Exploring Two Potential Issues Related to Public Health Nursing
Mental Health of Older Adults
Aging and mental health are connected with comparatively high risks of developing psychological and cognitive issues. The nurse specializing in public health should know how to address older adult patients’ problems concerning their mental well-being.
Religious Support
The first argument supposes that patients should be supported by the religious views that help them cope with their problems. One example that proves this claim is the ability of older adult patients to cope with such a tragedy as the death of their child at an adult age if their religious faith determines their worldview (Jung, Lee, 623).
Socialization
The second arguable perspective is the need to enhance the social activity of older adult patients, and social media is an effective means of coping with this task. When older adults find friends online, they feel that they belong to the community more, as the period of the COVID-19 pandemic showed (Litwin, Levinsky, 925).
Summary
Therefore, there are two perspectives on how to help older adult patients reduce their chances of developing mental health issues. Religion and using social media to feel a sense of belonging to the community are equally effective in achieving these goals, even though the approaches are entirely different.
Patient-Centered Approach in Nursing Homes
Negative Attitudes Toward Nursing Homes
Nursing homes and medical care are controversial by their essence because they deprive older adult patients of the autonomy and life they are used to. The researchers discuss nursing homes in the context of the “quality of dying,” which is consistent with the negative connotations (Pivodic 1584). Older adult patients hesitate concerning the need to leave their homes to receive professional medical help and constant supervision (Pivodic 1584).
Positive Characteristics of Nursing Homes
At the same time, nursing homes are not synonymous with the complete deprivation of the patient’s autonomy, and they are more focused on providing patients with individual medical care. A patient-centered approach is supposed to satisfy all physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs of older adults who require medical supervision in nursing homes (Bhattacharyya et al. 817). It states that there is an existing prejudice concerning nursing homes among older adult patients who perceive these medical facilities as institutions that will restrict their autonomy and where they will die. There is a vital need to change the perception of the nursing home and the services the healthcare professionals provide to older adults.
Persuasive Essay Topic Choice
The Side I Might Argue
The topic for the final persuasive essay is aging and mental health. I choose to promote active social media use among older adult patients. This activity allows them to communicate with others to feel they belong to the community they might lack due to physical restrictions (Bhattacharyya et al. 817). In addition, social media and interaction with other people online help older adults support their intellectual level and cognitive abilities, which is a significant concern among this population.
Why This Topic Is Meaningful to My Audience
This topic is meaningful to my audience, which includes nursing students who plan to pursue careers in public health. Nurses must pay special attention to older adults and spend much time with them because of their chronic conditions and the need for constant medical supervision. For this reason, nurses should understand how to improve the well-being of this group of patients, which is the central issue in the patient-centered approach to care.
Summary
It is possible to conclude that aging and mental health are significant public health concerns due to the increased risks of developing chronic conditions among older adults. Among the potential problems are high chances for the development of depression, dementia, mood disorders, and cognitive disorders (Jung, Lee, 624). All these issues harm the person’s physical state and quality of life. For this reason, the professional nurse must understand the ways of helping older adult patients to reduce the risks of mental disorders developing.
Works Cited
Bhattacharyya, Kallol Kumar et al. “Person-Centered Care in Nursing Homes: Potential of Complementary and Alternative Approaches and Their Challenges.” Journal of Applied Gerontology: the Official Journal of the Southern Gerontological Society, vol. 41, no. 3 (2022): 817-825. Web.
Jung, Jong Hyun, and Hyo Jung Lee. “Death of a child, religion, and mental health in later life.” Aging & Mental Health, vol. 26, no. 3 (2022): 623-631. Web.
Litwin, Howard, and Michal Levinsky. “Social networks and mental health change in older adults after the Covid-19 outbreak.” Aging & Mental Health, vol. 26, no. 5 (2022): 925-931. Web.
Pivodic, Lara et al. “Quality of dying and quality of end-of-life care of nursing home residents in six countries: An epidemiological study.” Palliative Medicine, vol. 32, no. 10 (2018): 1584-1595. Web.