Health Campaign Evaluation - Essay Example

? Health campaign-Part II Task: Health campaign-Part II The statistics of the elderly who abuse substance is presently escalating. The issues that contribute to the onset of drug abuse in the elderly entail depression, poly pharmacy, and self-medication for ailments. Addiction affects neurochemicals in the brain like dopamine and norepinephrine. This psychological problem affects the behavior negatively and may result to social problems that can increase the expenses of health care. Substance abuse is a prevalent issue among the geriatric and is often under-diagnosed by primary care doctors. Indeed, 10 % to 15 % of the elderly individuals abuse alcohol and those are the once that seek medical attention (Morgan, Brosi & Brosi, 2011).The estimation of the number of the elderly above age 50 who need treatment because of substance misuse has increased from 1.7 million to 4.4 million between the years 2002 and 2020. This results from a 50 % increase in the figure of the geriatric, and a 70 % increase in the rate of treatment requirements among them (Morgan, Brosi & Brosi, 2011). Definition of targeted populations at national and community levels Within the national population, the older aged people are people above the age of 65. The population was to escalate from 672 million in 2005 to almost 1.9 billion in 2050. At the national level, the substance misuse in the elderly is escalating. Substance abuse by the aged is higher in countries with high-income rates. For instance, in America, the number of the elderly reported to abuse drugs doubled between 2002 and 2006, from 3.4 to 6.0 % respectively (Dar, 2006). At the community level, the elderly are people above the age of 60. The number of the elderly that abuse drugs is lower that the community level. Eleven to 17 % at community level get psychotropic medication (Dar, 2006). Prevalence, incidence, and mortality at the state level The prevalence of substance misuse in the entire population at the national level is 17 % . The rates of current drug misuse by the geriatric range between 15 to 58 percent %. The percentage is exclusive of those who do not seek treatment in hospitals and primary care clinics. According to the national analysis, about 15 % of men and 12 percent % of women of above age 60 abuse drugs. The occurrence of substance misuse among the aged will escalate as the baby boom cohort ages. Studies revealed that the abuse of substances reduce with age. The lower level of the substance use among the old adults is due to cohort effects (Dar, 2006). Usually, mortality rates augment when people abuse substances at age above 60. Studies show that the old adults who have developed drug dependency increase their chances of getting diseases. This caused the increased mortality of the elderly at the national level. In the national level, mortality among the elderly is lower than at the state level (Dar, 2006). Prevalence, incidence, and mortality at the state level At the states level, four to 20 percent % of the geriatric population exhibits the problem of drinking. Alcoholism is the third most frequent disorder in the elderly population. Among the geriatric, 10 to 15 percent % have issues connected with substance misuse. At the states level, 54.7 % of men and 14.8 percent % of women abuse substances. In the entire population, the geriatric who abuse substances are at high danger for suicide. The estimates of suicide associated with substance misuse in the aged population range from 25 to 50 %. Elderly alcohol-linked dementia is between 25 and 60 %. Cognitive impairment is a major consequence of drug misuse. The geriatric individuals in the emergency rooms demonstrate a 24 % lifetime and 14 % current prevalence of alcoholism. At the states level, mortality of the elderly assumes a correlation with substance misuse and is higher than at the national level. Community-based response Identification of objectives First, the health objectives are identifiable and communicated to the public. There should be public involvement in the assessment of the substance use among the elderly. The roles of the many agencies in the response to the issue are evident. While developing the objectives, the leaders should make the community members understand the significance of the response program. Public involvement is vital because it enables the community to understand the risks of drugs misuse among the elderly (ATSDR, 2005). Needs assessments The leaders select teams and the necessary expertise that will assist in addressing community needs. Teams from different programs participate in their specialized areas, depending on the locality need (ATSDR, 2005). Working with community members For the community-based response to be effective, the community members’ involvement is vital. To enhance community participation, the leaders have to earn their trust by proving their trustworthiness to the community. The leaders have to insist they are sensitive to private issues. When interacting with the community members, the leaders should also be sensitive about their culture. It will be easier to get important information by making members trust them. For instance, they can listen to them attentively, and the members can help them to know how the activity will respond to the issue. Cultural sensitivity is important when choosing site teams in the local community and during communication, interpreters may be useful. To know the most suitable cultural contacts, leaders ought to interact with local community heads during the initial stages of needs assessment (ATSDR, 2005). Community-based planning In the planning process, there should be good communication and participation at a particular site. The leaders should comprehend how concerned the community is about the site. They should also ensure there are enough resources to facilitate the response process. In this stage, community involvement strategies should be evident together with the activities that will be appropriate, depending on the selected site-specific problem. When developing the community involvement plan, the leaders should know the level of community concern regarding the issue of the substance abuse among the elderly. The leaders should also know the number of interested people in the selected area responding to the issue (ATSDR, 2005). Responding to the issue Every site differs according to the intensity of the community concern about the issue. The amount of information appropriate for the rejoinder depends on the involvedness of the issues involved and the substance misuse implications. If many elderly people abuse substances, it will not be necessary to tackle the issue individually. Providing the response in a group as a common issue is useful. The community-based response programs provide information to the elderly regarding the effects of misusing drugs and ways to prevent them. They also advise the elderly to use the health care system to their advantage (ATSDR, 2005). Additionally, they respond by providing the elderly with the techniques for interacting with health care experts, and suggest actions that they can take to reduce health risks associated with drug abuse. In addition to the community-based drug education programs, there are varieties of resources that enhance the elderly knowledge about the use of medication. Examples of such materials are films, which are available to the state agencies participating in the elderly drug abuse prevention (ATSDR, 2005). Institutional leadership roles in responding to the objectives Leaders from institutions help in coordinating activities and directing new program to areas of the immense national needs. The leaders can also help is seeking funding to launch new programs of substance abuse prevention. They also help in monitoring the national health programs and ensuring sustained financial global health. Additionally, they assist in improving the alignment of recipients and donors’ priorities. The leadership responsibility also entails engaging private sectors in assisting in the prevention of drug misuse by the elderly and in the provision the required resources. Community leadership roles in responding to the objectives The community leadership roles in responding to the objectives entail the creation of partnership between researchers and the concerned community members. Like the institutional leadership, the community leadership helps in monitoring the health programs but at community level. Moreover, they also help in looking for funds from outside the community to help the drug abuse programs. Community leaders also encourage the community members to engage in ethical conditions for the successful control of drug abuse among the geriatric. They also use interventions that promote health and prevent the issue. The leaders plan, organize, and evaluate the community’s health in relation to the national health objectives. Economic factors and funding interventions strategies The high expenses are among of the obstacles in the prevention of substance abuse by the aged. There are funding strategies, which help in addressing the issue. Funding intervention entails administration, assessment, and service coordination. In each state, there are leading agencies, which determine how the programs for promoting the elderly health will be funded. Some states get funds from federal agency and other organization to support the campaign against substance use by the elderly. The example of the federal agency is the National Institute of Drug Addiction (NHMRC, 2011). Role of social marketing Social marketing has plans that focus on particular health behaviors using their models connected with their research outcomes and experiences. In social marketing segmentation, targeting is vital because it helps in getting a better fix on whose behavior they want to change and objective setting shows what the targeted population is ought to do. Social marketing enables the development of a context-sensitive rational for the prevention of substance misuse by the aged. The social marketing developed rational have proven to be helpful in dealing with the issue. Social marketing uses the insights that ease the progressing campaigns against substance abuse, and the audiences are usually actively involved in the communication process. Social marketers maintain continual contact with the target population. This contact is helpful at every stage and for all aspects of a substance abuse prevention campaign. Various large-scale social marketing activities are available in communities and community organization theories play a part in program expansion and implementation. Examples of the social marketing programs are the Stanford Five-City Project and the Pawtucket Heart Health program. Social marketing is a subject of combination with community-based programs to facilitate the institutionalization and sustainability of the community-based programs. Because the state and internal agencies develop social marketing programs, increased work along these lines will foster understanding the correlation and control the community to achieve the health objectives (The National Academies Press, 2001). Conclusion Substance abuse among the elderly is augmenting and this causes their higher mortality rate. The community has participated in preventing the wrong usage of drugs through the provision of awareness and resources to provide techniques needed by the elderly in the prevention of wrong usage of drugs. Social marketing has also helped in the promotion of good health in relation to drug use. Social marketing works with other programs including the community-based program in preventing the use of substances among the elderly. References ATSDR. (2005). Public health assessment guidance manual (2005 update).Retrieved from http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/PHAManual/ch4.html Dar, K. (2006). Alcohol use disorders in elderly people: facts or fiction? Advances in psychiatric treatment. Vol. 1 (12): 173-181. Retrieved from http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/12/3/173.full Morgan, M. L., Brosi, W. A., & Brosi, M. W. (2011). Restorying Older Adults' Narratives About Self and Substance Abuse. American Journal of Family Therapy, 39(5), 444-455. doi:10.1080/01926187.2011.560784 The National Academies Press. (2001). Preventing Drug Abuse: What do we do? The National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1883&page=122 NHMRC. (2011). Grants funded under the Centres of Clinical Research Excellence (CCRE) scheme. Retrieved from http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/outcomes-funding-rounds/grants-funded-under-centres-clinical-research-excellence-ccre-scheme Read More

 

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