Health is one of the vital aspects that human beings should enjoy in their lifetime. In the recent past, several countries have embarked on steps that minimize the challenges associated with healthcare and ensure that all their citizens enjoy high-quality healthcare. However, there are some of the populations in various countries, who do not receive an optimum level of the desired healthcare. Some of the populations, who do not receive and enjoy the maximum benefits of healthcare, are the elderly. The elderly usually encounter various challenges, which limit the quality of healthcare that they receive. Therefore, the essay selects the elderly population and analyses access to good healthcare and poverty, which are among the health-related issues that they face in the United States.
The essence of good healthcare emanates from psychosocial needs that individuals in society expect from the state. Psychosocial needs such as survival, physiological, self-esteem, and self-actualization are among the needs that compound the importance of good healthcare. Savage, Xu, Lee, Rose, Kappesser, and Anthony (2006) explain that healthcare providers need to understand psychosocial needs to enhance the quality of medical services that they deliver. Since the needs affect the overall productivity, confidence, and state of the citizens in a given country, they are mandatory in the quest to deliver high-quality medical services.
A large number of the elderly populations in the United States experience the challenge of accessibility every time they want to receive medical attention. The issue of access, which has a close relationship with health, is prevalent because several elders are unable to travel for long distances to acquire the much-desired medical attention (Long, Stockley, & Nordahl, 2012). Additionally, the elderly may not engage in regular visits to healthcare centers as is required, and hence, medical issues that could be solvable in their tender stages become complex. For instance, in the United States, the number of elderly reported having serious medical conditions has risen since the late 90s (Braveman, & Gruskin, 2010). The increased numbers of old people suffering from serious medical conditions in the United States clarify the fact that they visit healthcare centers when their health worsens.
Another health-related issue is poverty, which means the inability to address basic needs and secondary requirements. According to Ricketts (2013), in the United States, some elderly individuals retire without savings, and as such, they quickly deplete the small amount of cash within their disposal. In the aftermath, the elderly then start relying on aid from funds, charity, and the government, which in most cases does not address all their requirements. Inability to purchase the basic needs implies that one cannot afford health care services, a factor that makes poverty one of the issues associated with inadequate healthcare (Koch, Schurmann, & Sawicki, 2010; Scott, Solomon, & McGowan, 2001). With little savings or dependency on government aid, the elderly cannot afford a good medical cover, which is important in addressing the numerous ageing ailments.
Good health for all citizens is a development cornerstone of every country. However, regardless of the several strides made by various countries, some of their populations still suffer from inadequate medical attention. The elderly are among the populations, who experience health related issues. Since the elderly have reduced energy, suffer from age related ailments, and some do not have sufficient income to address their basic needs, they are highly vulnerable to a range of health related issues unlike other populations. Concisely, health related issues like access to good healthcare and poverty are very pronounced among the elderly populations in several regions of the United States and globally.
References
Braveman, P., & Gruskin, S. (2010). Policy and Practice: Poverty, Equity, Human Rights and Health. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 81(7), 539-545.
Koch, K., Schurmann, C., & Sawicki, P. (2010). The German Health Care System in international comparison. Deutsches Ă„rzteblatt International, 107(24), 427-434.
Long, S., Stockley, K., & Nordahl, K. (2012). Coverage, Access, and Affordability under Health Reform: Learning from the Massachusetts Model. Inquiry Journal 49(4), 303-316.
Ricketts, T. (2013). How the Affordable Care Act Will Affect Access to Health Care in North Carolina. NCMedical Journal.Com 74(4), 324-329.
Savage, L., Xu, Y., Lee, R., Rose, L., Kappesser, & Anthony, S. (2006). A Case Study in the Use of Community-Based Participatory Research in Public Health Nursing. Public Health Nursing, 23(5), 472-478.
Scott, R., Solomon, S., & McGowan, J (2001). Applying Economic Principles to Health Care. Special Issue, 7(2), 282-285.