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There have been dramatic changes in the United States of America as well as other countries, as far as such countries’ demographic structures are concerned. Looking at the future, particularly by 2030, about 20% of the population will be sixty-five years of age. In addition, those aged 75 years will form a cohort that will be fast growing (Pruchno, 2012). With such statistics, research has showed that as the population ages, the country faces societal challenges whereby there is a need to ensure the necessary infrastructure for use in support for the older people’s needs (Wiles, Leibing, Guberman, Reeve & Allen, 2011). Considering the case of falls in patients, it is evident that a prevention and quality improvement program is inevitable. Such a program should help the older people to have a productive healthy lifestyle, as well as be independent. The health care sector can meet such challenges if only it rethinks its conceptualization of older people as well as reconsider the meaning of one being “older.” According to Pruchno (2012), a difference exists between the group of older individuals in the ancient times and those existing today as well as, with those likely to be “baby boomers”. For this reason, there is a need to implement a quality improvement program for the older people based on evidence.
Age Related Challenges
As people grow, they tend to bring many changes in the society that they live (Wiles et al., 2011). Research has showed that aging population not only affects the people in that cohort but also the society. As such, falls in the aging population concerns many people, including the older people themselves, health professionals, and the policy makers. Taking care of people who have attained 65 years of age provides serious complexities to the caregivers. For this reason, the use of particular knowledge designed for such a demographic group is inevitable. However, several challenges affect the older people including environmental challenges, challenges in the aging process, lack of adequate care-giving and financial resources, societal norms, as well as societal expectations. Nonetheless, such challenges are reinforced by more pressing ones including: depression, the presence of many chronic diseases among the aged, and existence of diversity among the aged in terms of race and ethnicity.
Literature Review
Nowadays, the number of people living past 65 years of age is increasing (Pruchno, 2012). As such, the older adults are likely to increase drastically in the course of some decades to come. Such a shift in demography implies that more attention will be required to ensure that the healthcare system takes care of the aging population (Wiles et al., 2011). There is a need for strategies that allow the old individuals in the society to live a form of life that is independent, and with the necessary education and healthcare facilities. Looking at the history of the aging population can help the healthcare system to understand the best way to provide quality care to such people. According to Pruchno (2012), there have been many differences as far as societal beliefs and values are concerned. For example, the first cohort of baby boomers shared a common belief of not trusting anybody below the age of 30 years. Such people redefined most life’s stages and questioned societal attitudes and values. As such, it becomes difficult to provide quality care to such people following the difference in values and beliefs.
Even though the healthcare sector has been trying to provide quality care for the aging population experiencing falls, several challenges tend to affect such efforts. (Molton & Terrill, 2014) notes that one of the primary challenges affecting caregivers of the aging population is persistent depression. Several people aged above 65 years have reported persistent depression (Fiske, Wetherell & Gatz, 2011). Studies have showed that persistent depression increases as the age increases with its persistence influencing the actual lives of the affected person negatively (Pruchno, 2012). Many factors may cause persistent depression. Considering the case of falls in patients Edelman & Ficorelli (2012), points out that, nearly every older adult is likely to experience a fall at least once in a year. Such falls lead to injuries that may set a person to permanent pain condition or even death thereafter. Sensory impairments such as vision and hearing are primary characteristics of the aging population (Wiles et al., 2011). Such a condition along with the experience of altered depth perception is enough reason to put them at a condition of fall risks.
Physical and Emotional Changes
There are various physical as well as emotional changes in the elderly people that make quality improvement a challenge. Such is attributable to the fact that gradual loss in a person’s memory as well as their intellectual function accompanies the process of growing old. Wiles et al. (2011), attributes the high risks of falls in patients to the increase in age. There are forms of information that caregivers can require to get from patients about their history. However, in a situation where the working and semantic memory of a given patient have declined, it becomes hard to offer quality care to such people (Fiske et al., 2011). Difficulties in balance and falls, chances of increased disease disorder, troubled sleep, experiences of depression are other changes that may make the provision of quality healthcare a challenge for the aged patients who are at a high risk of fall.
Barriers and Solutions to Quality Improvement Programs
A number of factors affect the care of patients who are likely to experience falls (Fiske et al., 2011). For this reason, quality improvement program for such patients is barred by the lack of better prevention and wellness approaches, overburden of caregivers, as well as the problem of interdisciplinary collaboration and problems experienced when translating results from research concerning quality care for the aged. As such, there is a need to ensure that the aging population suffering from fall risks receive quality healthcare (Edelman & Ficorelli, 2012). The initial step in this initiative is to gather the required data that will be helpful in designing a quality improvement program. The quality improvement program adopted should include a patient-centered approach. Such an approach ensures the right ratio of caregivers to patients, as well as provides information regarding patients’ falls and how to prevent future falls in the patients.
Future Impact on the Quality Care of the Elderly
The emerging trend in the increase in the number of aging people does not show any signs of decreasing in the future (Pruchno, 2012). As such, the demands that are present nowadays are likely to be there and perhaps increase in the future (Edelman & Ficorelli, 2012). With the increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, the future of quality health care for the aged is threatened (Wiles et al., 2011). However, advancement as well as the use of technology in health care systems promises a better future for the elderly. The fact that, healthcare systems can use technology in detecting, and the treatment of some chronic diseases offers a platform for better health care for the elderly.
In conclusion, it is evident that quality care is required to ensure that the elderly people in the society live an independent and productive live. Even though efforts are in place to ensure that the aging population receives quality health care, such efforts tend to be affected by several factors. In the case of falls in patients, a quality improvement program that takes care of both the needs of the patient and the caregivers would be a suitable solution to this problem. From the above, it suffices that the future of quality care to the elderly can be a challenge without the implementation of the right programs.
References List
Edelman, M., & Ficorelli, C. (2012). Keeping older adults safe at home. Nursing, 42(1), 65-66.
Fiske, A., Wetherell, J., & Gatz, M. (2011). Depression in older adults. Annu. Rev. Clin. Psychol., 5(1), 363-389.
Molton, I., & Terrill, A. (2014). Overview of persistent pain in older adults. American Psychologist, 69(2), 197-207.
Pruchno, R. (2012). Not your mother’s old age: baby boomers at age 65. The Gerontologist, 52(2), 149-152.
Wiles, J., Leibing, A., Guberman, N., Reeve, J., & Allen, R. (2011). The meaning of “aging in place” to older people. The Gerontologist, 52(3), 357-366.
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