Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

Population and social determinants of health (SDOH) Paper

• Provide a clear description of the population of interest. Include ethnicity, age group and health condition of your population. (2%)
• Use local, state, national and global findings. (5%)
• Identify and describe at least five social determinants of health (SDOH) for the population when describing the needs of the population. (5%)
• Identify and explain in detail at least three challenges in meeting the needs of the population and each of the SDOH. (3%)
• Identify and explain in detail at least three ways the population needs can be met. (3%)
• Use APA format. (2%)
• Use the headings Population, Determinants of Health, Challenges. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

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Maximum page limit of the paper is 3 ½ pages, excluding the title and reference page.

No bullets or tables allowed.

An abstract is not required for this assignment.

Articles should not be older than 5 years old. Use your own words and paraphrase.

Do not quote anything from the articles.

Population, Determinants of Health, Challenges

Social determinants of health (SDOH) refer to those conditions within areas where individuals live, work, learn and play that influence their quality of life, health risks, and outcomes. According to Hooten et al. (2021), Healthy People 2030 has pinpointed five main areas around SDOH: health and education access and quality, economic stability, community, and social context, and built environment and neighborhood. These SDOHs influences the individual’s health outcomes differently. In that regard, the paper will provide a clear description of the population of interest, identify at least five SDOHs for the population, challenges in meeting the population needs, and three ways to meet the population needs. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

Description of Population of Interest

Older adults with Type 2 Diabetes are always economically vulnerable since their care costs exceed their total income. That is because most older adults tend to have chronic illnesses that increase their cost of living and dependency (Hooten et al., 2021). The number of elderly adults in the United States is growing, making the number unprecedented. For instance, in 2019, the number of older adults in America who had attained 65 years and above was approximately 54.1 million, equating to 16 percent of the American population. Also, statistics show that most older adults between 65 years and above have Type 2 diabetes and are approximately 20 percent, with 16 percent of the population being unaware of their diabetic condition based on fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and oral glucose tolerance testing (Walker et al., 2020). Other projections show that by 2040, the American elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes may increase to 80.8 million (Walker et al., 2020). Such an increase will also contribute to SDOH risk, thus the need to improve the SDOHs to ensure that these seniors’ health and well-being are protected by all means, including lowering medical costs and enhancing healthcare access.

Identify At Least Five SDOHs for the Population

The main SDOHs that affect the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes include economic security, food nutrition and security, social connectedness, health care, and the environment. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

Economic Security

Financial security is important for the elderly with Type 2 Diabetes since it helps maintain their overall well-being. For instance, a study by Bustillos & Sharkey (2020) shows that approximately 23 % of the elderly with Type 2 Diabetes, 65 years and above, do not have adequate income to meet their daily living needs. In such an instance, the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes’s mortality and morbidity increase, thus risking their overall healthcare outcome.

Food Nutrition and Security

Food nutrition and security are important factors in maintaining the well-being of the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes. In 2020, almost 42 million Americans suffered from food hunger and insecurity despite Covid-19 being part of the reason for such an incidence. Also, McClure & Villani (2019) indicates that the main groups more prevalent in food nutrition and security include those within the age brackets 50-59 at 51 percent, while those aged 65 and above range at 22.9 percent. However, it is important to acknowledge that the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes needs to access affordable and nutritious food to promote their overall healthy lives. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

Social Connectedness

The elderly with Type 2 Diabetes have a higher probability of living lonely and socially disconnected lives in the United States. As Van-Orden et al. (2021) posit, approximately 27 percent of the elderly population in the United States lives alone due to their kin working in other areas of the country or being neglected. The main reason social disconnection is a great risk for the American elderly population is that it may worsen their chronic illnesses since they do not have individuals to follow up on their medication processes, thus increasing their death risks.

Health Care

The elderly must be subjected to high-quality, timely, affordable health care services. For example, Critchley et al. (2018) accentuate that 85 percent of the elderly have at least one chronic illness, with 60 percent of the population exhibiting two or more chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, kidney issues, and cardiovascular diseases. That is because the elderly with Type 2 Diabetes face different health system complexities, paying for and accessing healthcare services and adhering to and comprehending complex treatment plans. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

Environment

The environment in which the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes lives influences their ability to thrive in the community. According to Hill-Briggs et al. (2021), the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes must age in a secure, safe, and ideally walkable environment. Hence, the communities in which these elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes live need to foster support to increase their chances of well-being, especially through services like healthy food, support services, secure homes, and public transportation.

Challenges in Meeting the Population Needs

The challenges that the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes include the inability to meet the daily mobility and tasks, having appropriate givers and healthcare access

Daily Mobility and Tasks

Type 2 diabetes impairs the elderly in achieving their daily activities and mobility. Such a condition may disintegrate the elderly from society, thus leading to adverse healthcare effects such as depression and anxiety. Silverberg et al. (2021) indicate that every individual’s dexterity and mobility decline as age advances, thus making it hard for the elderly to complete their daily tasks since they become more complex as the disease advances.

Having Appropriate Givers

The other aspect concerns finding the appropriate caregivers. According to Hill-Briggs (2021), the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes requires additional care once they fail to achieve complete independence. In most cases, the extra care originates from the family members, which may affect the family members observed work-life balance. Hence, such a situation may end up causing tragedy, and these family members may fail to be productive in their respective firms. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

Healthcare Services Access

Accessing affordable care in the healthcare realm has posed great challenges to the elderly, especially those uninsured. Currently, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires all older adults aged 65 years and above to be covered by Medicaid and Medicare (Silverberg et al., 2021). However, these models may have limited access to care that elderly patients may have, especially in cases of chronic illness. Hence, such limited healthcare access fails to open chances for the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes to meet with professional healthcare providers from different healthcare facilities that may be more appropriate for caring for their long-term illnesses.

Three Ways to Meet the Population Needs

Due to the existing challenges associated with the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes, there is a need to comprehensively understand various factors like frailty, aging, and appropriate interventions. Some of the most effective ways to meet the elderly adults’ needs include;

Providing Therapy for Elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes Issues

Older adults become loners when they face life challenges, they become loners, thus increasing their probability of developing depression and anxiety. As a result, therapy will be a more effective intervention since it helps these patient populations with aging transition, which effectively manages their emotions, identifies new support systems, and explores new meaning and enjoyment sources (Walker et al., 2020). Also, therapy will be essential since elderly patients worry too much about their conditions, thus making therapy an essential solution to deal with their fear and worries, including that of their family members.

Promoting Elderly Adults’ Health

The elderly with Type 2 Diabetes needs encouragement towards engaging in activities that improve their overall health outcomes. Silverberg et al. (2021) state that the most appropriate way to promote the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes is through geriatric care professional training, social and security support, community programs, and good mental and physical health promotion. Also, the caregiver and family of the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes should be educated on the best ways to offer support. Such knowledge will be essential in ensuring that the elderly maintain their independence since those elderly adults with ample support experience slight cognitive abilities decline while others do not undergo adverse personality changes. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

Healthcare Access

There is also a need to strengthen the healthcare system by engaging outreach services like health education and screening activities. That way, it becomes easier to assess the changes and policies needed to positively impact the lives of the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes. Therefore, healthcare providers and community-based nurses can develop strategies to evaluate meaningful ways to monitor the health and well-being of the elderly with Type 2 Diabetes (Walker et al., 2020).

Conclusion

The paper has addressed SDOH associated with the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes. Generally, SDOHs help analyzes the factors that influence a particular patient population’s health and well-being. These factors include environment, healthcare access, and quality, education quality and access, community and social context, built environment, and neighborhood and economic stability. However, the main SDOHs that affect the elderly population with Type 2 Diabetes include economic security, food nutrition and security, social connectedness, health care, environment, and education. Also, the main challenges that elderly patients face include meeting their daily mobility and tasks, having appropriate givers, and having healthcare access. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

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References

Bustillos, B. D., & Sharkey, J. R. (2020). “I Try to Keep That Sugar Down.” Experiences of Homebound Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Barriers to Self-Management. Journal of nutrition in gerontology and geriatrics, 39(1), 69-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/21551197.2019.1695037

Critchley, J. A., Carey, I. M., Harris, T., DeWilde, S., Hosking, F. J., & Cook, D. G. (2018). Glycemic control and risk of infections among people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in a large primary care cohort study. Diabetes care, 41(10), 2127-2135. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc18-0287

Hooten, N. N., Pacheco, N. L., Smith, J. T., & Evans, M. K. (2021). The accelerated aging phenotype: The role of race and social determinants of health on aging. Ageing Research Reviews, 101536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2021.101536

Hill-Briggs, F., Adler, N. E., Berkowitz, S. A., Chin, M. H., Gary-Webb, T. L., Navas-Acien, A., … & Haire-Joshu, D. (2021). Social determinants of health and diabetes: a scientific review. Diabetes care, 44(1), 258-279. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci20-0053

McClure, R., & Villani, A. (2019). Greater adherence to a Mediterranean Diet is associated with better gait speed in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 32, 33-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2019.05.009

Silverberg, E. L., Sterling, T. W., Williams, T. H., Castro, G., Rodriguez de la Vega, P., & Barengo, N. C. (2021). The association between social determinants of health and self-reported diabetic retinopathy: an exploratory analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 792. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020792

Van Orden, K. A., Bower, E., Lutz, J., Silva, C., Gallegos, A. M., Podgorski, C. A., … & Conwell, Y. (2021). Strategies to promote social connections among older adults during “social distancing” restrictions. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29(8), 816-827.

Walker, R. J., Garacci, E., Palatnik, A., Ozieh, M. N., & Egede, L. E. (2020). The longitudinal influence of social determinants of health on glycemic control in elderly adults with diabetes. Diabetes Care, 43(4), 759-766. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc19-1586

I will upload the file that has detailed instructions for this paper. Please follow the instructions and make sure to satisfy with the APA7 style. After this paper, there are two more assignments related to this paper that expand ideas from this paper. Thank you. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay

– Maximum page limit of the paper is 3 ½ pages, excluding the title and reference page.
– No bullets or tables allowed.
– An abstract is not required for this assignment.
Articles should not be older than 5 years old. Use your own words and paraphrase.
– Do not quote anything from the articles. Population And Social Determinants of Health Discussion Essay