Working With Older People - Essay Example

Working With Older People (With HIV) Social work involves working with the community with the aim of eliminating social problem and enhancing relationships between people. A social worker is therefore concerned with the welfare of each member of the society regardless of age. However, Social workers are more concerned with the vulnerable members of the society. In any society, old people and people living with HIV are vulnerable. This indicates that old people who are HIV positive are more vulnerable and hence of bigger interest in social work. This essay will investigate how it is to work with old people living with HIV in UK. The essay will also investigate the implication of expected increase in old people to the number of old people living with HIV. In most developed countries particularly the European and American regions, an old person is a person who is beyond 65 years of age. This definition has been considered as western concept for defining old age especially among the African communities. The definition of an old person is arbitrary and in most cases, it depends with a given community. The United Nation policies consider an old person to be a person who is beyond sixty years of age. At this age, the person can be considered as a pensioner. The UN definition correlates with the UK definition of an old person. According to the Friendly Society Act of 1875, old age begins after fifty years of age. Many people however consider old age higher than this. The pension scheme reorganizes old people as people who are beyond 65 years of age. The different definitions of old age indicate the lacks of universal definition of old age. Due to an increase in life expectancy the number of old people in a society especially the European society is expected to increase. In UK, the population the total population of old people is projected to reach 50% of total population according to the Royal College report (Goulet, Fultz & Rimland, 2007). HIV is a medical condition whereby a human body lacks the ability to fight or resist infection. The abbreviations HIV stands for Human immunodeficiency virus. Currently there is no cure or vaccination against the condition and therefore HIV is a major medical problem. HIV has no boundaries or restrictions since it affect all people regardless of their age bracket and social status (Effros, Fletcher, Gebo, 2008). HIV has often been associated with the young and active members of a given society. Recently this idea has been proved just a myth since older people have the same risk to acquire the virus as young people. Research has also shown that older people are prone to infection due to their weak immunity system. This confirmation has eliminated the original belief that at old age a person is no longer vulnerable to HIV. The finding has also identified a problem that is of great interest especially among social worker. Recent studies have also proved that the numbers of old people living with HIV is increasing steadily. Medical practitioners have attributed the risks of acquiring HIV at old age to various reasons. Firstly, the availability of treatment has raised the life expectancy of people living with HIV. This indicates that people can live with the condition to old age. In 2007 it was estimated that nearly 77,400 people had been infected and living with HIV in the country (Blackwoods, 1999). Although this figure mainly consist of the young people the number of old people living with the condition is set to increase. Older people living with HIV experience different livelihood than young people living with the same condition. In reality, older people living with the condition experience a more difficult livelihood (Kathleen, et al, 2000). The main reason for the difficulties is the stigma associated with the condition and the vulnerability of old people to opportunistic infections. This indicates that social workers have greater tasks when dealing with people living with the condition than thought initially (Effros, Fletcher & Gebo, 2008). The aim of working with older people in the society is to enhance successful aging in the community. Social workers therefore need to ensure that old people living with HIV receive appropriate medical care as well as psychological support. According to biological theories, ageing is an intrinsic process implying that the process cannot be reversed. When people get old, they lose their immunity or the ability to fight infection and this leaves them vulnerable to infections including HIV and AIDS. An increase in life expectancy for people living in the UK means that the society has many older people. Although improved medical care has improved people’s living standard and hence their life expectancy it has not found a cure for aging. This indicates that an elderly person in the modern UK community suffers or experiences the same condition as a person from the past society (Leigh, Temple &Trocki, 1993). Problems associated with HIV will therefore remain constant despite the modern medical improvements. Aging is a complex process and therefore we cannot entirely rely on biological principal to explain the condition. Through ageing an individual, transform physically, in appearance and in behavior (Pond, & Scaccabarrozzi, 2009). Ageing also reduces the survival ability of a person and their role in the society. Psychological ageing theories identify age process as a losing process (Simone, 2008). The disengagement theory of ageing refers to old age as a period of withdrawal of relationship with other members of the society. According to this theory, old people are more likely to suffer from emotional problems than young people are. This theory also implies that old people are more likely to suffer from oppression in the society than young people are. HIV is a medical as well as a psychological problem and therefore an appropriate solution to the problem should combine both psychological and medical solutions. It has been noted that most death and suffering due to HIV results from discrimination and stigma associated with the condition more than from the medical consequences attached to the condition. According to the disengagement theory, old people have loose relationships and hence they are the most affected by discriminations (Gott, 2001). The equality Act of 2010 identifies old people as a vulnerable group that needs to be protected from any form of abuse. The projected increase in the number of old people currently living in the UK indicates the need to intensify community care or care towards the old people. Working with HIV positive old people is different from working with people of other age brackets. This implies that social worker working with older people have a bigger role to play as compared to those working with other members of the community. Success in handling aged people who are HIV positive therefore requires a different approach. HIV management involves treatment and offering of support to the affected persons. Offering of moral support to HIV positive people has been reorganized as the most effective method of managing the condition (Effros, Fletcher & Gebo, 2008). This is because the available HIV drugs do not cure HIV but gives a person a chance to lead a normal life. Social workers therefore play a major role in HIV management that is beyond that of doctors and other medical practitioners. The society suffers from HIV due to lack of information and therefore social workers are responsible for informing the society about the condition. Social workers are therefore expected to inform people about the condition and this applies to social workers working with old people (Brayne, & Carr, 2008). HIV positive people require information about the condition and information on how to avoid or prevent opportunistic conditions resulting from the condition. Firstly, social workers need to inform HIV positive people about their condition. Social workers also need to inform old people with HIV on how to age successfully despite their condition. Social workers also need to inform people of the implication of HIV in their future life and the possibility of death. In this case, social workers need to inform old people living with HIV on how to avoid suffering in their last days. This will include information about palliative treatment and hospice care for management of chronic illnesses (Help the Hospices, 2012). The workers are also expected to inform people on the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. Finally, social workers are supposed to inform the elderly of the need to protect themselves and their partners from HIV (Desquilbet & Jacobson, 2007). Old people are therefore expected to be informed on matters related to their sexuality. Social workers therefore need to inform on how to practice safe sex in order to prevent cases of multiple infections. Discussing issues of sexuality with older people uncommon workers are expected to approach the topic with great care. Most old people do not consider the importance of practicing safe sex although they are equally affected by HIV. This indicates that social workers working among the older generation have a bigger role to play. Preventive information or offering information about prevention of HIV is an important part in the management of the condition especially among the older generation. Preventive measures are measures that prevent the spread of HIV as well as measures through which uninfected people protect themselves from acquiring HIV infection. In general, HIV protective measures are aimed at reducing new infection. Prevention and treatment of HIV is a medical problem. However, medical practitioners are unable to handle the problem appropriately. Unlike social workers, health workers are unlikely to obtain information about sexual life of an old person (Ouster, Sorkin, Smith, & Katzel 2006). This is because health workers are likely to ask elderly people about their sexual history without giving them preventive information they usually give to young people. Most old people live in denial on issues concerned with their sex life and therefore it is difficult to obtain information from them (Karl, 2003). This issue complicates treatment and management of HIV among old people. Social workers need to have awareness of ethical practices and policies relating to HIV in order to achieve success in their work. Policies are important in social work since they give guidance as well as protection against unlawful accusations. Knowledge of the necessary policies and legislations relating to HIV is particularly important to social workers dealing with old people due to their ever-stretching responsibilities (Desquilbet & Jacobson, 2007). Social workers working with old people need to be concerned with policies relating to health care of elderly people and government policies on pension scheme. The UK Public Health Act of 1999 proposes free basic health care for all citizens. According to this act, old people are entitled to basic health services in all public health facilities. Untreated medical problems can lead to disabilities and therefore social workers should ensure that old people receive early diagnosis and treatment. Social workers are also expected to ensure that health facilities dispense services to old people living with HIV without discrimination (Mary, 1996). Finally, most deaths and problems results from psychological problems associated with HIV. Due to the problems and discriminations resulting from HIV, old people living with the condition have a higher chance of acquiring mental problems and hence they require psychological care. The mental health Act of 1983 identifies mental health as a major health issue and proposes treatment for all people living with the problem. Old people living with HIV are prone to discrimination resulting into mental distress (Grace, 2000). Social workers working with elderly people are therefore expected to be aware of this policy and its application in the society. Conclusion The government considers old people as people who are entitled to pension. The number of old people living with HIV has increased due to improvements in medical care. HIV management involves treatment of infected people and control of the spread of the virus. Social workers working with old people have the responsibility of managing the condition. Working with HIV positive old people is more difficult than working with younger generation. Ageing is a weakening process implying that old people are more vulnerable to HIV and its effects than young people are. Old people with HIV are prone to discrimination and opportunistic infections. Social workers working with old people have bigger roles than those working with the younger generation. Knowledge o policies and legislations relating to the health care system, pension scheme and care for HIV patient is essential for social workers working with HIV positive people in UK. Working with old people with HIV requires choice, social workers need to care about their health and risk of infection equally to the care they give to the people. References Brayne, H. & Carr, H., 2008. Law for social workers. London: Oxford OUP. Blackwoods, W., 1999. RESISTANCE - client led self-defense training with women sex workers. London: c. Clarke, J., 1993. A Crisis in Care? Challenges to Social Work. New York: Sage Publications. Desquilbet, L. & Jacobson, P,. 2007. HIV-1 infection is associatedwith an earlier occurrence of a phenotype related to frailty. 66(9):1030-1038. Effros, R. Fletcher, CV. & Gebo, K,. 2008. Workshop on HIV infection and Ageing: what is known and future research directions, 47:542-553. Goulet, L. Fultz, S. & Rimland, D,. 2007. 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