism, and how might you achieve this?

Your initial post should be 500 to 700 words, with one to two supporting references included.

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The purpose of this post as a Senator, is to rank in order of priority, the following topics as they relate to aging service providers Fall prevention program, HIV/AIDS interventions, Social isolation, and Mental health services gap.

My prioritization is as follows Fall prevention, Mental health services gap, HIV/ AIDS interventions, and Social isolation. Fall prevention is chosen as the first priority due to the fact that falls and fall-related injuries not only have a negative effect on the quality of life of the individual, but carry with them an increase in morbidity and mortality and extended health related costs (Montero‐Odasso et al., 2022).

The incidence of falls in nursing homes is 50%, and this would directly apply to the stakeholders in this assignment, being aging service providers (Giovanni et al., 2020). These health-related costs can trickle down to being the responsibility of government’s medical assistance programs.

The medical cost of falls resulted in Medicare claims of approximately 29 billion dollars and Medicaid claims were approximately 18 billion; with the added private claims of 12 billion (Florence et al, 2018). The number of fall related injuries will increase as the aging population is increasing which is another reason to make this aspect of change a priority.

The mental health gap in terms of care of the elderly, include barriers such as negative attitudes of older adults toward mental health care, comorbid medical issues, provider-related factors, outside factors such as cost, transportation, and reliance on a caregiver (Lavingia & Ashgar-Ali, 2020).

Evaluation of these factors and the implementation of services would benefit the aging adults by providing access to services, increasing self-motivation, and understanding the role that mental health plays in benefiting their well-being. Depression is a common occurrence in the older adult population and this can lead to feelings of hopelessness, and suicidal ideation.

HIV/AIDS interventions need to be addressed as it is this population in particular who have experienced the ravaging effects of HIV/AIDS, due the fact that there were no medications to treat it early on. They have endured much pain and suffering.

While there are programs in place and treatments for those contracting the disease presently, it is important to have support programs for those who have been affected with the disease for decades. HIV has been linked to increased rates of cardiovascular disease, renal, oncological, and osteoporotic disease as well as neurocognitive symptoms (Emlet et al., 2019).

These comorbid conditions require medical follow-up, medications, and individual therapies that need to be covered by medical insurance, be is private or government funded. While there is still no cure for HIV/AIDS, there are now effective treatments and these also need to be covered by medical insurance.

Social isolation and loneliness that results from the process of aging, the loss of a loved one, and functional declines, have a profound effect on the elderly (Donovan, 2020). Screening, and the initiation of interventions, are essential and health care professionals may be the first to identify loneliness.

The use of a screening tool, ALONE, can provide insight into the level of social isolation the individual is experiencing (Berg‐Weger & Morley, 2020). Social isolation has been associated with an increased risk of mortality for all causes, and loneliness among heart failure patients has an increased risk of death by nearly four times (National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 2020).

Opportunities to intervene can be challenging, particularly for those who have unstable housing, do not belong to a religious or social group, and do not have any involvement in their community. The need for community programs, particularly in areas where there are limited offerings, would be helpful for this population.

In terms of isolation that older adults experience in care facilities, programs that include diversion, such as musical guests, artists, and recreational therapists, can be helpful in assisting those who are withdrawn to interact with others.

References

  • Berg‐Weger, M., & Morley, J. E. (2020). Loneliness in old age An unaddressed health problem. The Journal of Nutrition Health & Aging, 24(3), 243–245. https //doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1323-6
  • Donovan, N. J., & Blazer, D. G. (2020). Social isolation and loneliness in older adults Review and commentary of a National Academies report. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 28(12), 1233–1244. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2020.08.005
  • Emlet, C. A., O’Brien, K. K., & Goldsen, K. F. (2019). The global Impact of HIV on sexual and gender minority older adults Challenges, progress, and future directions. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 89(1), 108–126. https //doi.org/10.1177/0091415019843456
  • Florence, C. S., Bergen, G., Atherly, A., Burns, E., Stevens, J., & Drake, C. (2018). Medical costs of fatal and nonfatal falls in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 66(4), 693–698. https //doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15304
  • Giovannini, S., Brau, F., Galluzzo, V., Santagada, D. A., Loreti, C., Biscotti, L., Laudiso, A., Zuccala, G., & Bernabei, R. (2022). Falls among older adults Screening, identification, rehabilitation, and management (PDF). Applied Sciences, 12(15), 7934.
  • Lavingia, R., Jones, K., & Asghar-Ali, A. A. (2020). A systematic review of barriers faced by older adults in seeking and accessing mental health care. Journal of psychiatric practice, 26(5), 367–382. https //doi.org/10.1097/PRA.0000000000000491
  • Montero‐Odasso, M., Van Der Velde, N., Martin, F. C., Petrovic, M., Tan, M. P., Ryg, J., Aguilar-Navarro, S., Alexander, N. B., Becker, C., Blain, H., Bourke, R. S., Cameron, I. D., Camicioli, R., Clemson, L., Close, J. C. T., Delbaere, K., Duan, L., Duque, G., Dyer, S. M., . . . Masud, T. (2022). World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults a global initiative. Age and Ageing, 51(9). https //doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afac205
  • National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. (2020).Social isolation and loneliness in older adults Opportunites for the health care system. Washington, DC The National Academies Press. https //books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SDbnDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=social+isolation+older+adults&ots=c7k8tRTRj0&sig=v7Mn_XzGd3_irC7roEw2NOY4jeg#v=onepage&q&f=false

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