Healthcare Essay: Examining Older Adult Needs, Promotion, and HCA Role

This essay discusses the healthcare needs of older adults, emphasizing the importance of understanding chronic illnesses and coordinating care between family and healthcare staff. It highlights common conditions like arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's, noting the gradual decline in physiological functions due to aging, often accompanied by depression and impaired cognitive skills. The essay also addresses health promotion programs aimed at improving longevity and preventing falls, advocating for patient rights and culturally safe environments. Furthermore, it details the role of healthcare assistants in monitoring vital signs, communicating with families, ensuring comfortable environments, coordinating with medical departments, promoting mental and physical health, advocating for patients, and involving families in decision-making, concluding with the importance of retirement planning for a decent standard of living. Desklib provides access to similar solved assignments and resources for students.

Running head: HEALTHCARE
HEALTHCARE ASSIGNMENT
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1HEALTHCARE ASSIGNMENT
The needs of an older person:
 Old age is laden with insecurities and a wide range of health challenges. While caring
for the elderly, it is increasingly important for the care professionals to be aware of
the nature of the chronic illness conditions that affect the senior adults.
 In addition to this, maintenance of a coordination between the family members and
the respective health care staff is integral for an appropriate care delivery practice.
Studies indicate that the most common healthcare conditions that affect the elderly
include Arthritis, cardiovascular disease, Osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Diabetes,
Cancer and increased risk of fall and accidents (Haber 2013).
 It is important to understand that the onset of ageing leads to gradual disintegration of
tissues and organs and impaired physiological functioning on account of the
underlying mechanism of senescence.
 Also, the progression of ageing is assisted with depression, impaired motor and
cognitive skills and poor memory. Therefore, care-providers must understand the
nature of the illness and impart a holistic care in order to ensure effective care
delivery.
Health promotion for older person:
 According to a report published by Lenus.ie (2019), it has been reported that
the life-expectancy in Ireland decreases with the onset of middle age and
drastically go down with 65 years of age.
 The status critically reflects the poor health status of the senior adults within
the nation. Further high rate of disability and associated psychological
comorbidity reflects the poor standard of living.

2HEALTHCARE ASSIGNMENT
 The health promotion programs for the elderly this focus on improving the
longevity and extending life expectancy up to the age of 75 years. The
fundamental objectives of the wellness campaigns focus on the prevention of
incidences of fall and accidents (Haber 2013).
 In addition this, the health promotion campaigns must also focus on offering
appropriate support services to advocate patient rights and needs and ensure
provision of an optimal and culturally safe environment to ensure quality in
terms of living standard (Holland 2017).
Role of healthcare assistant in a healthcare team:
Healthcare assistants in general work in collaboration with a wide range of healthcare
professionals within a hospital or a community setting. It should be mentioned here that the
role of the healthcare assistant varies depending upon the nature of the department where she
is working. However, in relation to the aged care department, the duties of a healthcare
assistant involves the following:
 Observing and monitoring the vital signs of the patient
 Carrying out effective communication with the family members and friends of the
patient
 Ensuring a comfortable environment and a culturally safe care delivery
 Maintaining an effective coordination between the interdisciplinary medical
departments so as to render a culturally safe care delivery
 Promote a positive physical and mental health status of the patient (Dhara and Jogsan
2013)
 Advocate and act in the best interest for the patient and improve access to support
services

3HEALTHCARE ASSIGNMENT
 Ensure the involvement of the family members of the patient in the process of critical
decision making to ensure positive patient outcome
 Provide an overview about retirement plans so as to safeguard the personal interest of
the patients and ensure a decent standard of living

4HEALTHCARE ASSIGNMENT
References:
Dhara, D.R. and Jogsan, Y.A., 2013. Depression and psychological well-being in old
age. Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy, 3(3), p.1.
Haber, D., 2013. Health promotion and aging: Practical applications for health
professionals. Springer Publishing Company.
Holland, K., 2017. Cultural awareness in nursing and health care: an introductory text.
Routledge.pp.111-115
Lenus.ie 2019. [online] Lenus.ie. Available at:
https://www.lenus.ie/bitstream/handle/10147/46357/1298.pdf;jsessionid=8728E4813811EE0
F79BDC4080B1BA55D?sequence=1 [Accessed 15 Jan. 2019].