Demographics Paper free essay sample

There are many factors that play into the needs and services of a population in terms of health care. The population in general is something that typically cannot be controlled. According to Yali and Revensons, (2004), â€Å"Given the current levels of social and racial disparities in health and the likelihood that these disparities will not decrease under the current health system, we presume that as the American population continues to change, these disparities will have an even greater impact on health â€Å"(pg. 147). With the population constantly growing, another element is the age of that population. The population aged 85 and over, the group most likely to need health and long-term care services, is projected to increase by 350% between the years 2000 and 2050. Although alarming, this would not be such a problem if it weren’t for the fact that the working age population is a much smaller number. Those working are the ones that are currently supplying taxes for government funded programs. This means that there will be less people paying the taxes that are necessary to pay for public programs for the older population and less people available to provide the services that older people need (Humphreys, 2012). The older population is going to have to deal with chronic diseases such as heart disease and osteoporosis that will require long term care. Medicine styles will need to change from one-time interventions to ongoing management of multiple diseases and disabilities (Humphreys, 2012). Any long term care services like nursing homes, home health, and adult day cares will be in a higher demand due to the aging population. The aging population has to deal with not only the need for in home medical care, but also the rising cost of health care services. Unfortunately as the demand or health care increases, so does the cost. There are many people over the age of 65 and not enough physicians to care for them. The supply of acute and long-term care workers like nurses and paraprofessional staff, such as CNA’s; home health aides; and personal care attendants is down (Butler, 1997). This is mainly due to low wages and benefits, hard working conditions, heavy workloads and a job that is stigmatized by society so it makes it difficult to recruit and retain these types of employees (Butler, 1997). These are all contributing factors to the rising costs of health care. â€Å"The rapidly rising cost of healthcare, an aging population, and the high prevalence of chronic disease among the elderly generate a sense of urgency for finding innovative solutions to this country’s healthcare crisis, including health promotion and disease prevention initiatives† (Goetzel, Shechter, Ozminkowski, 2007, para. ). A chronic disease wellness program would be a positive in any community. A program like this would help those of an older age take on healthier habits and quite possibly manage chronic conditions better. The program would also enable those in this demographic to be better educated on matters relating to their health. Another concern that has an impact on the cost for programs such as these is the increase in overweight people who may sooner or later suffer from diabetes, a chronic disease. Current statistics from CDC show an increase in diabetes patients from 8 per 1000 people as of 2008, to 15 per 1000 in 2050. Wellness programs would help to educate individuals to make better decisions regarding their care and in turn would help keep prices down. This is what these programs are specifically designed to do, promote self-efficiency, decrease health service utilization, and enable those in this particular demographic to attain better self-management skills. When marketing any product or service it is important to insure that the proper audience is being targeted. In this case, the marketing should be geared toward the seniors of our society. It would be a great benefit to the healthcare organization if the marketing targeted and promoted different programs to benefit those of an elderly demographic. More of these programs need to be made readily available and should be as affordable as possible so that this particular population can take advantage of them. Seniors are already at a disadvantage when it comes to looking for help, therefore without these publications many would not know where to turn for help or concerns. Society and the communities within it must communicate the different opportunities available to all age groups (Rooney, 2009). There are some organizations like community hospitals that offer services such as screenings and wellness programs to people of all ages. Community leaders need to get involved with the healthcare organizations in their neighborhood to help market the programs that are available to the community (Rooney, 2009). The reason our population of senior citizens is increasing is because of a lower birth rate and a longer life span. After looking into the demographics of the population and more specifically our senior citizens, there is reason for concern about the ability of our health care system to meet the needs of our society in the future. Unfortunately for this demographic, they face many other challenges. Not only will they face the increasing possibility of chronic diseases, but they will have to deal with the increasing cost of healthcare paired with an unstable coverage of health insurance. In order to deal with these problems in the future, the population must start to prevent them now. Wellness programs are much needed and should not only be focused on those of old age, but those who will be of that demographic in the future.