Multimorbidity in Older Adults, Capstone Project Example

Introduction

The development of an educational program or event to accommodate the needs of older adults requires a specific format and an opportunity to examine the different needs of a given patient population to support a population at the highest possible level. An educational program to target older adults requires an evaluation of the cultural makeup of the group and the population that will be supported by the intervention, accompanied by other factors that will impact decision-making regarding the program. It is important for the educational team to support the programmatic content and its overall ability to impact the target audience. Therefore, the proposed program must be mindful of the audience’s knowledge level and their understanding of information that could have a direct impact on their health relative to chronic disease management.

Body

Health promotion for older adults must encompass a variety of characteristics that impact this population in different ways, including but not limited to areas such as behavioral modifications, multimorbidities, and potential disability, among others (Salive, 2013). These criteria must be addressed as specific modules of the educational strategy to accommodate the older adult population and to provide further evidence of the need to understand how behaviors impact health in different ways (Salive, 2013). Chronic disease must be evaluated in the context of its impact on health and wellbeing for older adults and what they must consider in regards to such areas as physical activity and nutrition (Bostock & Steptoe, 2012). From a technological point of view, a PowerPoint presentation with bold colors and large lettering is desirable to ensure that this population understands its own role in health matters. The use of a short video may also be desirable for this population to demonstrate this responsibility in daily living.

The development of an effective program must also consider national mandates such as those provided by Healthy People 2020 in order to effectively respond to the emerging needs of older adults that impact this population throughout the country. In addition, it is important for this group to be educated regarding their ability to receive healthcare screenings and other tools to identify potential health concerns as early as possible. Providing an opportunity for participants to express their technical savvy may also support the program’s direction and focus, particularly if they are able to navigate the Internet effectively (Stellefson et.al, 2013). This component of the educational program would involve a greater understanding of chronic diseases and the overall ability to support their needs and their behavioral outcomes.

The educational program must demonstrate that self-management is critical for those persons with chronic diseases and represents a means of understanding their role in managing a given disease to prevent further complications (Coburn et.al, 2012). The program would introduce the concept of telemonitoring, which conveys an expanded means of communication between nurse and patient to ensure that there are sufficient alternatives to improve disease care and treatment over time (Takahashi et.al, 2012). This is particularly important for older adults who live by themselves or who are in adult dwelling communities as a means of recognizing the responsibility of the healthcare community in supporting their health needs (Takahashi et.al, 2012). The program may include a nurse who is an expert in this process and provide a summary of her responsibilities in working with patients who have chronic diseases in order to better monitor their health needs on a continuous basis.

The proposed educational program must also include a high degree of cultural sensitivity to improve outcomes for patients and to recognize the value of addressing health needs effectively and without significant delays (Henderson et.al, 2011). Most importantly, patient needs must be considered in the program and how to address cultural differences through active communication and support from the healthcare community to impact the long-term strategy of educating older adults (Henderson et.al, 2011). In a similar context, the program must recognize the core values of different cultures and how these influence change and progress for this group and their quality of life at an older age (Jimenez et.al, 2012). In general, the program must emphasize the nature and causes of different types of chronic disease and determine how to best address some of the common challenges that occur and what is required to manage these conditions effectively (Bauer et.al, 2014). Preventing further complications and even disability must be addressed in a timely manner to improve the quality of life of older adults; therefore, this process must address these issues with the best interests of this population in mind. Most importantly, the program must be sensitive to the needs of older adults and provide them with the tools and resources that are required to address their own health challenges and other concerns that impact their wellbeing.

Conclusion

An educational program to support the needs of older adults requires expert knowledge and resources to support this population and their needs, along with an understanding of the dynamics of healthcare practice and how they impact this group. It is important to utilize technology wisely in this regard and to be mindful of legislative requirements and mandates set forth to improve the health of this population. In addition, cultural needs and expectations must also be considered and support a successful strategy to impact this population in a positive manner. These characteristics must be included in the educational program to make it user friendly and appropriate for the target population, along with a need to speak to this population on their level to make the content easy to understand for this group.

References

Bauer, U. E., Briss, P. A., Goodman, R. A., & Bowman, B. A. (2014). Prevention of chronic disease in the 21st century: elimination of the leading preventable causes of premature death and disability in the USA. The Lancet, 384(9937), 45-52.

Bostock, S., & Steptoe, A. (2012). Association between low functional health literacy and mortality in older adults: longitudinal cohort study. Bmj, 344, e1602.

Coburn, K. D., Marcantonio, S., Lazansky, R., Keller, M., & Davis, N. (2012). Effect of a community-based nursing intervention on mortality in chronically ill older adults: a randomized controlled trial. PLoS Med, 9(7), e1001265.

Henderson, S., Kendall, E., & See, L. (2011). The effectiveness of culturally appropriate interventions to manage or prevent chronic disease in culturally and linguistically diverse communities: a systematic literature review. Health & social care in the community, 19(3), 225-249.

Jimenez, D. E., Bartels, S. J., Cardenas, V., Dhaliwal, S. S., & Alegría, M. (2012). Cultural beliefs and mental health treatment preferences of ethnically diverse older adult consumers in primary care. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(6), 533-542.

Salive, M. E. (2013). Multimorbidity in older adults. Epidemiologic reviews, mxs009.

Stellefson, M., Chaney, B., Barry, A. E., Chavarria, E., Tennant, B., Walsh-Childers, K., … & Zagora, J. (2013). Web 2.0 chronic disease self-management for older adults: a systematic review. Journal of medical Internet research, 15(2).

Takahashi, P. Y., Pecina, J. L., Upatising, B., Chaudhry, R., Shah, N. D., Van Houten, H., … & Hanson, G. J. (2012). A randomized controlled trial of telemonitoring in older adults with multiple health issues to prevent hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Archives of internal medicine, 172(10), 773-779.