Importance of Community Care in Promoting Good Health in the Aged - Term Paper Example

Importance of Community Care in Promoting Good Health in the Aged Area of Study Community care is an important part in the nursing field. In addition, community health team can reduce the number of aged people who are experiencing high risk of illness. As result of maintenance of health programs, aged people are protected against increased risk, early detection of disease and illness. Moreover, community care can provide enough information, which can elevate the level of education in to the aged people. As well as supporting aged people. Therefore, the number of admission-aged people can be reducing in the hospital (Clark & Hiller, 1975). Aim of the Research The importance of this research is to clarify the importance of community care in the community? Research Question What is the importance of community care in promoting good health in the aged? Significance of the Research This research will show that the community health nurse can promote good health and prevent illness to the aged people who are living in the community. Moreover, community nurse can do early detection of disease or disorder of aged people. Furthermore, aged people need someone to talk to about their health problems. They need to be able to ask advices when they worried and they need to know what service are available to help them. Therefore, community nurse can provide support, supervision and advice. Research Approach Analyzing qualitative data approach is the most appropriate to address the question. This research will collect the most feasible data that indicate nurse community care playing very important roll in the way of protection-aged people at increased risk. Moreover, the importance of community care is to link patient with the health provider (Merilyn, & Dean, 2007). The qualitative methods offer researchers the opportunity to gather rich information from their client and colleagues and, at the same time, develop close and meaningful relationships. The characteristic of qualitative research is help us understand naturally, social phenomena, through exploring the attitudes, different beliefs, meaning, values and experiences of research participants (Schneider, Z., et al., 2007). Review of Related Literature Development of Community Care During 1834, in Victorian Britain, the concept of community care did not flourish, particularly in time of the passing the amendment to the 1601 Poor Relief Act. By this action, the non-institutional assistance to the needy was eliminated by denying relief to those who will not enter the ‘workhouse.’ As years and century went by, the opinion of the public changed and realized that it was unfair to group the elderly people. Institutional care was becoming discredited and provision of assistance and the care at home was suggested as a cheaper option. By 1948, National Health Service (NHS) was created. By the creation of National Health Service, it aimed to provide network of care to the whole population, they stated it as ‘a universal provider’. During 1980s, the need to change became apparent due to the increase in the number of elderly people in the population which demands for the finance by the nation. This was then exemplified by the cost of the state of funding residential and nursing care which greatly increased during 1980. The government believed that insufficient support to the community was forcing the people to institutional care and at the same time, the NHS is also saving money by cutting long-stay provision and leaving people with no alternative. Sir Roy Griffiths, in 1986, was asked to review the funds for community care and based on his report; the government introduced the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act. In addition, as a result of the review, the social services departments (SSDs) assumed the lead role in assessing social care needs and commissioning services (Beales and Tulloch, 1998). Community care is the policy by which the objective is to help the older people to live in their independent lives within their homes for as long as possible (Victor, 1997). Aged care services may be through residential and/or community care. Ageism The number of aged people now, particularly in America, is growing. Aged people need attention. They are separated from the population with different issues, problems and needs. People with age of 65-up are the people considered old enough to be given care. These people in particular suffer from combinations of different serious diseases or illness and emotional stresses. They have complex health care need. The treatment of their diseases is complicated because of the presence of other condition or diseases. Such diseases that affect them cannot be solved by acute care but require a care that extends over months and years. This care can be delivered in a domestic environment and most aged people wanted to stay home as long as possible. But by the time these older people reached home or a placed in a care home, they discover that they also need social care. The NHS does not cover social care and the patient must pay for it. Social care and health care are the important things the older people need. Social care is a way of resolving and easing the pain from their illness. In addition, it puts a barrier between people who suffer the illness and the specialist health care professionals that they need. Role of Nurses Nurses play a vital role in health promotion, including aiding clients to develop responsible, informed self-medication and self-care competency. They can recommend treatment of some common health problems. They could also have treatment on recurrent and chronic diseases. Furthermore, nurses could also give social care to their patients. They can be the companion the patient in longing for, especially to those patients whose families are busy enough to visit or look over them. Many countries, nowadays, hire nurses for they are the main providers of primary health care including the use of prescribed and non-prescribed medicines. Countries, such as United States with a busy life style, have an increasing number of aged people, and so, with increasing demand for health care for those agencies dealing with people who suffers from pain and diseases/illness. Nurses, together with the family and other health professionals, have a role in the care of older people. The goal of nursing care in dealing older people is to achieve optimal health, well being and quality of life. Services given a nurse constitute the largest single element in providing care for people with illness, especially the old one, while also contributing to health maintenance and disease prevention. A nurse could have an important role in giving support to family-care, self-care and supporting the older person to participate in decisions concerning life-style and treatment. A study was conducted by Bajekal et. Al (2002), which deals on the effect of community based nurses which specializes in Parkinson’s disease on the health outcome and cost and it was concluded that nurse specialist in Parkinson’s disease had little effect on the clinical condition of patients but they improve the sense of wellbeing of their patients, with no increase in the healthcare costs of the patient. This study, contradicts the objective of this research, however, it showed some positive effect of nurses on the patient such as personal care aside from health care. In addition, another study on the issues impacting on registered nurses was done by Cheek (2003). His study deals with the registered nurses who provided care to older people in an acute care setting publicly funded teaching hospital in Australia. Then the findings showed that registered nurses in the acute setting play a central role in the multidisciplinary team caring for the older people with regard to the management and the coordination of care as well as in the provision of direct care. However, tensions arise from the curative focus dominant in acute care settings, which privileges and resources which technically focused acute care skills and does not place as high a priority on developing appropriate knowledge, attitudes and skills specific to the care of older people. These studies showed that nurses could promote the health of the aged people that community care and social care is necessary for them to have a longer lifespan. Research Method Research Design             A qualitative research design will be used in the study. The qualitative methods offer researchers the opportunity to gather rich information from their client and colleagues and, at the same time, develop close and meaningful relationships. The characteristic of qualitative research is help us understand naturally, social phenomena, through exploring the attitudes, different beliefs, meaning, values and experiences of research participants (Schneider, Z., et al., 2007). Characteristics of the people who will participate in the research Nurses should have the knowledge in early detection of disease and illness of the elders to protect them and prevent the risks of aggravating the problem. They should know the basic treatment of common diseases of the elders and they should know how to properly take care of the elders. Recruitment procedure Recruitment information can be done by disseminating brochures, academic literature and enrollment application. Research Setting Research setting will be within the community. Collection of Data             An interview will be conducted in the (Community Care Center and its Location) _________________________________________________________. Patients, with nurses as their career, and staffs in ­­­­­__________________ will be interviewed and a questionnaire will be provided for them.   Ethical Considerations             Psychological risks and other risks to the participants will be considered in this study. The illness of patients involved will be noted so that during interview, whatever will happen, one can give a direct care to the patient. The patients will be treated as to the extent that they will not be hurt to any of the questions being asked to them. Each question given will be evaluated first before giving it in hand to the respondents, especially to patients with illness.             Asking for consent to any guardian of the participants, especially the patients in the community care center will be considered in the study. A letter for the guardians will be given to them and will be signed by them as a sign that they would agree that the patient will be interviewed.             The questions that will be given to the participants will not be that confidential, and so, there will be no need for confidentiality. The questions will only be dealing on to how the nurses in the community care center encourages and do their jobs to the patients and how the patients got a good job from them and how they feel with it.   Analyzes of Data             Data that will be gathered from the interview will then be evaluated and analyzed. References Annells, M. & Whitehead, D. 2007, "Analyzing Data in Qualitative Research" Bajekal M., et. al. 2002. Effects of Community Based Nurses Specialising in Parkinson’s Disease on Health Outcome and Costs: Randomised Controlled Trial. BMJ. Beales, D. and A. Tulloch. 1998. Community Care of Older People. Great Britain: Radcliffe Publishing. Cheek, J., PhD. 2003. “Issues Impacting on Registered Nurses Providing Care to Older People in an Acute Care Setting.” Nursing Times Research. SAGE Publications Vol. 8, No. 2, 134-149. Clark, J., & Hiller, R. 1975, “Community Care.” Aylesbury, England: Victor, CR. 1997. “Community Care and Older People.” Great Britain: Nelson Thornes. Schneider, Z., Whitehead, D., Elliott, D., Lobiondo, G., & Haber, J. “Nursing & Midwifery Research.” 3rd ed. Elsevier, Australia: Read More