For example, a patient without transportation to a primary care provider (PCP) might miss follow-up and preventive appointments without a care manager to coordinate that access. The elderly and disabled population are a group that is very vulnerable to victimization (Kanel, 2018, p. 261). A focus on vulnerable populations in the design of quality measurement initiatives is valuable, in part, because their experiences may provide new insight on systemwide problems. This involves psychological, emotional, social and physical discomfort. [ 1 ]. As the baby boomer generation ages, this figure will continue to grow. [ 2] In particular, the elderly make up a large portion of the population, and their vulnerability to the environment and other physical factors is a very important aspect of public health nursing. . Isolation of both elderly adults and their caregivers is a well-documented risk factor for elder exploitation. Between 2012 and 2015, 1.2 million Medicare beneficiaries were defrauded by health care providers, and many were from vulnerable populations.. 408 Epidemiology Public health nursing allows nurses to encounter various vulnerable populations on a daily basis. The purpose is to demonstrate your understanding of the impact of vulnerable populations on the U.S. health care system. As SDOH accounts for 70%-80% of health outcomes, 12 it is important to incorporate SDOH into the care of vulnerable patients, such as elderly AAs, by using a multifaceted approach to screen for unmet social needs and leverage existing resources to fulfill these needs. At this time the share of the population aged 60 years and over will increase from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion. In addition, they become emotionally affected, thus getting depressed. The elderly as a vulnerable population Introduction Vulnerability is a condition that presents a society to be at high risk of attack or exposure to a particular aspect not suitable to their needs or wellbeing. In a politically charged era when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is consistently on the chopping block, health disparities run rampant and the future of American healthcare is wholly uncertain, nurses must honor the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics as powerful advocates for vulnerable . They frequently have worse access to care and . 13 First, physicians should have social service catalogs readily available to . Substance abuse on the part of the caregiver. Members of vulnerable populations often have health conditions that are exacerbated by unnecessarily inadequate healthcare. As much as age is associated with reduced health, this is not a reason for the elderly to experience minor satisfaction in life. Although life expectancy is increasing and disability is currently decreasing in the elder population as a whole, socioeconomic and environmental resources are lacking for many elders. Also vulnerable are children, the elderly, the socioeconomically disadvantaged, underinsured individuals, or those with certain medical conditions. Publication types Review MeSH terms This demographic group is often subjected to false misconceptions when it comes to their health. Risk factors in a caretaking facility that increase the chances of elder abuse include: Understaffing. In addition, because they are too old to work, their income may decline. Nursing care of the elderly as a vulnerable population Older Americans are a rapidly growing segment of our population and present unique health problems. Over the last few decades, the number of elderly patientsdefined as over age 60has steadily increased, in both developing and developed countries . While much is said about the monetary cost of fraud in health care, the danger to patients is more than just financial. It tracked the social and psychological impacts of COVID-19 on more than 2,000 Canadians 18 years of age and older . Individuals with disabilities may not be able to work, and thus have little income. The sun's ultraviolet B (UVB) rays convert cholesterol in the skin to vitamin D3. The population of individuals aged 65 and older is projected to exceed 80 million by 2030. Studies on the elderly, children and mental health patients comprised 70% of all vulnerable populations studied. The number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million. Cognitive functions decline. n today's society, the elderly are often considered a burden and a drain on society. The risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias increases with age, and these conditions are most common in adults 65 and older. For example, the prevalence of dementia is increasing, and issues such as abuse and The vulnerable geriatric population plays a leading role in the scope of nosocomial and health care-associated infections. systematic, potentially avoidable differences in healthor in the major socially determined influences on healthbetween groups of people who have different relative positions in social hierarchies according to wealth, power or prestige. You don't heal as fast. Attention to vulnerable populations . It has been estimated that the number of people aged 60 and over will increase to 1.2 billion in 2025 and subsequently to two billion in 2050. Older adults living alone with cognitive impairmenta growing and vulnerable populationface unique challenges. Recognizing this increased risk, Congress regularly mandates expenditures to pay for the needs of the chronically ill, as they did with passage of the 21 st Century Cures Act in 2016. Vulnerable Populations. This dependency is a result of physical deterioration such as vision and hearing impairment, slowed mental response and decreased . Vulnerable Populations - Who Are They? Older Adults . Living alone with cognitive impairment. The elderly are, or may become, too old or sick to care for themselves. Vulnerable populations include the economically disadvantaged, racial and ethnic minorities, the uninsured, low-income children, the elderly, the homeless, those with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and those with other chronic health conditions, including severe mental illness. Are the elderly considered a vulnerable population? The opportunity to embrace these changes in behavior is quickly vanishing in the US and many developing countries. The elderly and disabled are considered vulnerable populations for many reasons. With the residents now living longer, the elderly are a vulnerable population because outliving one's financial resources has serious repercussions on ones' health. For this reason, some states, including Massachusetts, provide basic health insurance coverage to children regardless of their eligibility for Medicaid. The term elderly can be defined in many ways. Vulnerable populations are at risk for disparate healthcare access and outcomes because of economic, cultural, ethnic or health characteristics. A group of individuals are considered at higher risk for illness when their physical, emotional, psychological, or social health, is compromised (Aday, 2001). Table 1 Representation of populations and trends 2004-2014. A broken bone at 25 is very different from a broken bone at 75. To compose the literary corpus, 36 studies were . In addition, because their income is reduced, they are likely to get access to proper nutrition and the right healthcare services (Tobin, 2009). At their employment areas, the elderly do not receive equal payment due to their inability to perform with the same degree of speed and expertise as others. Research is also needed to clarify how great a change in loneliness or social isolation is required to achieve a meaningful change in health, she added. OVERVIEW. These are the nation's leading drivers of illness, disability, death, and health care costs. According to the 2000 United States Census, 35.0 million people 65 years of age and over were counted in the United States (www.census.gov). Older adults are often economically vulnerable because their cost of care can exceed their income. The middle class elderly population is the most underserved population in healthcare and they often struggle to receive care due to their lack of financial resources. This makes them more vulnerable as they feel it is as a mistreatment towards themselves. This will require that you research community databases that support the demographics and the primary, secondary, and tertiary health implications for the vulnerable population. Why are older people vulnerable to mistreatment? Abuse can occur in the home, hospital, nursing home, or residential home of an elderly person. In the field of healthcare, vulnerable populations are those at a higher risk of being in a state of poor health or who have less access to healthcare. A major risk that the elderly face is that of abuse. Too many responsibilities for staff. 1. As health care continues to move beyond hospital walls, the spectrum of health care-associated infections in the elderly will continue to expand, reflecting . By 2030, 71 million Americans (about 20% of the U.S. population) will be 65 and older. The U.S. population is aging rapidly. This includes the frail elderly; people living with chronic sensory, mobility, or cognitive impairments; and individuals dependent upon assistive devices or complex medical regimens in order to survive. Although there are common aspects of elder abuse throughout nations. Healthcare Issues of Elderly Population Essay. Social environmental factors such as residential segregation, discrimination, immigration, social mobility, work, retirement, education, income, and wealth can also have a serious impact on health and well-being. In 2006, 13.7% of Canadians and 14.6% of British Columbians were over the age of 65 years. This negatively impacts access to good health insurance and housing, which impacts access to medication and supplies that keep us healthy. 2. Individuals who are disabled or elderly cannot always remove themselves from harmful situations, call for help, or appear in court. In many ways, gerontology represents the future of health care. The increase in the aging . A high percentage compared to elderly on the mainland suffer from poor health conditions. Certainly there are some individuals and groups who are highly and permanently vulnerable to many hazards, and to many consequences. Vulnerable populations include patients who are racial or ethnic minorities, children, elderly, socioeconomically disadvantaged, underinsured or those with certain medical conditions. Many who have gone about their lives for the previous seven decades without restrictions are understandably anxious about the new COVID-19 controls. It has been outlined that about 21% of the older adults in the US have Social Security as their only source of income. Why is the elderly population vulnerable? In absolute terms, this is an expected increase from 900 million to 2 billion people over the age of 60." WHO These groups . Working hard to set aside even a small nest egg for retirement keeps them from gaining access to some of the services available to keep them . With gradual improvement in health-care delivery services, life expectancy has increased and thus the percentage of the elderly population. Vulnerable populations include the economically disadvantaged, the elderly, racial and ethnic minorities, the unemployed, uninsured and under-insured, children of low-income families, LGBTQ and gender non-conforming, people with HIV, people with severe mental and behavioral health disorders, the homeless, refugees, and many others. Other groups that are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of climate change include: pregnant women, immigrant groups (including those with limited English proficiency), indigenous peoples, the disabled, vulnerable occupational groups, such as workers who are exposed to extreme weather, and people with pre-existing or chronic medical conditions. But vulnerability is not invariable even among narrowly-defined risk groups. If older widows are vulnerable, they are so as a result of a conflation of factors, such as lack of income, poor health and childlessness, and widowhood per se makes at best a small contribution (see also Wisner 1993: 131). In particular, chronic illness increases an older adult's dependency and cost of living. The US census bureau estimated in 2011, the population of elderly persons 65 and over living in the U.S. to be 311,501,917. An Ageing Society Due to steadily improving healthcare, life expectancy is increasing and with it the ageing population. The elderly population is faced with a myriad of problems, not least because their bodies are frail, and as such, they are more susceptible to getting sick. As the older population grows, so will the size of this vulnerable fraction of older adults who need more assistance than those who are fortunate to have . Here are just 5 vulnerable populations who experience greater risk factors, worse access to care, and increased morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. According to the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, vulnerable populations are defined as "those at greater risk for poor health and health care status." The number of medical problems and the rising costs of healthcare, leave certain vulnerable Americans struggling to find timely access to affordable health care. Physical abuse: Physical abuse is the intentional use of physical force to control or punish an elderly person. The term elderly refers to citizens with an age of over 65 years. Vulnerable populations, defined as those at greater risk for poor health status and healthcare access, experience significant disparities in life expectancy, access to and use of. Over 16% of Puerto Rico's population are elderly, 40% of them live at or below the poverty level. Vulnerable Groups are groups of persons that experience a higher risk of poverty, social exclusion, discrimination and violence than the general population, including, but not limited to, ethnic minorities, migrants, people with disabilities, isolated elderly people and children. Vulnerable patients, due to the determinants that shape their health status, often need ongoing community support. 1. The World Health Organization identifies children as being particularly vulnerable to poor health outcomes, especially in the case of natural disasters or other calamities1. Chronically. [2] The medical and social needs of older adults present a unique challenge to health care providers. We spoke with Pamela Riley, M.D., M.P.H., who directs the portfolio of . This trend is likely to continue, and the expected global population of elderly is projected to be 1.2 billion by 2025 [ 1 ]. According to AJMC (2006), the vulnerable populations in the United States include multiple groups of individuals; in particular these populations involve the disadvantaged communities such as people, who live below the poverty line, homeless population, the individuals with severe health conditions and disabilities, children from low-income families, the elderly, people affected by mental . One example of a vulnerability in our textbook reading this week is due to the fact they don't receive the same amount of healthcare as a younger person may (Corr et al., 2019). By designing smart programs and incentives, governments still have a chance to enable and encourage the health vulnerable to physically isolate, to wear masks and other protective equipment, and to be tested frequently.