Reply to at least two other student posts with a reflection of their response. Please make sure to provide citations and references (in APA, 7th ed. format) for your work. Word limit 300
Text#1
by Maytte Ferreira Arteaga – Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 10:39 PM Number of replies: 0 Living in poverty can significantly contribute to a higher risk of health problems and reduced quality of life. If the person affected is an older adult, these factors can be even worse for this group due to several social determinants. For instance, barriers to accessing healthcare services or financial limitations can sometimes lead to foregone medical treatments. In this group, is expected to find chronic diseases and complications. For this reason, it should be crucial to focus not only on preventive care but also on treating chronic conditions like HTN, DM, etc. It is imperative to perform screenings that help to determine proper diagnosis, treatments and care. There are other kinds of disadvantages that poverty brings to older people's life. Malnutrition is one of the most common aspects affecting this group of age. Poor access to nutritious food frequently leads these people to several health issues. Another characteristic that this group presents is isolation, which can lead to a lack of proper care and depression. It is known that all of this leads to adverse health outcomes. Another aspect that affects older people living in poverty is poor environmental conditions, which can contribute to accidents, respiratory problems, etc. People living in poverty lack opportunities to access education. This can lead to needing more access to complex health services like Telemedicine or other resources.
According to Shaw, M., & Davey Smith, G. (2019). To address healthcare for this vulnerable population, it should be necessary to coordinate social services, which focus on aiding accessibility to the healthcare system, nutritious food, opportunities for social inclusion, and improved living conditions. Proper attention to these aspects may lead to healthier aging outcomes and better quality of life.
References:
Greene, L. M. (2020). Effects of Opinions on Personal Mental Illness Perception. https://core.ac.uk/download/322734213.pdf
Marmot, M. (2017). "Social justice, epidemiology, and health inequalities." European Journal of Epidemiology, 32(7), 537-546.
Shaw, M., & Davey Smith, G. (2019). "The forgotten dimensions of health inequality." Social Science & Medicine, 220, 56-63.
Text#2
by Ana Garcia – Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 9:00 PM Number of replies: 1
Impact of Poverty on Health
Introduction
The social determinants of health play a very crucial role in the influence of older adult's health. People living in poverty have challenges due to the lack of resources that favor their way of life. Aging healthily is important but requires several resources at the individual's disposal. A line is drawn between the rich and poor when it comes to aging. We find that the rich during their aging days rest and rarely work while on the other hand, the poor still work to meet their basic needs therefore not getting the rest the aging deserve to have. This discussion will major on the key social determinants of health.
Income and economic stability
To begin with individuals who are economically disadvantaged often lack a source of income. As a result, they find themselves compelled to hold down jobs to provide for their family’s requirements. This circumstance poses a challenge when it comes to planning for retirement as their primary focus is, on meeting their day, today needs than saving for the future (Smith, M. L., 2020). Unlike the rich who at a certain retire and are paid even during retirement and therefore can still live peacefully without working. Access to healthcare is also limited for the poor therefore making it difficult for them to have services such as preventive screening and necessary medications. The rich however have access to these services weekly and others even daily making it easy for healthcare professionals to track their health.
Social support
In poor backgrounds, the aging tend to be isolated in some way. This is because they provide minimum help in the community. Social isolation is crucial for any human being's healthcare since it can contribute to mental issues and therefore interfere with the general well-being of the person (Stancliffe, R. 2021). Lack of adequate resources also impacts the health of the individual since it adds additional burdens to the family. The individual might also need access to professional caregiving services which in our case are impossible to get. The rich can easily access caregiving services and cannot be isolated since all their needs are easily met without troubling the families financially.
Employment and working conditions.
The aged in poor backgrounds may face harsh working conditions and insecurity. It is due, to the resources they have that compel them to jeopardize their well-being to support their families. This situation can potentially have effects, on their health and happiness. The fortunate individuals are forced to endure circumstances to survive thereby putting their health in danger.
Conclusion
Ensuring the health and well-being of individuals is crucial. It is approached differently based on one’s financial situation. It is vital to implement policies that enhance stability educate people about their health and well-being and provide community resources. Overall healthcare and well-being should be addressed with a focus, on equality.
References
Emerson, E., Fortune, N., Llewellyn, G., & Stancliffe, R. (2021). Loneliness, social support, social isolation, and well-being among working age adults with and without disability: Cross-sectional study. Disability and Health Journal, 14(1), 100965.
McMaughan, D. J., Oloruntoba, O., & Smith, M. L. (2020). Socioeconomic status and access to healthcare: interrelated drivers for healthy aging. Frontiers in public health, 8, 231.
