making choices
Making Choices Guide Part II
Long Term Care planning is a topic everyone will eventually face, have to discuss and make choices about in their life. Whether it is for you or a family member, someone will have to consider what lifestyle changes they will face and sometimes have to change in order to meet individual care needs and safety concerns in order to retain a safe and healthy lifestyle.
“Ethical issues are central to any discussion or reflection on aging and health care” (Ludwick, 2003). Some of the issues which will affect the health of any individual could be a lack of resources, financial issues and concerns, and culture. As we age from childbirth, we are taught to create social and physical environments in order to remain as healthy as possible at home, while in school, from friends and family members, from the community in which we live in, and sometimes in the workplace. “Our health is determined in part by access to social and economic opportunities; the resources and supports available in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities; the quality of our schooling; the safety of our workplaces; the cleanliness of our water, food, and air; and the nature of our social interactions and relationships” (Social Determinants of Health, 2014). So how do the social support systems affect the options and quality of care? “Quality and patient satisfaction are primary goals of both health care delivery systems and of the patients seeking care from these systems” (Cronan, et.al., 2010). It is difficult to achieve these goals when there are complications within the health care network, which would include the quick development of treatments and technologies. Cronan also states how in today’s health care market, it is challenging even for those who are well informed to be certain their best interests are being met and they are receiving the best care possible (2010). As a family member, or the individual who has to make the decisions pertaining to health
Long Term Care planning is a topic everyone will eventually face, have to discuss and make choices about in their life. Whether it is for you or a family member, someone will have to consider what lifestyle changes they will face and sometimes have to change in order to meet individual care needs and safety concerns in order to retain a safe and healthy lifestyle.
“Ethical issues are central to any discussion or reflection on aging and health care” (Ludwick, 2003). Some of the issues which will affect the health of any individual could be a lack of resources, financial issues and concerns, and culture. As we age from childbirth, we are taught to create social and physical environments in order to remain as healthy as possible at home, while in school, from friends and family members, from the community in which we live in, and sometimes in the workplace. “Our health is determined in part by access to social and economic opportunities; the resources and supports available in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities; the quality of our schooling; the safety of our workplaces; the cleanliness of our water, food, and air; and the nature of our social interactions and relationships” (Social Determinants of Health, 2014). So how do the social support systems affect the options and quality of care? “Quality and patient satisfaction are primary goals of both health care delivery systems and of the patients seeking care from these systems” (Cronan, et.al., 2010). It is difficult to achieve these goals when there are complications within the health care network, which would include the quick development of treatments and technologies. Cronan also states how in today’s health care market, it is challenging even for those who are well informed to be certain their best interests are being met and they are receiving the best care possible (2010). As a family member, or the individual who has to make the decisions pertaining to health
References: Ludwick, Ruth. (2003). The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Ethics: Ethical Challenges in the Care of Elderly Persons. Vol. 9 No. 1. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume92004/No1Jan04/EthicalChallenges.aspx Social Determinants of Health. (2014). Topics and Objectives. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=39 Cronan, T., Carlson, J., Imberi, J., Villodas, M., Vasserman-Stokes, E., & Dowell, A. (2010). Psychology Research and Behavior Management. The effects of social support and confidence in the health care system on the likelihood of hiring a health advocate. Retrieved from http://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=5932