Sunday, October 25, 2009
"I found a lot of references related to home health agencies. Most of these companies provided care that traditionally was provided by the family. Now companies contract to provide services such as meal preparation and shopping, housekeeping, help with bathing, dressing and eating, and providing time off for family caregivers. These services are available and affordable. More advertising is needed to educate the public about state programs like the web site for the Maine Bureau of Elder and Adult Services. It offers many tips that people can use to assist with preparation with deciding if living alone is still an option."
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Home Bound Elderly: How can We Meet Their Needs
Who are the home bound elderly? They are the people of our community; our parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors. The question really is; how can we help our home bound elderly remain independent? Many of the home bound need help with one or more daily activities such as, eating, dressing, bathing, walking across a room, preparing meals, taking medications or paying bills. Many of the home bound elderly are alone, with little or no family support. Their needs are many. Brewton (2002) described their needs as numerous and they vary ranging from physical problems to Alzheimer’s dementia, arthritis, Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure to emotion problems with depression and anxiety. Many are lonely and need to know that they are needed and wanted. For the home bound elderly to remain independent, they must stay active and seek help from family and community resources before they become too weak to care for themselves.
Background: Elder Independence
Because of the advances in modern technology and modern medicine many older people are living a longer life, well into their 80’s and 90’s. The Administration on Aging (AOA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, developed a manual called A profile of older Americans: 2002, which summarized the U. S. Bureau of the Census data on the life expectancies of the older population in 2000. An interesting finding was that a child born in 2000 could expect to live 76.9 years, about 29 years longer than a child born in 1900.
Many of the elderly have families that have grown and moved away or have died before them. This leaves the home bound elderly without the support needed to remain independent in the comfort of their home. Many organizations offer services but health insurance plans do not always cover these expenses. The elderly often go without or wait until they get sick enough to go to the hospital where a social worker is assigned to manage their care.
Most people want to be independent and live in the comfort of their own homes. Many of the older population live alone with little or no family support. Many of these home bound elderly are living in poverty. Many find it difficult getting assistance towards getting their needs met.
A major factor influencing a person’s ability to remain independent is their ability to stay safe. A recent U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Report found that “falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury at home among Americans 65 and older, p.1”. They found some causes for falls included tripping on stairs, in bathtubs, off ladders and step stools, over garden hoses, dog leashes, and household appliance cords. Cooking fires and clothing ignition while cooking were also cited as major hazards for older people.
Concerns of the Home bound Elderly
Many elderly express concerns about being alone and will often speak of feeling like a burden to their family and friends. Frequently the elderly are experiencing problems with both their physical and mental health. The medications they take for one problem, like high blood pressure, can produce symptoms of another problem, like depression. These problems are made worse because the elderly are regularly unable to leave their homes to attend clubs or meetings which would allow them to be active in the community. Many can’t even make appointments with their health care providers so they go without follow-up care. This isolation they experience can be attributed to problems they have with physical mobility and transportation issues.
McReynolds and Rossen (2004) found social support is an important factor in the promotion and maintenance of overall long term health and longevity. Support comes in many shapes and the elderly have a difficult time understanding this. Many of the elderly have a difficult time understanding all of the information that is presented to them about applying for assistance. Many elderly are very proud and grew up during the depression and don’t want to depend on the government for their assistance. In order for the elderly to obtain social services man have to give away their possessions so they will qualify for assistance with everything from food assistance to subsidized rent.
Many elderly live on a fixed income. They work hard to manage all the costs involved with living independently on a very small social security check. The Administration on Aging reports that for the 174,998 people living in Maine over the age 65; 27,944 were found to have a sensory disability; 49,351 have a physical disability; 16,895 have a mental disability and 14,741 have a self care disability. All of these people require increased assistance which increases their out of pocket expenses. Estes (2001) found that for older Medicare beneficiaries with incomes below the poverty line, out-of-pocket health care costs are 35% of their annual household income. In the state of Maine for the year 2000, 17879 people greater than 65 years of age lived below the poverty level.
The Solution: Fostering independence in the home-bound
Numerous studies that I read showed that physical activity, nutrition and social support are needed to maintain optimal aging. Health care providers can recommend exercises, community resources, rehabilitation referral and other treatments to help increase wellness in the elderly. Practitioners will be asked to assess the capacity of older patients to safely remain at home, by themselves. It must always be remembered that the elderly individual’s right to free choice must be respected and “that a competent person has the right to take risks (Lusis, 2002).
I found a lot of references related to home health agencies. Most of these companies provided care that traditionally was provided by the family. Now companies contract to provide services such as meal preparation and shopping, housekeeping, help with bathing, dressing and eating, and providing time off for family caregivers. These services are available and affordable. More advertising is needed to educate the public about state programs like the web site for the Maine Bureau of Elder and Adult Services. It offers many tips that people can use to assist with preparation with deciding if living alone is still an option.
For the home bound elderly to remain independent, they must stay active and seek help from family and community resources before they become too weak to care for themselves.
Works Cited
Brewton, David R. “Homebound Elderly Outreach Program.” CCHF Best Practices Program.
15 March 2002 East Liberty Family Health Care Center Pittsburgh, PA.
http://www.dbrewton@elfhcc.com.
Estes, Carroll L. et al. Social Policy and Aging. California: Sage, 2001.
Lusis, Stephanie A. “Living Alone: When is the Elder no Longer Safe?”
Medscape from WebMD. http://medscape.com/viewarticle/436971.
McReynolds, Joyce L. and Rossen, Eileen K. “Importance of Physical Activity, Nutrition and
Social Support for Optimal Aging.” Clinical Nurse Specialist 18 (2004): 200-06.
United States. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Administration on Aging.
A Profile of Older Americans: 2002.
United States. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Injuries Rise Dramatically for 75 and
older age Group. Feb. 2005. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub.html.
Who are the home bound elderly? They are the people of our community; our parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors. The question really is; how can we help our home bound elderly remain independent? Many of the home bound need help with one or more daily activities such as, eating, dressing, bathing, walking across a room, preparing meals, taking medications or paying bills. Many of the home bound elderly are alone, with little or no family support. Their needs are many. Brewton (2002) described their needs as numerous and they vary ranging from physical problems to Alzheimer’s dementia, arthritis, Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure to emotion problems with depression and anxiety. Many are lonely and need to know that they are needed and wanted. For the home bound elderly to remain independent, they must stay active and seek help from family and community resources before they become too weak to care for themselves.
Background: Elder Independence
Because of the advances in modern technology and modern medicine many older people are living a longer life, well into their 80’s and 90’s. The Administration on Aging (AOA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, developed a manual called A profile of older Americans: 2002, which summarized the U. S. Bureau of the Census data on the life expectancies of the older population in 2000. An interesting finding was that a child born in 2000 could expect to live 76.9 years, about 29 years longer than a child born in 1900.
Many of the elderly have families that have grown and moved away or have died before them. This leaves the home bound elderly without the support needed to remain independent in the comfort of their home. Many organizations offer services but health insurance plans do not always cover these expenses. The elderly often go without or wait until they get sick enough to go to the hospital where a social worker is assigned to manage their care.
Most people want to be independent and live in the comfort of their own homes. Many of the older population live alone with little or no family support. Many of these home bound elderly are living in poverty. Many find it difficult getting assistance towards getting their needs met.
A major factor influencing a person’s ability to remain independent is their ability to stay safe. A recent U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Report found that “falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury at home among Americans 65 and older, p.1”. They found some causes for falls included tripping on stairs, in bathtubs, off ladders and step stools, over garden hoses, dog leashes, and household appliance cords. Cooking fires and clothing ignition while cooking were also cited as major hazards for older people.
Concerns of the Home bound Elderly
Many elderly express concerns about being alone and will often speak of feeling like a burden to their family and friends. Frequently the elderly are experiencing problems with both their physical and mental health. The medications they take for one problem, like high blood pressure, can produce symptoms of another problem, like depression. These problems are made worse because the elderly are regularly unable to leave their homes to attend clubs or meetings which would allow them to be active in the community. Many can’t even make appointments with their health care providers so they go without follow-up care. This isolation they experience can be attributed to problems they have with physical mobility and transportation issues.
McReynolds and Rossen (2004) found social support is an important factor in the promotion and maintenance of overall long term health and longevity. Support comes in many shapes and the elderly have a difficult time understanding this. Many of the elderly have a difficult time understanding all of the information that is presented to them about applying for assistance. Many elderly are very proud and grew up during the depression and don’t want to depend on the government for their assistance. In order for the elderly to obtain social services man have to give away their possessions so they will qualify for assistance with everything from food assistance to subsidized rent.
Many elderly live on a fixed income. They work hard to manage all the costs involved with living independently on a very small social security check. The Administration on Aging reports that for the 174,998 people living in Maine over the age 65; 27,944 were found to have a sensory disability; 49,351 have a physical disability; 16,895 have a mental disability and 14,741 have a self care disability. All of these people require increased assistance which increases their out of pocket expenses. Estes (2001) found that for older Medicare beneficiaries with incomes below the poverty line, out-of-pocket health care costs are 35% of their annual household income. In the state of Maine for the year 2000, 17879 people greater than 65 years of age lived below the poverty level.
The Solution: Fostering independence in the home-bound
Numerous studies that I read showed that physical activity, nutrition and social support are needed to maintain optimal aging. Health care providers can recommend exercises, community resources, rehabilitation referral and other treatments to help increase wellness in the elderly. Practitioners will be asked to assess the capacity of older patients to safely remain at home, by themselves. It must always be remembered that the elderly individual’s right to free choice must be respected and “that a competent person has the right to take risks (Lusis, 2002).
I found a lot of references related to home health agencies. Most of these companies provided care that traditionally was provided by the family. Now companies contract to provide services such as meal preparation and shopping, housekeeping, help with bathing, dressing and eating, and providing time off for family caregivers. These services are available and affordable. More advertising is needed to educate the public about state programs like the web site for the Maine Bureau of Elder and Adult Services. It offers many tips that people can use to assist with preparation with deciding if living alone is still an option.
For the home bound elderly to remain independent, they must stay active and seek help from family and community resources before they become too weak to care for themselves.
Works Cited
Brewton, David R. “Homebound Elderly Outreach Program.” CCHF Best Practices Program.
15 March 2002 East Liberty Family Health Care Center Pittsburgh, PA.
http://www.dbrewton@elfhcc.com.
Estes, Carroll L. et al. Social Policy and Aging. California: Sage, 2001.
Lusis, Stephanie A. “Living Alone: When is the Elder no Longer Safe?”
Medscape from WebMD. http://medscape.com/viewarticle/436971.
McReynolds, Joyce L. and Rossen, Eileen K. “Importance of Physical Activity, Nutrition and
Social Support for Optimal Aging.” Clinical Nurse Specialist 18 (2004): 200-06.
United States. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Administration on Aging.
A Profile of Older Americans: 2002.
United States. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Injuries Rise Dramatically for 75 and
older age Group. Feb. 2005. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub.html.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Hello From John and Bonnie
Thank you for taking time to stop and read our blog. Bonnie and I work with seniors who have undergone orthopedic procedures. Many of our patients are able to go home after their procedures and some spend a few day in rehab. Most will need some assistance when they get home...
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