Health-related Questions for HLP - Essay Example

"Health-related Questions for HLP" is a good example of a paper on social and family issues.
Indeed, older adults within my community require well-designed programs that would ultimately help them cope with distress. A program of principal importance in old age that uses social support is a healthcare program. Older adults have special healthcare needs that must be taken into account when creating health policies (Bonder and Bello-Hass, 2009). Within my community, older adults require representation in regards to the formulation of health-related policies aimed at improving their health statuses. As explicated by Bonder and Bello-Hass (2009), social support is needed to ensure their civil or constitutional rights are reverenced and taken into account. In other words, the rights to health of older adults ought to conform with the prerequisites stipulated in their civil rights.

            Secondly, these individuals will require autonomy in making health-related decisions. According to Bonder and Bello-Haas (Bonder and Bello-Hass, 2009, p.433), older adults "See themselves as independent, capable of making their own choices and decisions". This postulation can be construed to mean that the level of distress is correlated with the inability to make their own choices in terms of the care they receive, for instance, the modes of treatment. In a bid to make them feel in control of their healthcare choice, social support is needed. Just like any other older adults, older adults within my community are also at greater risk of exploitation, mistreatment, and been disregarded in terms of healthcare delivery (Bonder and Bello-Hass, 2009). Therefore, they will require support from their relatives, community, as well as available services to mitigate this exploitation. In summary, a healthcare program for the elderly would require social support from members of the community and also from accessible services. Activities to help achieve this program or plan in my community will include representation in formulating policies and ensuring they have independence in making their healthcare plans.  

Medical Marijuana: Today's wonder drug or the scourge of society?

            Whether medical marijuana is a universal remedy or scourge is an issue of debate. This is in regards to the fact that medical marijuana has both positive and negative benefits. In my opinion, marijuana is today's wonder drug. In support of my opinion, the drug is cited by Bostwick (2012) to have been used since time immemorial to treat an array of medical conditions. For instance, Bostwick (2012, p.173) asserts that medical marijuana has been used to treat "Pain, vomiting, convulsions, and spasticity". In the 19th century, Bostwick (2012) posits that the drug was used to treat medical conditions such as insomnia, headaches, anorexia, as well as sexual dysfunctions. Today, the drug is used to arouse appetite in people suffering from chronic illnesses such as AIDS, and also to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy particularly queasiness, vomiting, and pain (Bostwick, 2012).

            Though there are numerous negative effects associated with smoking medical marijuana, it can be extrapolated that the positive effects outweigh the negative effects. According to Bostwick (2012), parties against the legalization of medical marijuana base their arguments on the fact that the advantages of the drug have never being verified through methodical investigations. Their arguments are therefore not based on any proven. As further noted by Bostwick (2012), there are arguments that medical marijuana may lead to addiction. In my opinion, the formulation of policies and action plans to combat the misuse of the drug particularly in relation to recreational use can help reduce these effects. Concisely, the benefits of medical marijuana in relieving pain and combating other medical conditions such as vomiting and anorexia are proof that the drug is a wonder drug of the modern world.