Influenza in Elderly Aged 65 Years and Above - Essay Example

? INFLUENZA IN ELDERLY AGED 65 YEARS AND ABOVE By Lecturer: of Affiliation: and Influenza In Elderly Aged 65 Years And Above Introduction Influenza is a communicable respiratory disease which is caused by influenza viruses (Hawker, Begg, Blair, Reintjes and Weinberg 2012, p. 65). Influenza is a public health issue because it can cause mild to severe illness and it can pose death risks for higher populations. Ageing people with certain health conditions such as heart diseases, lung cancer, liver problems and other metabolic illness are at high risk of influenza viruses. Therefore, the effective measure for preventing this communicable disease is to offer influenza vaccinations to ageing people. Influenza is a public health issue because it is an acute viral infection, which can spread from one individual to another, and it circulates across the globe and can affect many aging people at a higher rate. According to the WHO report, global influenza epidemics result to 3 to 5 million of severe cases yearly and this contributes to death rates of approximately 500, 000 deaths where the majority are the ageing people of 65 years and above (Ryu, Kim, Park and Park (2011 p. 4197). Influenza causes annual epidemics and the winter seasons or temperate areas are the peak seasons for influenza. This illness can take economic toll because of heavy expenditure on provision of healthcare services not only to the aging population but also to children who are dependent. The essay explores the determinants of influenza in aging people and analyzes the inequalities, as well as, policies that impact on the public health issue. Determinants Of Influenza In Adults Age 65 Years Old And Above Ageing people are at higher risks for many vaccine preventable illnesses because this illness contributes to high morbidity and mortality rates. Influenza and pneumonia in adults are among the 8th leading cause for increased death rates among the aging people across the globe (DH 2009, p. 5). Many aging people die while others get admitted in hospitals due to complications of influenza disease. The determinant of health covers all the risk factors that may pose an individual to influenza. Social issues are among influenza determinants among the elderly populations across the globe. The research carried out revealed that social determinants such as gender, ethnicity, social-economic status, cultural beliefs and values were among the determinants of influenza in adults (Nagata (2013, p. 88). The behavioral beliefs, affordability, education or attitudes about the vaccine are also significant determinants of flu vaccine. Vaccination gains influenza virus is vital because it is one of the best methods of preventing unnecessary hospitalizations and premature death rates to elderly people. Another influenza determinant is the health care provisions among the elderly population. Since the beginning of the 20th century, timely and efficient intervention methods have been significant contributing factors for the decline of morality rates from influenza disease and other associated diseases such as cancer and coronary heart disease (Merrill 2010, p. 57). The health of aging population is influenced by varied factors including the past and present behaviors, as well as, health care provisions. There is an immense dissimilarity among the health inequalities and health determinants. The primary causes for health are frequently summed up in the slogan of dealing with the determinants for wellbeing and health inequalities. The health inequalities are tackled under the policy implementation whereby the government focuses on distribution of equal health care services to all population. Focusing on the determinant of healthcare inequalities is vital because this is one of the increased causes for widespread influenza disease. Education factor is among the social determinants of influenza and it is linked to learning disabilities for adults. The research study carried out revealed that the proportion of eligible adults with a learning disability is high among ageing people from 65 and above (Public Health England 2013). The health researchers consider social factors as the major determinants for health because of the pivotal connection in the causal chain, by which such factors influence health of individuals (Nagata 2013, p. 127; Donaldson and Scally 2009, p. 87). Social determinants such as education system shape the live of individuals; hence influencing the extent to which they are exposed to risk factors that impact their health directly. Environmental and economic inequalities are among the categories of determinants of influenza. These determinants are among the wider determinants for health issues and they are interrelated. Environmental inequalities include aspects such as care settings, public spaces, accommodation and other environmental issues arising from unsustainable standards of living. Climatic changes such as poor air quality or increased global warming are among the aspects of environmental inequalities. Consequently, economic inequalities are also among the health determinants, which can impact the health of residents. They include the variation in household income, employments issues and developmental inequalities are among the aspects that may impact the health or the well-being of the population. Inequalities and Policies That Impact On The Public Health Issue Inequalities Inequalities contribute to immense impact on the community health aspects for aging population across the globe. The higher the health inequality level, the higher the possibility this can create on the environmental and social characteristics presenting health risks. Creating a physical and social environment where citizens can live better lives with greater sense of health is a considerable factor for reducing health inequalities. Tackling the issue of social inequalities by focusing health equity as the main goals is crucial towards reducing the determinant of health inequalities (Hiranyakas, Bashankaev, Seo, Khaikin and Wexner 2011, 127). Tackling inequalities in social position is an effective strategy for reducing risk factors that can create an impact on public health. Environmental, social and economic inequalities are among the aspects that impact the public health care issues the influenza virus is the major cause for increased morbidity and mortality rate across the globe. This result because of health care inequalities; thus about 65 years and above people are at a higher risk of influenza (Wilkinson and Picket 2009, p .36). This disease is challenging and it has a scrupulous implication of the whole population. Understanding the determinants and the way inequalities can contribute to health impacts on the aging population is crucial (Baggott 2012, p. 34). For instance, the environmental inequalities such as poor access to sustainable lifestyles or poor air quality can contribute to increased health costs. The economic and social inequalities have also been the major cause that impacts the health of the ageing population; hence a need for policy implementation and reform in order to improve health care provisions across the globe. Policies Health equity has been sited together with health achievements as the main goal of public health policy (Graham, Kelly and NHS Health Development Agency 2010, p. 79). The core objective of health policy is to improve health and reduce health inequalities or differences across diverse groups occupying unequal positions in the society. The policy aims to deal with the health determinants in order to tackle health inequalities; thereby promoting health services across the globe. Graham, Kelly and NHS Health Development Agency (2010, p. 89) argue that the government attempts to tackle determinants of health by implementing policies and tacking actions, which addresses the root causes of illness and health inequalities. The aim of the governments is to reduce health inequalities by tackling the wider determinants of health inequalities (Graham, Kelly and NHS Health Development Agency (2010, p. 89). Public health policy as recognized the significant of the wider determinants of health such as education, employment, environment and housing and their impact on lifestyle. Much of the government policies now seek to address these issues, which have culturally been left outside the health domain (Hanon et al 2012, p. 79). The national policy documents reveal that the goal of public health care is to improve health services across the societies by tackling health inequalities. This is vital because it can improve the health of the poor groups including the elderly and also reduce the health differences among the poor and the rich people in the society. The policy focuses on shifting the health care services across the socioeconomic hierarchy in order to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare (Baggott 2012, p. 56). The health care reform introduced by the Health and Social Care Act of 2012 provide an opportunity for local authorities to take into considerations all activities of promoting health to the local population. The organisation carries out strategic planning and assessment activities for diverse local services, as well as, addresses social determinants of health. The Health and Well-being Boards have duties of participating in public health planning with Health-watch playing significant roles of representing patients and the public. The research indicates that living areas near green space or open spaces can improve health regardless of the social class (DH 2010, p.7). The study carried about the direct benefits of living in open areas found out that having green spaces and enough open spaces reduced Influenza disease prevalence ((DH 2010, p.34). In the white paper of Health Lives, Health People, the author argues that the access to green space is an influencer of the health and wellbeing of the societies (DH 2010, p.37). Green space is one of the government public health policies that aim to promote a sustainable environment, which its mandate is to promote a health living environment. Role Of The Nurse Nurses play significant roles in prevention of influenza and their roles ranges across diverse key areas. First, nurses recognize that influenza is a serious communicable disease that impacts population disproportionately. Therefore, they carry out assessment programs in order to determine the aging population being affected by this disease (Rollnick, Miller and Butler 2008, p. 131). This is vital because it enables them to take prevention measures by providing vaccines to the vulnerable groups, which are at higher risks of experiencing more complications from this disease. Assessing influenza in ageing people is vital and is a cost effective method of curbing the spread of influenza virus (Moyse 2009, p. 121). This is because it can enable the health care providers to offer prevention measures including seasonal influenza vaccines and also take standard precaution measures for reducing the infection. Secondly, nurses also promote health and well-being of populations prone to influenza virus by providing immunization programs. The immunization is the most effective prevention approaches of reducing or preventing the spread of influenza virus (Linsley 2011, p. 27). This approach is also efficient because it can enable nurses to prevent the flu virus from diffusing to whole population. The registered nurses also receive flu vaccines in order to prevent themselves and also their relatives, as well as, those under their care. The research study indicates that influenza remains the infectious disease contributing to increased deaths among the elderly populations; therefore, providing earlier intervention measures is significant (Naidoo and Wills 2010, p. 79). Influenza has been common in residential care areas and the resident care facilities are among the risk environments prone to influenza virus. Lastly, Nurse not only provides immunization or vaccines to patients but also educate the elderly on precautions measures for reducing the spread of influenza virus. The research indicates that influenza is highly infectious because it can be passed from one individual to another. This is through sneezing or coughing from one to two days before the symptoms continues to be infectious (Newall, Kelly, Harsley and Scuffham 2009, p. 441). The virus can also spread through direct contact with an infected patient or through contamination with hand of healthcare workers. In light to this, education programs and restriction measures for minimising this disease are among the intervention measures for reducing the outbreak of influenza. Conclusion In conclusion, the essay explored the determinants of influenza in aging people and analyzed the inequalities, as well as, policies that impact on the public health issue. Education factor is among the social determinants of influenza that influenced the disease and it was linked to learning disabilities for adults. The research also revealed that inequalities are among the issues that contributed to increased influenza virus. This included the social, economic and environmental inequalities; hence policies were implemented in order to curb these inequalities. Nurses were also found to play significant roles in preventing influenza. This is through employing varied approaches such as offering education programs and immunization or vaccination programs vital for preventing influenza virus. Bibliography Baggot R. (2012). Policy Success and Public Health: The case of public health. Journal of Social Policy, 41(2), pp. 391-408. Baggott R. (2012). Public Health: Policy and Politics. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Donaldson L. J. and Scally, G. (2009). Donaldson’s Essential Public Health. 3rd ed. Oxford: Radcliffe. DH (2009). 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