I decided to write a community assessment paper regarding the elderly population with a lower socioeconomic status. Elders desire a life with good health, dignity, economic independence and finally a peaceful death. They long for care, love and affection. Understanding their needs and concerns will ensure their good health. It is important to research beneficial services for older people because they are a vulnerable age group. According to World Health Organization, “Senior citizens are considered a vulnerable population, even if an individual elderly person is physically able to care for herself and is in full possession of her mental capacity” (para. 1). If seniors belong to a lower socioeconomic group it becomes even harder for them to provide for themselves.
When I decided on what population I should choose for this assignment, I thought about my parents who are getting close to this age group and how important it is to provide care and help for them. They are immigrants who moved to the United States from Ukraine at an advanced age, and I see that such people need support. Older people are not as healthy as younger people, so it is harder to work and support themselves. Older people might feel vulnerable due to: untimely or degrading death, lack of physical care and health care, an oversupply of care and interference, poverty, exclusion from participation in society, homelessness, loss of autonomy and independence and other factors. Additionally, older immigrants are facing some extra obstacles such as the language barrier; they can not find a job due to lack of proficiency in English. They do not have much retirement because they did not work here in the United States, even though they worked hard in the country they moved from. Therefore, I will talk about some health benefits out there for seniors, and how these benefits can ease their life in advanced age.
One of the most important benefits is having easy access to health providers and medical institutions. In order to have this access, people need health insurance, because in the United States medical benefits are really expensive. Since the elderly population is not working they cannot have insurance through their employment, and if they are low-income they are unable to purchase it. Fortunately, Medicare can cover most health-related services. Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is one of the largest governmental organizations that helps the low-income population. The local facility is on 800 NE 136th Ave #110, Vancouver, WA 98684. It is a new building, close to Mill Plain, a convenient location because you can find bus station, food places, post offices and many other things close by. However, there are some elderly people who have disabilities and need assistance in transportation, so it would be great to have free bus travel for disabled passengers right from home to the office. I spoke to one of the representatives at DSHS and she explained what Medicare is and how it works. Medicare is a federal health insurance program that provides benefits to seniors (65 years and older) and those with disabilities and certain illnesses. According to DSHS, Medicare has several parts. “Parts A and B are called Original Medicare. They are run by the federal government. Medicare Part C is called Medicare Advantage. You buy Medicare Advantage plans from private health insurance companies that contract with the government. They work with Original Medicare coverage. Part D covers prescription drugs. Many Medicare Advantage plans combine Parts A, B, and D in one plan. And each Medicare plan only covers one person” (para. 2). In order to apply for the insurance, you can schedule an appointment with the agent, and who will help in processing the application or you can apply directly through the website: https://www.washingtonconnection.org/eapplication/home.go?action=Introduction.
Unfortunately, some plans do not cover all the services, such as dental or vision. Populations with lower incomes can not afford premium plans that have more coverage. Moreover, I found out that even if you have Plan C, due to your low income, more and more providers do not take State insurance at all. Less dental and vision providers (private practices) want to make contracts with State insurance due to lower profit. At times they accept only children up to 21 years old. When I used to work at a dental clinic we used to take DSHS insurance, but as soon as we got more patients and our contract expired my boss did not sign a new agreement and stopped taking that insurance. Also, it did not cover some major services such as crowns, bridges and root canals which may elderly patients need. So even if you have insurance you can not use it. Many barriers arise, patient can not have access to the provider that he wants or sometimes can’t find any provider. Thus, I we
Order this paper