Geriatrics is a private branch of gerontology that deals with the study, prevention, and treatment of diseases of old age. Some diseases are often observed precisely in the elderly. For example, Alzheimer’s disease is usually found in older people. The phenomenon of aging refers to all morphological, biochemical, functional, and mental changes that occur during the life of an organism. These are gradually developing and irreversible changes in the structures and functions of a living being. However, a certain degree of disparity in the healthcare industry can be observed, where the geriatric population has unequal access to essential services.
Historically, the Older Americans Act (OAA) was designed to fund critical aspects of geriatric care. However, it was expired, and currently, it is signed by the president, but the bill was not enacted (“Older Americans Act,” 2020). The primary purpose and the potential outcome of the OAA are to fund several services, such as transportation, caregiver support, health promotion, senior centers, job training, and meals. Therefore, the current policy goal is to enact the Older Americans Act to allow senior citizens to have relatively equal access to healthcare as other demographic groups. In psychiatry, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, dentistry, surgery, urology, and other areas of medicine, there are scientific and practical problems that are associated with geriatrics.
There are specialized geriatric and gerontology centers that provide versatile medical care to patients of older age groups. The geriatric center and nursing home should not be confused. While the nursing home is a social institution and may not provide medical services, the geriatric center is a medical institution. To obtain the status of a geriatric center, an institution must have a license to provide medical services, including in the field of geriatrics.
The majority of patients visiting polyclinics are elderly and senile. The satisfaction of the medical needs of this age group is determined by the socio-economic level of society and by the state of gerontology and geriatrics. The modern elderly patient is a unique clinical phenomenon in terms of the presence and combination of a variety of pathologies, which are extremely important in terms of prognostic value and impact on the patient’s quality of life.
Geriatrics differs from standard medicine for adults by focusing on the unique needs of an older adult. The old body is physiologically different from the young adult body, also in old age, a decline in the activity of various organ systems is manifested. Lifestyle and previous health problems lead to different groups of diseases and symptoms in different people. The onset of symptoms depends on the remaining healthy reserves in the organs (Burton, Lee, & Potter, 2016). Geriatrics distinguishes between diseases and the consequences of normal aging and seeks to treat diseases and achieve healthy aging. Geriatrics is focused on achieving the patient’s highest priorities in the context of multiple chronic conditions and on maintaining function.
It is important to note that there are several determining factors for the disparity in healthcare for the geriatric population. Psycho-social aspects of the issue can be associated with the fact that many neurodegenerative disorders and mental health problems are more likely to develop among senior citizens (Burton et al., 2016). Economic factors also play a major role in contributing to the given disparity. It is stated that many citizens, including senior ones, are uninsured, and these unmet healthcare needs result in healthcare access disparity (Yamada et al., 2015). Therefore, economic misbalance leads to the fact that many older adults tend to be uninsured or underinsured due to their financial status, which manifests itself in gradual disparity growth in healthcare.
In addition, ethnic factors need to be included, because minority groups can have a larger income gap. This can result in many minority senior citizens will have a significant portion of their healthcare needs unmet. The language barrier can be a critical component of such disparity because proper communication ensures that all treatment and care are handled correctly (Burton et al., 2016). It can be manifested in a geriatric patient being underdiagnosed, which results in the treatment being ineffective.
The primary utilization for the given topic is that legislative inactivity can directly affect a senior citizen’s quality of life and well-being. Many older adults need governmental assistance and support regarding the necessary geriatric services. Protecting the health of citizens is an essential condition for the life of society, and the state is responsible for the level of medical care that would guarantee the preservation and maintenance of health, prevent disability, and premature death. Currently, the main problems in the healthcare sector are the quality of medical care and its free delivery. Of particular relevance to these problems is the onset of retirement age, when a person’s income, as a rule, decreases, and their health deteriorates.
In conclusion, it is highly important to understand that the disparity observed in healthcare regarding the geriatric population is fueled by healthcare access inequality and unmet medical needs. Senior citizens are at most risk for chronic and neurodegenerative disorders, where the latter be manifested in psych-social barriers. In addition, the fact that Older Americans Act is not enacted results in many older adults being underinsured or uninsured. There can also be ethnic reasons for healthcare disparity among the geriatric population due to certain language barriers.
References
Burton, J. R., Lee, A. G., & Potter, J. F. (2016). Geriatrics for specialists. Berlin, Germany: Springer.
Older Americans Act. (2020). Web.
Yamada, T., Chen, C. C., Murata, C., Hirai, H., Ojima, T., Kondo, K., & Harris, J. R., (3rd ed.) (2015). Access disparity and health inequality of the elderly: Unmet needs and delayed healthcare. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(2), 1745-1772. Web.