The Challenge of Hospital Facilities to Senior Citizens: Spiritual Angle is the Final Solution - Admission/Application Essay Example

 Topic: Revisionist Profile Topic: The Challenge Of Hospital Facilities To Senior Citizens: Spiritual Angle Is The Final Solution. Introduction Prime-facie the above topic may appear old-fashioned. Senior citizens, who need medical treatment, have problems and this issue exists all over the world. Their problems are multifarious. In this paper, I have introduced spirituality as the most important factor and how it helps the senior citizens in their mode of treatment. It is not possible to prove this treatment option logically, as spirituality transcends reason, and hence it is beyond the scope of science. Spirituality is practical experiencing of the divinity within the inner world of an individual and the procedures to attain that state, the tools of science are inadequate. How the society/younger generation views the senior citizens The phrase “senior citizens” evokes immediate sympathy and pierces the sentimental world. Alfred George Gardiner, the famous essayist of England writes, ‘There is a beauty in the sunrise and also in the sun set’. We have another popular wise saying ‘Old is gold’. But these observations belong to the sentimental world. The secular world goes by the hard facts and takes into account the ground realities. Karen McGough Monks writes, “An aspect of healthcare, which contributes to increased frustration, is that the industry is always in a state of flux. Just when you think you understand the system, you find it is changing” (7). An individual who has an unhappy old age, with no reasonable financial support, and who has to face the tantrums of the negligent children, looks forward to admission in a hospital and if the conditions are favorable there for the stay, the treatment is good enough, the chances of recovery is bright, no one would be interested in taking discharge from the hospital. The health care providers are dealing with humans, whose emotional world and health conditions vary from patient to patient. The issue related to the emotional world of the senior citizens is more important. This stage of life demands support, sympathy and often financial assistance. In brief, discharge from the hospital of senior citizens is a multifaceted and challenging procedure. The main problem of the senior citizens is old age! It is an integrated problem that has cultural, sociological and economic angles and it cannot be studied in isolation. The following observation in “Economist” needs close scrutiny from the economic and sociological angles. “These days, older people are the problems” (Methods).Discharge of the patient from the hospital could be the end of the problem for the hospital as far as that patient is concerned. But it is perhaps the beginning of set of problems for the concerned patient. Once the senior citizens are discharged from the hospital, they have two sources to revert to. Either they are welcomed back in their family set up, or they try to find a place in the old age homes. Psychological support to the patient is such an important area but the mechanism of imparting it is not understood by the care-giving authorities. One soothing word of comfort and encouragement is likely to have more effect on the health of the patient, than the cure-effect of a dozen capsules. Physical health is intimately linked to mental health. A senior citizen is like a baby who needs round-the-clock care and supervision. Matt Chorley (2013)writes, “Hospitals to become 'warehouses of old people' as health service struggles to cope with ageing population….Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham warns nurses are not able to deal with growing numbers of elderly patients”(2013). At the same time, discharge planning needs to be the integral part of the treatment and after-care. The hospitals, community welfare centers and old age homes alone cannot solve this problem. The real solution is in happy homes wherein senior citizens are respected and given treatment with affection. Any senior citizen would like to live in home and die at home. This is a human problem and no party-politics or vested interests should interfere in solving this sensitive issue. On the whole, fundamental change in looking up and finding solutions to the problem is needed, as it is growing like the octopus, in all directions. The population of senior citizens is increasing. The life expectancy range of the senior citizens has also increased. The importance of psychological needs of the senior citizens is still not been properly assessed. The reason is, this subject is not given importance in the syllabus of medical education and the study of anatomy has been getting more attention. Ethical approach and the need for spiritual counseling assume much importance at this juncture. Disease management from the anatomical point of view is considered more important. Such thinking is faulty. The merits of the ethical approach are now being appreciated both by the treatment-giver and the patient. Let us try to examine the importance of ethics from the view point of sociology that has bearing on all relationships, and how it impacts the senior citizens. The youngsters argue that ‘it’s my life; then why society should interfere in it? On completing the age of eighteen, when we, the youngsters, can vote for electing the Prime Minister of our country, can we not make the selection as to how to live our life?’ But this is not the issue related to the life of the youth alone, because their life is tied to threads of several other relationships—their father and mother, brothers and sisters, the relatives, etc. The youth are an integral part of society. If something happens to the youth, its effect reaches out to the entire society. The society is just like a sheet of cloth, which is created by knitting several threads together. If each one cries out ‘my life, my life’, and tries to pull out one’s own thread, the societal structure will be rendered to shreds and no one will be able to save it! As such the youth should not consider the existing societal norms as outdated and tradition-bound, instead recast the mind-set and lead the society to greater heights. If the youth really wish to establish a beautiful relationship and a beautiful world, they must respect the elders! The torrents of true love, enthusiasm and happiness are right at the threshold of one’s home. When such a noble family unit is established, the problems of the senior citizens will be solved automatically, because the younger members of the family will take care of them, and only in extreme cases of emergency or acute illness, hospital admittance will be sought. As such, the root cause of all problems related to the senior citizens is in broken and unhappy homes. If one waters the roots of the plant/tree, the water will reach the last leaf at the highest level in a short time. In present times, we have adopted the practice of ‘taking everything’ and ‘giving nothing’ in return! The parents, who nurture and make their children capable to stand out on their feet, are simply pushed away to old-age homes at the time when they need maximum care, love and support. The youth has sadly taken to the path of selfishness, has turned ego-centric, ignoring every other value of life. One critical issue gives rise to another and the bonds of relationships are destroyed. The rising figures of the divorce rates all over the world indicate how the virus of ego is speedily destroying the bond of relationships. Thus, the problems of the senior citizens are linked to faulty relationships that have crept into the family structure. We all know the role of roots for the existence and growth of plants and trees. Though not visible above the earth, yet they are vital for the survival of the tree. Without them, the tree cannot exist. As are roots to a tree, so are trust and understanding to a relationship! Without these parameters, it is impossible for a relationship to survive. The roots anchor the plant to the ground and support it; likewise, trust and understanding keep a relationship steadfast amidst the storms of challenges. Moreover, we all know that deeper the root, stronger is the tree. Trees like mesquites have extensive root systems. Their roots stretch hundreds of feet down into the ground, thereby making it possible to tap nutrients from a vast expense. This ultimately results in a strong and huge tree, ensuring the possibility of availability of food even in adverse conditions as the reach of the roots is widespread. In a similar manner, when the roots of a relationship are settled to the depth, then the relationship also flourishes extensively, with chances of survival even amidst catastrophic phases of life. Old age combined with acute sickness is the catastrophic phase of life. Admittance of such individuals to the hospital should not become the rule, but an exception. “It is generally accepted that senior citizens fare best when care is provided in their own homes. However, some conditions require more intensive management than can be provided in the community” (Elderly). At that critical phase of life of the senior citizens, it is the duty of the immediate family members to offer support by all means. Conclusion A human being is not just the physical body. Each and every molecule of the human structure is vibrating with the soul-force. Any comprehensive treatment system must be aware of these aspects. At the same time, the secular roles of different grades in staff of the caregivers, from the topmost surgeon, to the ward boy needs to be clearly identified and responsibilities must be fixed. A senior citizen is like the baby-incarnation and as such his body, mind and soul need loving and profound care. Works Cited McGough Monks, Karen. Healthcare Handbook For Senior Citizens and Their Families. South Carolina: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013.Print Chorley, Matt. “Hospitals to become 'warehouses of old people' as health…” www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Hospitals-warehouses-old-people-health-service-... 24 January 2013 | UPDATED: 13:12 GMT, 24 January 2013: Web: Accessed on November 21, 2014 “Elderly Patients in Hospital” | Doctor | Patient.co.uk; www.patient.co.uk › Professional Reference; Oct 15, 2014: Web: Accessed on November 21, 2014 “Methods Problems of older people from their view point: These days, older people are the problem” – The Economist:www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2014/07/british-social-problems:Web:Accesed on November 21, 2014 Read More