Aged Care Program Report: Addressing Elderly Care Shortcomings

This report presents an aged care program proposal, titled "Caring for the Elderly," designed to address the shortcomings of current aged care services in Ireland. The program aims to improve the health, social integration, and self-confidence of the elderly population, particularly in Killarney, with plans for expansion to other cities. It begins with a background on the growing elderly population and the challenges of providing adequate care, referencing statistics from the WHO and Irish government data. The report outlines the program's objectives, including providing quality healthcare, respecting residents' choices, and fostering independence through activities like art and crafts. It critiques existing aged care services, highlighting limitations in awareness, reach, and the scope of care provided. The program is based on the social model of healthcare, emphasizing social, mental, and nutritional support. The report also references recent literature supporting the effectiveness of informal care and social model of healthcare. The report concludes with a discussion of potential barriers and benefits of the program.

Running head: AGED CARE PROGRAM
AGED CARE PROGRAM
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Table of Contents
Background..........................................................................................................................2
Aged care program information.......................................................................................3
Aim..................................................................................................................................3
Objective..........................................................................................................................4
Critics related to the contemporary aged care services.......................................................4
The theoretical framework of the care program..................................................................5
Support from recent literatures related to the aged care project..........................................7
Description of needs and ways to achieve them..................................................................7
Barriers................................................................................................................................8
Barriers related to healthcare workers.............................................................................9
Barriers related to workplace...........................................................................................9
Benefit and evaluation.........................................................................................................9
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................10
References..........................................................................................................................11

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Background
Population aging has emerged as one of the biggest social transformation of the 21st
century, as each country on the globe is observing the increase in the number of elders in their
population (Rechel et al. 2013). The global trends of population aging published by the World
Health Organization determined that compared to the 0.5 billion world elderly population of
1990, is estimated to enhance up to 2.1 billion by the end of 2050 (United Nations 2015). The
census of world population in 2017 determined that there are more than 960 million people over
the age of 60 is present in the world, comprising 13% of the world population. The major
concern in this context is that the rate of population aging is growing by 3% every year and
currently Europe is having the greatest percentage of aged population, which is 25%. The world
forum understood the severity of this situation very early and organized the ‘Vienna International
Plan of Action on Aging’ in the year 1982 (United Nations 2015). According to the data of
Ireland government’s official census data, currently there is 0.6 million 65 and above people are
living in Ireland which is estimated to reach more than 1.5 million by the end of 2041. The
primary reason behind this population aging shift is due to the increase in the life expectancy,
that has made the life expectancy at the time of birth for male is 76.8 years and for female it is
81.6 years. This has made the Irish government to think about the aging population with more
concern as they require careful planning and support from the lawful policies so that their
integrity, independence can be maintained (RTE News 2017). Increase in the healthcare related
costs is the prime concern of the global society and according to CARDI, the number of aged
people using the residential care or old age care centers is going to increase up to 12,270 by
2021, however there is a restricted amount of shelter homes, or residential care homes are
present in Ireland (Central Statistics Office 2018).

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Aged care program information
Currently, there is a numerous amount aged care programs are running or in pipeline
addressed to the aged population of Ireland, sponsored by either the government or by the private
organizations. According to the governmental website of Ireland government, the Health Service
Executive (2016), there is currently 12 such projects running for aging population to maintain
their health and to support their integrity. However, there is no such data is available on the
website, from which it can be stated that the population is able to take advantage of these
policies. on the other hand, the aged care centers present in the society are meant for a specific
group of disability or a specific group of community, hence overall support and development of
aged community is still not been achieved (Ireland's Health Service 2016). Hence, the
assignment is proposing an aged healthcare and social care program namely “caring for the
elderly” in which the overall development of the elderly people will be achieved through
governmental and local support. The program will commence in the city where the number of
aged people is higher that is Killarney (according to Central Statistics Office (2018), the average
age of this city is 40.9 years). This aged care program will spread to other cities once the
program in Killarney becomes successful.
Aim
The primary aim of this “caring for the elderly” program is to understand the shortcoming
of the aged population in the context of health, society, self-confidence and will try to solve these
issues with the help of governmental norms. They will be provided with medical interventions as
well within the care homes created under this program. Lastly, the project will provide them with
the opportunity, so that they can maintain their independency and revive their skills.

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Objective
1. Understand the healthcare related need of aged population within the society, and
provide them with quality intervention.
2. In the care home under the “caring for the elderly” program, the views of the
residents will be respected and they will be provided with freedom of choice to
maintain their self-esteem.
3. The projects objective will be complying with the governmental norms regarding
healthcare programs, so that governmental support can be achieved.
4. Further to revive their self-confidence and independency, objective of the
healthcare program is to make their skillful by incorporating them in art and
crafts.
Critics related to the contemporary aged care services
The contemporary aged care programs currently running in Ireland, focuses on three
aspects of aged care, medical support by providing healthcare intervention, mental support by
providing counselling and increase their involvement in the social and political context by
promoting social inclusion and community cohesion (National Council on Aging & Older
People2015). An aged care system, currently operated by the National Council on Aging People
of Ireland works for the promotion of health, autonomy and overall welfare of the older people,
further it has collaborated with the international bodies having similar objectives so that their
successful strategies can be implemented in Ireland as well. Further, their data is helpful for the
governmental departments such as the Ministry of Health and Children care so that the loopholes
present in the current policy can be improved (National Council on Aging & Older People 2015).
However, according to Jewkeys, Flood and Lang (2015), it is very important for any healthcare

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or social care campaign to spread awareness within the society, so that mindful people from the
society can also take part in the health/social care developmental program. This is the primary
loophole of the aged care facility provided by the National Council on Aging People. Further, the
three most relevant aged care service seen in Irish society are geriatric care service, long-stay
service and the community care service (Murphy and Turner 2014). All these service were
introduced in the healthcare system so that the occupied bed in the hospitals with elderly
populations can be freed for other patients. However, this concept weakens the older care
program psychologically as it fills the aged population with low self-esteem. However, according
to the data of National Council on Aging & Older People (2015), the percentage of people
currently utilizing such facilities in their homes are only 18% therefore, the reach of this
underdeveloped care facility in Ireland is the most crucial factor. Furthermore, the care facility is
only restricted to occupational therapy or physiotherapeutic care. Therefore, all the different
healthcare facilities such as mental wellness, social care, diet and nutritional care are not
properly addressed in the community. on the other hand, the another kind of care service, where
the abducted old people, who are not having any off-springs to take care of their needs, are
provided with medical and social care but the number of such care facilities are very low in the
entire Ireland (Murphy and Turner 2014). Moreover, in this emerging parallel care facility,
concept of specialist care such as care home destined to provide healthcare facilities for special
patients and in special cases, limits the goal of overall care meant for the growth development
and wellness of the older generation. Therefore, this “caring for the elderly” program has been
proposed so that all the shortcomings of the aged care programs currently running in Ireland can
be addressed and a proper program can be launched (Jewkeys, Flood and Lang 2015).

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The theoretical framework of the care program
The most important aspect of the aged care program “caring for the elderly” is the
absence of inclusion criteria that incorporates a larger section of aged people with the care
program (Lee and Kwak 2012). Hence, for the overall growth and sustainable development of
the program, it is important to take support of any theoretical framework. The social model of
healthcare is such a theoretical model that helps the people under aged care with proper social,
mental, monitoring, diet and nutritional and proper supervision that maintains their safety. As
well as, the care process can also include various means that will be helpful for enhancing their
independency and self-esteem such as means ti provide financial stability, support in activities of
daily living, transportation facility and many more (Unützer et al. 2013). Programs based on
social model of healthcare has been seen to provide and overall quality care to the elderly people
and help them to replenish their cognitive and physical impairments with the help of informal
caregivers in a low and affordable price than the other occupational and nursing care homes.
Furthermore, from the aspect of healthcare workers, in a restricted framework of healthcare,
burnouts commonly hampers the care giving process, therefore in the informal care giving
process, chances of burnouts are very less therefore, they can focus on the quality healthcare,
fundamental needs and safety as well as nutrition in an caring and friendly environment (Quill
and Abernethy 2013).
Therefore based on this framework, the aged care program will provide mental and health
related care to 60 plus aged people in the city Killarney and will include each of the individuals
either having cognitive impairment, healthcare related issues or emotional deficits (Quill and
Abernethy 2013). The aims and objectives of the program will remain same and depending on
the framework the interventions will be applied to fulfill their health needs, fundamental needs

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and emotional support (Unützer et al. 2013). The activities which will be included in the program
are exercises, stretching, art, music, gardening and several other cognitive and physical activities
so that overall development of such people can be made possible. Furthermore, those adults will
be provided with diet and nutritional educations and assistance so that they can maintain their
diet and for the mental wellness weekly counselling will be arranged for the residents (Lee and
Kwak 2012).
Support from recent literatures related to the aged care project
This new concept of informal care process is the new trend in the healthcare industry
nowadays and therefore the social model of healthcare utilizes this model for the overall care for
the elderly in Ireland (Salje et al. 2014). However, the Irish medical culture still lacks
experienced care giving process, volunteer caregivers and specialized care homes as the number
of such care providers are very less. However, there is a huge increase in these informal care
givers from last few years and Karantzas et al. (2012) conducted a research to understand the
reason of this increase using a questionnaire distributed among such volunteers working in
healthcare homes. The questionnaire had questions related to their job satisfaction, burnouts and
why they chose for this care process. According to the responders, the hospital facility provided
them with best infrastructure and facilities however the stress and pressure increases the events
of burnouts that forced them to quit the job and join the informal care process as the chances of
burnouts are less in the process. On the other hand, according to Temple, Jukic and Dow (2017),
researchers were to find out the effect of informal care process on residents and compared that
with the residents of a community care center. The researchers found that due to developed
relationships with care providers and sessions like art and music therapy, and gardening the
cognitive skills of patients developed tremendously compared to the community care center’s

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patients. Therefore from these evidences it is clear than social model of healthcare and informal
care are effective for such aged care program (Salje et al. 2014).
Description of needs and ways to achieve them
Prior to develop care program for elderly people, it is important for the aged care
program developers to understand the basic needs that will be targeted through this program as it
will help them to deliver a cumulative program including each of the necessary aspects of elderly
in Killarney city (Légaré and Witteman 2013). As the prime aim of the “caring for the elderly” is
to target physical as well as mental needs of them, the program will include physical and mental
strength increasing skills, skills for mental stability, diet and nutrition, transportation or mobility
needs, occupational therapy and increasing their independence and self-esteem through proving
them means of financial stability (Arendts et al. 2012).
To attain the aims and targets, al the residents will be divided into sections depending on
the physical activity level, cognitive skills and physical ailments. Further, depending on the
ability to perform tasks such as physical exercises and activity of daily life, they will be assigned
tasks that requires physical and mental strength (Légaré and Witteman 2013). Further, residents
having disability or cognitive impairments will be provided with tasks that will help them to
grow their self-respect and esteem. The local experts of the city will be asked to join the
campaign with or without any pay, so that the residents can perform all these tasks under expert
supervision. Moreover, for the serious elderly patients, requiring geriatric care and transportation
facility, several private and governmental organization will be asked for assistance and support.
The government and private organizations will also be asked for sponsorship or funding so that
all these activities can be performed smoothly (Arendts et al. 2012).

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Barriers
As the aged care program “caring for the elderly” is developed for all the aged people in
the city of Killarney, with several benefits, it brings few barriers in the process. The barriers
affecting the program can be divided into two groups such as barriers related to healthcare
workers and barriers related to the workplace.
Barriers related to healthcare workers
1. As the informal workers are inclusive of inexperience and fresher healthcare
workers, lack of training and induction prior to working in such a big project can
be a limitation, as they might unable to provide quality care to the patients.
2. Although the chances of burnouts are less, however bad behavior or negative
attitude of staff towards the residents can affect the mental and physical health of
the residents (Benjamin et al. 2014).
Barriers related to workplace
1. Communication gap can hamper the healthcare quality of the facility. This might
happen as the entire program is new and the staff will need some time to
understand their colleagues and residents as well. Therefore communication gap
is the biggest barrier in the initial days of the program.
2. Due to inexperience, the staff might be unable to understand the elder patient’s
inability to perform exercise or other activity and forcing him/her can affect the
patient’s perception about the care facility in the “caring for the elderly” program
(Aldridge et al. 2016).

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Benefit and evaluation
1. The prime benefit of this aged care program will be occurrence of an overall care
prospect for the elderly population of Killarney that will help them to increase
their self-esteem, self-determination and independency (Moriarty et al. 2015).
2. Further, all the opportunity to perform tasks, exercises and art sessions will help
to increase their cognitive and physical strengths.
3. The healthcare providers will be able to focus on each elderly individual properly
and the less chance of burnout will help them to increase their skills related to
aged care (Cameron et al. 2012).
The evaluation process will be based on questionnaires and personal interviews with the
care program residents and will be conducted on three intervals, prior to commencement of the
program, in between the program and after 12 months of the program to achieve an unbiased and
proper evaluation (Moriarty et al. 2015).
Conclusion
While concluding, it should be mentioned that population aging is one of the major
concerns of this century and each of the nation in this world is focusing on the needs of the
elders so that their fundamental needs can be fulfilled. Therefore, the governmental and private
healthcare facilities are focusing on creating care homes so that the self-esteem and
independence of the elderly population can be reinforced with health and mental wellbeing. In
this assignment, aged care program “caring for the elderly” was introduced that contains several
aspect of mental and physical healthcare meant for overall development of elderly population.
This care program is based on the social model of healthcare and literature review was conducted

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to understand the nature and loopholes of aged care programs currently running in Ireland.
Furthermore, the assignment also included barriers related to the workforce or the carers so that
the loopholes present in the process can be fulfilled prior to implementation.

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