Maritza Novas
NUR 544
October 29, 2012
Nancy Tahara
Community Health Advocacy Project - Part Two
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS [2009]), says that for every dollar used in health care, less than $0.03 is spent in health prevention activities. Community and public health nurses are in position to actively participate in health promotion. This article will describe the terms community and aggregate, and the differences between these concepts. The author will identify an aggregate and describe it as a health issue. The second part will illustrate the three stages of a conceptual framework and the application as an advocate for …show more content…
The aggregates are types of communities, and the communities are types of aggregates. Both aggregates and communities are considered as a whole, but the aggregate is on a larger scale than a community. Moreover, the aggregates can be up of communities (Miller & Keane, 2009).
Identification and Description of Aggregate
Depression is a crucial public health problem and a frequent mental disorder found in elderly people. Elders are at an incredibly high risk of depression because more than 50% of older adults suffer two or more chronic health condition. By 2015, adults age 65 and older will increase up to about 20% of the population in America; and by 2050, the population more than 85 is expected to reach 19 million (U. S. Census Bureau’s, 2010).
Depressed elders have the highest rates of suicide as compared to any other age group. The five percent of adult older suffer of depression and a high incidence of suicide is reported in this population (Naegle, 2011). In 2004, every 100,000 people age 65 and older, 14.3 died due to suicide. This is higher than the rate of about 11 per 100,000 in the general population. The statistics of depression are rapidly increasing in this population, and it is vital to identify the risk factors and implement actions to reduce these indicators (CDC, …show more content…
The highest rates of suicide are reported in this age group. Every 100,000 people age 65 and older, 14.3 died by suicide in 2004. This is higher than the rate of about 11 per 100,000 in the general population (CDC, 2010).
Miami Dade County has higher levels of depression reported in Hispanic men. Many risk factors are related to physical disability, lack of family and social support, and chronic diseases (Russell & Taylor, 2009). Furthermore, depression in older adults is frequently misdiagnosed and undertreated. One of the most imperative barriers to achieve competent effectiveness is the lack of nursing’s knowledge to assess depression in older adults. Moreover, frequent misdiagnosis due to fact that the signs and symptoms of depression are confused with the aging process, medication’s side effect, and some medical conditions (Hospital Compare,