Nursing is one profession that requires an individual to provide care to different groups, including the vulnerable groups, which include pregnant women, the elderly, the disabled, and children (Norful et al., 2017). Without having the proper skills and knowledge of handling these groups, their health outcomes may be poor. Subsequently, understanding the health concerns of every group is vital in the delivery of care that is tailored to meet individual needs (Norful et al., 2017). During this week, I interacted with various population groups and noted some of their health concerns. However, one of the crucial populations that have multiple health concerns is the elderly. This reflection, therefore, seeks to expound on the population health concerns among the elderly.
As a person grows old, the chances of them contracting different health conditions are also high. Common health conditions among the elderly include hearing loss, cataracts, refractive errors, COPD, diabetes, depression, and memory loss (Tsuchiya et al., 2015). Additionally, the elderly are likely to suffer from multiple health conditions, which, when not managed effectively, they can die. Proving care to these care is critical since it will help them led an everyday life with the general population. However, the continued discrimination among this population has resulted in most of them not accessing the care that they deserve (Tsuchiya et al., 2015). Learning about this has provided me with insights concerning the importance of collaboration in delivering care to the elderly. Collaboration should also start at the community level, where the elderly are mobilized to seek services without fear.
My practicum this week has made me have a different perspective about care delivery to different populations. I believe that my experience in handling the elderly has laid a foundation for me sharpening my professional skills. Additionally, I have learned that collaboration and cooperation in health care help in the delivery of quality care among the elderly.
References
Norful, A., Martsolf, G., de Jacq, K., & Poghosyan, L. (2017). Utilization of registered nurses in primary care teams: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 74, 15-23.
Tsuchiya, Y., Shida, N., Tsujiuchi, T., & Machida, K. (2015). Healthy aging and concerns among elderly Japanese: a text analysis approach. International quarterly of community health education, 35(3), 215-226. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0272684X15576515
