Paper on Public Health: Elderly Population
A population‘s strengths, weaknesses, resources and barriers can be assessed in the following ways. Foremost, it is important to define needs and resources among the elderly populations. The definition can be applied to examine and assess situations in order to identify problems, issues, and challenges affecting elderly members of the community. The results can be applied to formulate solutions and improvements applicable in the future to meet and fulfill needs among the elderly persons. The assessment process should therefore determine and address the current social, economic, and health conditions among the elderly persons. Consequently, it should measure the desires among the elderly persons on how they want the future conditions to be improved and enhanced. Thus, the assessment should conduct a thorough intensive and extensive assessment on needs, wants, and desires among elderly persons in the community (Catie, 2013).Paper on Public Health: Elderly Population
For example, the elderly members of the community need water, food, clothing, and transport. These are basic needs that family members, friends and neighbors strive to provide for them. However, this group also needs love, care, support, healthcare, and experienced caregivers to improve their living standards in relation to value and quality. An assessment process able to identify these needs can prompt members of the community, families and friends to meet and fulfill them. The secondly assessment procedure can include an initiative tasked in planning, implementing and monitoring a project. The project should be aimed at meeting and fulfilling the needs among the elderly persons as they arise and developed (Catie, 2013).Paper on Public Health: Elderly Population
The elderly members in the community should participate in assessing the initiatives to ensure their wants and desires as needy members of the community are fulfilled. More so, they can identify various aspects hindering the success of the projects and initiatives and propose solutions addressing the issues. Lastly, a group of stakeholders representing the elderly members of the community should be appointed. This group can be utilized to assess the real aspects affecting elderly persons in the community. More so, the group can develop a plan with accurate assessments aimed at supporting, encouraging, caring, and valuing the elderly persons in the community (Catie, 2013).
These methods of assessing different and diverse issues affecting the elderly populations can be applied to acquire various kinds of information. Foremost, the assessment process ought to apply methods applicable in acquisition of information. The information gathered should be aligned to factors hindering elderly persons in the community to live high quality and value lives. For example, inability to access and afford emergency healthcare services can reduce the qualities of life among the elderly. Secondly, the group of stakeholders through observation, listening, interviews, surveys, asset mapping, and direct contact can gather information with elderly persons in the community attending focus group meetings. The group can acquire information relating to specific health and social issues affecting elderly members in the community (Watkins, West & Visser, 2012).Paper on Public Health: Elderly Population
For example, the stakeholders can gather information from elderly persons on various issues influencing their social, economic, and health status adversely. Consequently, solutions can be formulated and implemented to improve health status and qualities of life among the elderly persons. For example, the government, community leaders and municipal councils can build fully equipped healthcare facilities that are within reach and affordable. The healthcare facilities should also employ highly qualified, trained, and experienced caregivers to work directly with the needy elderly persons. Consequently, they can build social amenities that elderly persons can attend to play games and socialize in order to integrate them with other members of the community. As a result, the elderly can feel appreciated and loved rather than live a life of loneliness and high dependence. Thus, the information can be utilized in improving social and health conditions like reduction of depression and anxiety among elderly persons (McDonough & Davitt, 2011). Paper on Public Health: Elderly Population