Evaluating the Solutions - Admission/Application Essay Example

 The persistent problem in caring for the elderly has continued to trouble many people across the world. While solutions have been adopted by governments, individuals and even institutions, the provision of care has commonly fallen short of the expectations. There is still a continued need for establishing effective approaches towards provision of comprehensive care to these individuals, in seeking to meet their requirements and enhance their well-being (Lovell 24). There are a number of solutions that have been presented to the society and utilised in the provision of care for the elderly. Governments have established senior care centers that are commonly used to provide care to many elderly individuals within the society. Within the setting of these centers, there a professional and trained care givers who are involved in assisting the elderly persons residing within the homes. The plans established within these homes commonly include non-residential care or residential. This means that the elderly could be residing in these centers or in their homes and going to the centers during the day. Another common solution that many people have adopted is home based care, which is commonly provided by the family members or even employed professionals providing care from the residence of an elderly individual. Many individuals commonly feel rejected by family members if they are taken to care centers and would prefer to be cared from their residential places (Pinquart and Sörensen 3). Home based care is commonly aimed at enhancing the independence of an elderly individual by providing support with the basic activities. The increased independence becomes a motivating element to the well-being of the aged persons. This remains the most common approach used within the oriental countries where there is a negative perception towards care centers. In selecting the best approach to provide care for an elderly individual, there are some basic assumptions that family members tend to make. While old age cannot be avoided, it does not always make the persons fully dependent on assistance. The need for care is commonly identified by the immediate family members or the society and not the elderly individuals themselves (Yin, Zhou, and Bashford 202). The immediate family members and the society commonly make the assumption that elderly people require specialized care for improvement of their well-being. Many people commonly assume that all that the elderly require is physical support in enhancing their well-being within the social setting. In making the decision to put an elderly person in a care programme, family members make the assumption that the person has lost the capacity to make decisions, which is not always the case. The expected outcomes from engaging in the provision of care for the elderly include attaining complete improvement of their general welfare within the social setting. This, however, has become a mirage that results from an assumption that the care being provided will achieve such results. The aged commonly have their own perceptions regarding the care being provided, which commonly affects their psychological being. There is a need to consider the perceptions and thoughts of the aged, with regard to the kind of care they would like to receive (Franklin and Tate 9). Many of the approaches that are implemented are mainly based on other aspects such as convenience for the family members. This is premised on the assumption that any method that is convenient for the family members becomes fit for the elderly. This is not always the case, and these suppositions mostly result in failure of the intervention to achieve the desired objectives. The approaches that have been adopted and implemented in seeking to achieve holistic care for the elderly within the society have produced significant consequences to the same effect. The basic assumptions made have been the fundamental causes of the continued failure by these methods to be effective in providing care to this group of people. The selection process of the type of care for an aged person is undertaken by family members, a situation that results in resistance by the elderly (Pinquart and Sörensen 9). It is quite prevalent for many of the elderly persons to resist being subjected to care that they are not interested in. Within many cultural settings in Asian countries, for example, there is a negative perception about nursing homes and the aged commonly resist being taken to these homes. The failure for the intended approaches to make a consideration of the elderly individuals’ perceptions regarding the type of care to be provided has had detrimental consequences to the process of providing care. Other than the resistance, the fundamental objectives of initiating the intervention are extremely difficult to achieve. This is because the focus of the programme involves trying to convince this group of people that the intervention is good for them, as well as the factors that should be considered before engaging in the method. This further makes the process expensive, and increases the costs when the condition of the elderly person worsens. While the individuals might have initially required physical care, negative perceptions might necessitate mental assistance as well, a procedure that might not have been necessary at the beginning. In seeking to enhance the provision of comprehensive care for the elderly there is a need to make considerations of the various factors that limit the care; consequently overcoming the persistent problems faced. There is a need to involve various professionals in making assessment of the elderly rather than assuming they require care. While there may be common problems that necessitate the care, the extent of the physical or mental incapacitation should be ascertained by the professional. There is also a need to engage the participation of the aged persons in the decision making process regarding the desired care in order to ensure that they understand what the approach entails (Golden et al. 699). This will ensure that the selected methods match the needs of the elderly and that they understand the need for such interventions. Some of the consequences of specialized care for the aged like increased costs and resistance by the individuals are based on the failure to extensively research on the best approaches. It is essential to mane consideration of the other elements surrounding the individuals being subjected to the care, as well as their family members. While it is important to consider the costs of undertaking this care, there is also a necessity to make an assessment and comparison of the different available methods and evaluate them (Yin, Zhou, and Bashford 205). This will ensure that the selected approach is in line with the requirements of the family, society and even individuals for whom care is intended. By taking such an approach, the basic objectives and targets for the implementation of a care programme will become easily achievable. This is a fundamental element in the provision of care for the elderly individuals within different social settings. Works Cited Franklin, Nina C., and Charlotte A. Tate. “Lifestyle and successful aging: An overview.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 3.1 (2009): 6–11. Print. Golden, Jeannette, Conroy, R., Bruce, I., Denihan, A., Greene, E., Kirby, M & Lawlor, B.. “Loneliness, Social support networks, mood and wellbeing in community-dwelling elderly.” International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 124.7 (2009): 694–700. Print. Lovell, Marge. “Caring for the elderly: Changing perceptions and attitudes.” Journal of vascular Nursing 24.1 (2006): 22–26. Print. Pinquart, Martin, and Silvia Sörensen. “Spouses, adult children, and children-in-law as caregivers of older adults: A meta-analytic comparison.” Psychology and Aging 26.1 (2011): 1–14. Print. Yin, Tao, Qiuping Zhou, and Carol Bashford. “Burden on family members: Caring for frail elderly: A meta-analysis of interventions.” Nursing Research 51.3 (2002): 199–208. Print.  Read More