StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Importance of Health - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This paper discusses the many ways by which the nursing profession can also do its part as a crucial member of the health care team. It is always a good mindset to not rely on the government in all instances, such as in health care, there are clearly limits to what the government can do…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER99% of users find it useful
Importance of Health
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Importance of Health"

? IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH (An essay on nursing) of (affiliation) Introduction The health of everyone is the concern and responsibility of that particular person and is also the responsibility of family members, society, and the government in terms of is formulation and implementation of public health policies. A healthy society is a productive society, while on the other hand, people who are sickly are not very productive and prove a hindrance to further economic development because their treatment and care require scarce personal and government resources which could have been deployed or used more productively in other endeavors. In the overall scheme of things, a healthy life should be the objective of everybody so each person can attain his or her full potential and enjoy life to the fullest until the very end. Health care today is expensive in most developed countries such as the United States of America because it is mostly performed by private entities which have a profit motive in order to stay in business, while in other countries, their governments have public health programs which are comparable to or even better than those offered in private hospitals and medical institutions. Whether it is private or public, health care is an economic and social issue because of the scarcity in personal or government financial resources. Any day spent in a hospital also marks a day off from work that results in lost productivity; to stay healthy is to be helpful to society at large. However, in any free-market capitalist society in which health care is expensive, there will always be sectors which prove vulnerable to the vagaries and costs of health care insurance. Some members of vulnerable sectors include children, certain groups of men and women, and its senior citizens who may not be able to afford health care and therefore lack access to it. Nursing as a profession can help to alleviate their plight and promote overall community health. Discussion A healthy citizenry is the primary aim of any government public health program. On the other hand, there are many resource constraints which can prevent the government from giving a much-needed help for health care to everyone of its citizens. This paper discusses the many ways by which the nursing profession can also do its part as a crucial member of the health care team. It is always a good mindset to not rely on the government in all instances, such as in health care. There are clearly limits to what the government can do, given its limited budget and also the very bureaucratic nature of governance; help may not be forthcoming at all or it might get delayed. In particular, this paper looks at how changing demographics has increased the number of elderly citizens in most countries today. This group of people is the most vulnerable of all, in terms of access to health care, financial resources, and the onset of many age-related ailments or diseases. Older or senior citizens therefore require special attention because of these factors. The overall aging (graying) of society is not confined to just a few countries. Advances in medical or scientific knowledge also contributed to longer lifespans, so there are now more older people. Most senior citizens are parents and grandparents, with families of their own and many offspring who love them for their warmth, wisdom, and accumulated knowledge. Their impact on the overall community is their presence gives younger people and families a certain sense of importance and continuity in terms of inter-generational relationships. The importance of them staying healthy is that the community can exert effort on more productive activities and not get tied down to caring for them and spending financial resources for their medication and treatment. To stay healthy is to save precious dollars which impacts positively on the whole community. The primary responsibility for senior group health is on the members of their own family who have to take care of them and provide for their material and financial needs. Children of the senior citizens should give them adequate attention such as making homes safe against accidents or falls which is the second-leading cause of accidental deaths among senior adults (second only to motor vehicle accidents such as collisions and crashes), monitor their diet and maintenance medications, encourage them to have physical exercise regularly, be alert for the first signs ever of any age-related mental ailments like Alzheimer's or dementia, and in general, look after them. Most accidental falls are due to poor eyesight when older people misjudge the depth or distance of the ground or the floor when walking and causing them to lose their balance (Gross, 2008, para. 9) which in turn cause bruises, dislocations, or even bone fractures. Family members should have their vision checked and provide them with eyeglasses or contact lenses. Hallways, bathrooms and the stairs should have hand grips installed in them for elderly parent to hold unto and avoid the falls. Floor surfaces should be checked if these are all even and there are no loose tiles or any slippery items on them such as toys or any carelessly thrown candy wrappers. If the family can afford it, then it is better to have surveillance cameras installed such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) so elderly people are easily monitored if something bad will happen to them (Holliday, 1989, p. 35) and urgent help can be extended right away. The government is secondarily liable for its senior citizens as a debt of gratitude for the people who had spent the best years of their lives serving society and government. Good public policy mandates the government to maintain adequate health centers for the elderly, provide assistance through Medicare, and health seminars for these seniors (Gebbie et al., 2003, p. 10). Many members belonging to this age group of senior adults are poor due to having retired already for quite some time and are low on funds due to their small savings or pensions. It puts them at risk of no access to health care because some of them cannot afford their health care insurance premiums. The recent Federal government shutdown illustrates the importance of how nursing professionals can help this vulnerable group of poor and uninsured senior citizens. Nurses can help seniors with paperwork on how to apply for Obamacare (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of March 23, 2010 or PPACA); the insurance premiums are now made more affordable for them and they need someone to guide them in their application process. All nurses must educate senior citizens on Medicare; for example, on how to get free preventive care and lower costs on prescription drugs or wider prescription drug coverage (Wofford, 2013, para. 5). Seniors who are retired need more financial and emotional assistance, because it is at this age when they are most vulnerable, with no regular source of income but now with many age-related ailments. Nursing care should be focused on this vulnerable group. Conclusion The nursing process consists of five stages, namely: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation (feedback if effective or not). With this in mind, the level of care should be suited to the physical and mental state of a particular patient in the senior age group. In actual practice of rendering health care, nurses must always observe the ethics of nursing care; it gives importance to respecting the individual patient, taking into account his or her options with regards to medical or nursing care, like avoiding racial or ethnic discrimination. However, a new paradigm in nursing requires men and women are to be treated different (Rachels, 2011, p. 151). The levels of care in geriatrics should emphasize good diet, regular physical exercise, knowledge of nutrition, healthy lifestyle practices, cessation of smoking and drinking, taking of vitamin supplements, to have a positive outlook in life, and to have emotional and spiritual fortitude. The aim of nursing is to maintain well-being by prevention of injuries and avoidance of illnesses. References Gebbie, K. M., Rosenstock, L. & Hernandez, L. M. (2003). Who will keep the public healthy? Educating public health professionals for the 21st century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Gross, Jane. (2008, September 11). “Caring and coping: Catching seniors before they fall.” The New York Times. Retrieved on October 18, 2013 from . Holliday, P. J. (1989). Accidental Falls of Elderly People. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Abe Books Incorporated. Rachels, J. (2011). The elements of moral philosophy. Columbus, OH: McGraw- Hill Publications. Wofford, C. (2013, September 16). “Americans must get the facts straight on Obamacare exchanges: Obamacare Facts are Stubborn Things.” U. S. News & World Report. Retrieved on October 20, 2013 from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/carrie-wofford/2013/09/16/americans-must-get-the-facts-straight-on-obamacare-exchanges Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Importance of Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/nursing/1488242-importance-of-health
(Importance of Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
https://studentshare.org/nursing/1488242-importance-of-health.
“Importance of Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/nursing/1488242-importance-of-health.
  • Cited: 1 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Importance of Health

Importance of Health Records

This essay "Importance of Health Records" mentions that a medical record is a taxonomic certification of a patient's individual anamnesis and aid.... The name medical record is applicable for both the physical folder for every single patient and for the entire health history of every single patient.... The health record also helps as a foundation for devising patient care, recording the dialogue between the healthcare supplier and any other medical professional leading to the patient's aid helping in defending the legal concern of the patient and the health care suppliers trustworthy for the care of the patient and recording the aid and services rendered to the patient....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Guidelines for Improving Healthcare

Being healthy is very important in an individual's life… However, in this paper I will outline the essence of health as one ages especially to the adults that fall in the age of 50+.... Scot's response on the health of the elderly is similar to some of the studies.... Eating right is another of making your health better....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

The Importance of Health Insurance

The project aims to clarify the Importance of Health insurance in reducing the healthcare expenses of the patients.... A third objective is to learn the Importance of Health insurance in reducing the rehabilitation expenses of the diabetes mellitus patients.... Another objective is to learn the importance of coding in the immediate release of reimbursements.... Many health insurance providers offer 100 percent medical nutrition therapy reimbursements to diabetes mellitus patients....
6 Pages (1500 words) Assignment

Importance of Health Care Insurance

The paper "Importance of Health Care Insurance" describes that paying for health insurance has many benefits contrary to not paying for the cover.... The general essence of health insurance covers cut on medical spending while giving individuals an array of choices when seeking for health care services.... The focus of health insurance cover is to ensure that people are covered while it should consider that the cost of Medicare is addressed.... nbsp; health cover policies require that when a business has a total number going up to 25 full-time employees, they will be mandated to tax credits covering a total of 50% the population of staff insurance premium cost....
4 Pages (1000 words) Case Study

Importance of Health Promotion

Importance of Health EducationHealth education builds the skills, knowledge and positive attitudes of students about health.... The positive impacts of health promotion make it necessary for the key stakeholders including nurses.... The main agenda of health promotion is to minimize health risks and maximize productivity.... The author of this paper highlights that the health status of communities, states, families and individuals and that of the nation is improved through health promotion....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Importance of Health and Nutrition

This essay describes the Importance of Health and nutrition.... This paper outlines physical health, the importance of fats, protein and carbohydrates, benefits of good health and nutrition.... I subscribe to numerous health and fitness magazines, such as Muscle Fitness Magazine and Men's health Magazine amongst others.... I decided to learn about health and nutrition because it was something I've always been interested in....
15 Pages (3750 words) Essay

The Domestic Violence as a Public Problem: the Importance of Health Care

health care workers are placed in a position to be a first responder to domestic violence, but may not be adequately prepared to address the issue.... The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of the UK's domestic violence policy as it impacts each of the five facets of culture, children, health care, law enforcement, and the courts....
11 Pages (2750 words) Research Paper

The Importance of Health Care System in America

rdquo; It is evidently clear from the discussion that there are various legal and ethical considerations which come on the scene while looking up to the quality of health care services provided by the American health care centers.... The importance of the healthcare sector has only increased since its establishment as people are getting more deteriorated, physically and mentally, due to their poor quality of thinking and living style.... This research will begin with the statement that in America, the healthcare industry is a vast sector and being a powerful nation, the country opts for a health care service which is of a qualitative nature....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us