Social justice is a serious concern in the United States, as some vulnerable groups are still deprived of various opportunities (Ardelt & Friedman, 2015). It is necessary to note that much has been done to ensure equality when it comes to health care. For instance, Medicare can be regarded as one of the most important initiatives that help many people including such vulnerable groups as the elderly (Ardelt & Friedman, 2015). Nevertheless, elderly people of color are less satisfied with the care provided (as compared to white older adults), and they are less likely to use all the services available to older adults (Wiesel & Weinberger, 2015). Some of the major values of a democratic society include equal access to available resources and equal treatment of people irrespective of their backgrounds. This paper includes a brief overview of the literature available on the social injustice experienced by the elderly with a focus on ethnic minorities and available resources and services. This paper also discusses a few ways to minimize this injustice.
Review of the Literature
Wiesel and Weinberger (2015) explored older adults’ experiences associated with the use of healthcare services. The authors stress that elderly ethnic minority groups are characterized as having limited knowledge of available services, low expectations, and an inability to advocate their own needs (Wiesel & Weinberger, 2015). Thus, elderly patients of color often receive a limited number of services that are insufficient to meet their health needs. When this occurs, two basic ethical standards are violated: people are not treated equally, and people are not respected since their individual needs are not met.
Some Jesuit values that are not followed in these circumstances are Cura Personalis and men and women for others. Although certain efforts have been made to ensure equality in health care, some initiatives associated with these efforts are seen negatively younger generations who think that they care for the elderly is excessive while thousands of American children are behind the poverty line (Ardelt & Friedman, 2015). These researchers stress that the elderly benefit from the federal subsidies provided within Medicare. One problem is that the provision of funds does not ensure equality in the health care system. This is an injustice because elderly minorities are not receiving adequate care. It violates provisions 4 and 5 of the nurse’s ethical code.
Apart from the ethical standards mentioned above, the injustice in question is associated with the violation of another value. Teaching is inefficient or even non-existent. There can be no agents of change when people are unaware of proper practices, standards, regulations, and so on. The Elder Justice Act (EJA) stipulates training to improve healthcare services provided to the elderly (Kleba & Falk, 2014).
Application to Nursing
The existing injustice causes numerous inconveniences to the affected populations and contributes to the development of disparities in society. However, this injustice can be minimized through the adherence to ethical standards and regulations aimed at ensuring social justice. First, it is essential to focus on the training of healthcare professionals. Researchers such as Rosen et al. (2016) and Kleba and Falk (2014) emphasize the importance of proper education and training. EJA is an excellent platform for the development of effective incentives. Some on the job training and certain courses have proven to be effective, but they are still insufficient as even those who receive training often fail to use the most appropriate strategies. Rosen et al. (2016) found that only slightly over 12% of nursing professionals of a nursing home used appropriate strategies to address the needs of their patients. It is critical to include social injustice into the nursing curriculum. Students should know the peculiarities of the populations in question and should be aware of practices and services available to those patients.
Importantly, healthcare professionals should be committed to educating patients. Nurses spend more time with patients as compared to other healthcare practitioners. Some parts of this time should be devoted to patient education and the provision of the most relevant information. Nurses should make sure that all patients know about the available services and resources. Nurses can provide leaflets with certain information appropriate for different groups (differentiated by a health condition, gender, age, ethnicity, and so on). Nursing professionals can be specifically helpful when it comes to long-term care as they have time to develop proper relationships. Nurses should be trained accordingly (Wiesel & Weinberger, 2015). These healthcare professionals should obtain up-to-date information concerning the existing opportunities of such a vulnerable group as the elderly. Of course, there can be no bias or prejudice. Nurses should treat all patients equally irrespective of their age, ethnicity, gender, and other (Kleba & Falk, 2014).
It is impossible to provide all the necessary information to patients – nurses are overloaded with tasks and, more importantly, it can be difficult to understand the needs of every patient. Wiesel and Weinberger (2015) offer the use of a specific framework for assessing patients’ needs. These researchers argue that this framework can help healthcare professionals identify the services that can be the most beneficial for the patient. Therefore, it is possible to use this framework or to develop some tools on its basis. Some of the Jesuit values that apply here are Cura Personalis and men and women for others.
Conclusion
It is fair to say that the existing regulations, incentives, and practices aimed at the development of a truly fair healthcare system are not sufficient some groups are still treated differently than others. It is essential to incorporate social justice into the curriculum, improve on-the-job training, and develop the appropriate organizational culture in healthcare facilities. Elderly minority groups are vulnerable, as these populations often fail to use some benefits of the healthcare system, governmental programs, and regulations to meet their healthcare needs. The major barrier to the equal use of services is the lack of knowledge.
In simple terms, elderly minority groups do not know about opportunities or resources available to them and are reluctant to ask healthcare professionals for help (Wiesel & Weinberger, 2015). There are several ways to improve this situation. Nurses can be the major agents of change, as they spend a considerable amount of time with patients. Nurses have the necessary information concerning healthcare services, and they often develop appropriate relationships because patients trust them and follow their advice. Nurses should feel empowered to bring changes to the healthcare facilities, which can be achieved through training and the use of effective leadership. Therefore, the existing regulations and programs (such as Social Security and the EJA) should be expanded. More attention should be paid to the training of healthcare staff, which will be provided through formal education and on-the-job training.
Rubric Scholarly Paper: Social Injustice in the Geriatric Population
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References
Ardelt, M., & Friedman, H. L. (2015). Social justice issues in gerontology and psychology. In C. V. Johnson, & H. L. Friedman (Eds.), The Praeger handbook of social justice and psychology (pp. 191-223). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Kleba, P., & Falk, N. (2014). The Elder Justice Act. American Journal of Nursing, 114(9), 65-68.
Rosen, T., Lachs, M., Teresi, J., Eimicke, J., Van Haitsma, K., & Pillemer, K. (2016). Staff-reported strategies for prevention and management of resident-to-resident elder mistreatment in long-term care facilities. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 28(1), 1-13.
Wiesel, T. W., & Weinberger, M. I. (2015). Psychosocial issues in an elderly minority population. In J. C. Holland, T. W. Wiesel, C. J. Nelson, A. J. Roth, & Y. Alici (Eds.), Geriatric psycho-oncology: A quick reference on the psychosocial dimensions of cancer symptom management (pp. 145-151). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.