Description
The given Capstone essay aims to describe, analyze, and reflect on two key programs provided by the Island Senior Resources (ISR). They are Meals on Wheels (MOW) and the Aging and Disability Resources Program (ADRP). These programs are designed to thoroughly assist older individuals, who are primary clients of the organization. The first interviewee’s position is a practitioner, whereas the second one is an administrator. They both have a nursing professional background, but their responsibilities differ. The practitioner is in charge of taking care of older adults, and the administrator is involved in greeting and guiding the clients. The primary sources of funding for Island Senior Resources are governmental aid and donations. The former source ensures that basic functions are supported, whereas the bulk of charitable events and works are funded by donations from citizens.
Analysis
The mission of Island Senior Resources is to give resources, which enhance social, emotional, and physical well-being among adults with disabilities and seniors. It appears that the current goals of the organizations are perfectly aligned with their mission. The main reason is the fact that MOW aids physical needs, ADRP helps with social needs, and Time Together Adult Day Services assists with emotional needs. The ever-increasing relevance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) forcing ISR-like organizations to develop and improve workforce retention and recruitment methods to sustain their programs at the highest level possible (Miller, 2012). It is important to note that ACA was a massive boost to broadening the range of care options in nursing homes (Reinhard, Kassner, & Houser, 2011).
To understand the value of these programs, it is essential to overview the interests of senior citizens. The problem of older people as a whole is multifaceted and includes knowledge in the field of medicine, sociology, cultural studies, psychology, economics, jurisprudence, and others. Such a variety of information necessary for high-quality work with older people creates objective difficulties in obtaining it by specialist gerontologists in the traditional way when participating in conferences and acquainting oneself. In such a situation, professional programs and resources can provide invaluable assistance.
Seniors layout an individual lifestyle for themselves and are determined to depend on the given lifestyle, occupation, profession, preferences, social circle, and some hobbies appear already at retirement age. Having reached a certain age, a retired person can spend a large amount of time relaxing at home or going somewhere. Retirees sometimes might have very conservative views, which can act as a barrier to communication. Even if it suggested to spend free time at leisure in the old-fashioned way, such as walking; most older adults prefer to lie down on a sofa in front of a TV. In extreme cases, a senior can spend their free time doing housework. More social forms of spending leisure time by an older individual – cinema, theaters, sports – remain hobbies for a few seniors.
Recently, it has become relevant for senior citizens to travel during vacations. This is especially common in countries where tourism has become one of the main ways of leisure for senior citizens. After retiring, a person has a lot of free time and a desire to occupy himself/herself with something interesting and fascinating. Some retirees start gardening in the country, some are busy raising their grandchildren, and only a small number of people choose holidays in the form of trips to other countries and places.
Both Meals on Wheels and the Aging and Disability Resources Programs are funded by the sources, such as state grants, business contributions, and individual bequests. It is critical to note that the MOW program includes regular meal delivery services, which are strictly monitored by FDA and related organizations (Chance, 2018). Thus, the given influence limits the range of products used in meal preparations, which can make the regular consumption of these meals a little boring. In addition, the demographics of the population will shift towards the older age groups, which will require an increased volume of food delivery (Wiener, Lepore, & Jones, 2018). The given processes can hinder overall food quality even further because mass production and distribution diminish the nutritional value.
The key characteristic of the Island Senior Resources is that it offers a wide range of programs, which are targeted at a specific set of needs among seniors and people with disabilities. The main distinguishing factor in the field of aging is manifested in the fact that ISR actively seeks help from ordinary citizens in terms of donations or volunteer work. These changes are promoted by the notion that the population’s demand for home-and community-based services is increasing (Harrington, Ng, LaPlante, & Kaye, 2012). It also asks for various feedbacks, which the given organization values to develop correctly.
The most critical challenges of ISR are internal because it needs to grow to be able to help aging baby boomers. However, the main obstacle is the numerosity of various programs, which have to be expanded selectively. In addition, the MOW and ADRP are funded by state grants; thus, the financial distribution process requires forecasting and analysis. The strongest recommendation is that although ISR is a non-profit organization, the managers and board must actively increase the sources of funding and donations by promoting and advertising the services through aggressive marketing. However, it is critical to note that ISR and similar organizations face serious challenges due to the lack of competent professionals because they seek out careers in corporate environments (Stone, 2012). Thus, the MOW and ADRP should work on increasing the overall attractiveness of their vacancies, which can be achieved by more funding.
Reflection
I did not realize that most older people and adults with disabilities seek not only food or medical assistance, but also a large proportion of these people require emotional care. Many of them suffer from loneliness and depression caused by isolation, which doubles their motivation to seek out organizations and agencies, such as MOW and ADRP. Although the given experience gave me a lot of insight and useful information, it did not affect my future career goals, because I always wanted to aid older adults. However, my practice philosophy will undergo some adjustments because I now know that emotional needs are as important as physical ones. I firmly believe that a person who wants to work at the given organization must possess a sense of love and sympathy for seniors. The main reason is that it will allow them to stay passionate about their job, which is always translated into self-improvement and development as a professional.
References
Chance, K. (2018). FDA expectations for demonstrating interchangeability. Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science, 52(3), 369-373.
Harrington, C., Ng, T., LaPlante, M., & Kaye, S. (2012). Medicaid home and community-based services: Impact of the Affordable Care Act Actions. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 24, 169-187.
Miller, E. (2012). The Affordable Care Act and long-term care: Comprehensive reform or just tinkering around the edges? Actions Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 24, 101-117.
Reinhard, S., Kassner, E., & Houser, A. (2011). System of long-term services and supports: How the Affordable Care Act can help move states toward a high-performing system of long-term services and supports Actions. Health Affairs, 3, 447-453.
Stone, R. (2012). The impact of health care reform on the workforce caring for older adults Actions. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 24, 188-205.
Wiener, J. M., Lepore, M., & Jones, J. (2018). What policymakers need to know about long-term services and support actions. Public Policy & Aging Report, 28(1), 29-34.