Population Health Response to Colleague

RESPONSE

Response: Discussion Topic

Addisalem T.

My colleague indicates that the older population faces a wide range of challenges that are often not well addressed. These are inclusive of, but they are not limited to marginalization from their families and battle with various chronic illnesses. For this reason, there is need to ensure that various stakeholders are involved in efforts to promote older persons’ quality of life. Key stakeholders on this front could be inclusive of the government, community healthcare providers/workers, family members, religious organizations, etc. (Sharma and Branscum, 2020). It is important to note that as my colleague indicates, in some cases, policies and other interventions deployed to promote the wellbeing of the older population tend to be poorly designed – thus failing to address the unique needs of this population. The relevance of nursing cannot be overstated in efforts to secure the health and wellbeing of this particular vulnerable population. Indeed, in the words of Mager and Conelius (2019), “several models of care suggest the inclusion of registered nurses (RNs) and social workers to assist in activities meant to improve the coordination and integration of services across the continuum of care, especially for frail older adults” (121). Such activities are inclusive of, but they are not limited to the design and implementation of custom care management programs.

Chiquita F

My colleague makes an observation to the effect that African American women continue to be negatively affected by existing health inequities. This is more so the case when it comes to cardiovascular health. This assertion is collaborated by McKenzie and Pinger (2015) who indicate that among those who happen to be at exceptional risk for cardiovascular disease are African American women. Available data, as my colleague further observes, indicates that approximately 50,000 African American women lose their lives as a consequence of CVD on an annual basis. It therefore follows that that the involvement of various stakeholders in efforts to rein in this trend cannot be overstated. Nurses have an especially instrumental role, as my colleague points out. This is more so the case when it comes to the advancement of policies that seek to address existing disparities. I would also add that nurses could play a key role in the creation of awareness about this particular concern. Indeed, as Kalinowski, Taylor, and Spruill (2019) point out, “awareness of heart disease as a leading cause of death among women is lower in black versus white women...” (1002).