Elderly in Community: Support Groups for Safety, Health & Wellness - Essay Sample

Introduction

Human services or community-based services for the elderly are support groups designed in the quest of aiding older adults dwelling in the community in ensuring their safety at homes and in the delay and prevention of institutionalization (Siegler, Lama, Knight, Laureano, & Reid, 2015). They are aimed at providing vast resources to the elderly inclusive and not limited to nutritional support, programs of wellness, counseling services, educational programs on elderly health, and general assistance with finances, housing, and safety of homes through their caregivers. Additionally, the human services for the elderly encompass opportunities from the community and engagement of the civic via programs of volunteers, coupled with enhancing the skills and attitudes of individuals in living and gaining control over local communal aspects (Siegler et al., 2015). This paper is aimed at discussing the roles played by human service workers about the elderly, the beneficial strategies such services accord the elderly laws and perspectives available for the same, coupled with how the elderly can be better served. Do the elderly require these services? Human service for the elderly is therefore vital for the older adults owing to their education services on elderly health, counseling services, housing, and financial assistance together with the home safety of the elderly

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History of the Social Welfare Policy for the Elderly

Aging services foundation in the United States dates back to centuries following the Elizabethan Poor Law that was enacted in England in 1601 that aided in the provision of foundation intellects for aging services ion the colonies of America (Achenboun, & Carr, 2014). Support was offered by kin in cases where the relatives lacked the capabilities of sustenance of self-reliance as neighbors chipped in cases of unavailability of families. Failures of the informal modes of goods and services delivery prompted the delegates on both private and public spheres to act in concert.

Similarly, the local parishes took it upon themselves to offer food and firewood for the old who were needy. And when all other options failed, then the officials of the public who were exercising taxation powers and running oversight facilities for the poor intervened. Aging services arrangement remained prevalent in US history following the deep roots of the British laws of the poor reinforced through the injunctions of the bible and the norms of respecting the aging that prevailed. That is coupled with the survival of few settlers that had advanced in years hence easier management on claims of senior services.

The needy elders in the US gradually gained sympathy among neighbors, civic leaders, and town officials and by 1642, the colony of the Playmouths' Pilgrims had allowed the outlays of the elder who was vulnerable (Achenboun, & Carr, 2014). It was the same body that saw the institution of outdoor relief sixteen years later in the form of offering food and the necessities for the poor, followed by Boston in 1664, then Philadelphia' local officials and consequently Charleston and New York (Achenboun, & Car, 2014). Also, the Anglican Church in Virginia and Williamsburg granted tax relief on the elderly who were poor, and the assistance pattern of the elderly persisted in the US until the 20th Century families continued in their support provision for their elderly kin.

With time, there was a rise in alternatives to aim houses initiated by the local group of philanthropists and bouquets in the quest of catering for particular sections of the elderly. Additionally, there were residences built by the Urban Catholic Churches and Communities of the Jewish for the congregants of superannuated immigrants. Moreover, there was the formalization of pension programs by corporates and unions in the quests of benefiting the aging workers that were qualified. The same aid was witnessed by the fraternal organizational members who, instead of frequenting the bars, resolved to help the old and disabled. Similarly, there were boarding houses that offered free food and bed for the elders were needy a the federal government ensured granting of pensions, coupled with the erection of homes of soldiers to help the wounded and the older veterans who were indigent in a vast majority of wars.

However, the federal government altered the aging services system through the national acts underscoring the Social Security Act of 1935 under title one that initiated a partnership between various states and the federal government. That is in the quest to assuage old-age dependency and title two that required both employees and employers' contributions in multiple sectors towards the eventual retirement of workers (Achenbaum, & Carr, 2014). Other subsequent amendments redirected the service developments and the social welfare of the US to appropriate federal funds to elderly Americans. And following the enactment of Older Americans Act (OAA) in 1965 the following rights for the elderly were initiated; suitable housing, efficient services from the community inclusive of low transportation cost, best physical and mental health, and adequate income in retirement (Achenbaum, & Carr, 2014). Henceforth the Aging Services has been in coordination with the Administration on Aging (AOA) By offering grants to states that qualify to stem from personal training, demonstration grants, research on aging, community-based planning, guidance centers, and recreational facilities for the elderly.

Laws, Programs, Attitudes, Perspectives, and Resources Available for the Elderly

The primary program that was in play was the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and its Political Declaration (Madrid Plan) that emphasizes the government's crucial role in providing for, promoting, and ensuring that the elderly can access essential social services themselves. The Madrid Plan was also aimed at eliminating all discrimination forms, especially discrimination on age and ensuring that the elderly enjoy health, a fulfillment life, security, and participation in the economic, social and political spheres in the society ( United Nations Population Fund and Help Age International,2011). The dominant priority direction for the Madrid Plan underscored older persons and developments through the establishment of social security systems, advancing health and wellness, being of the elderly through training of geriatric and gerontologists in health professions. It also ensures an enabling and supportive environment for the elderly through tackling elder abuse, promotion of the positive image of aging, and providing support for the caregiver.

The perspective under consideration underlined development and coordination affect responses to aging across all ministries in the government, coupled with agency investment in capacity building in response to the needs of the elderly. Another perspective juxtaposed the provision of the needed resource in the quest of implementing policies and putting across transparent and accessible mechanisms for monitoring and support for the elderly. Similarly, the perspectives underscored the adjustment of the existing systems stemming from the social protection and health care sector to reflect in the priorities of the national budget. Similarly, it formulated the strengthening of the dimensions of the old age and the aging mainstream in all public policy sectors and ensuring the availability of the resource for the policies and program evaluation in the bottom up.

Since 2002, many countries have devised holistic policies with concern to the aging that has translated into laws (United Nations Population Fund and Help Age International, 2011). The rules are in coherence to age mainstreaming and the national action plans for the aging into their inclusion and harmonization into policies of priority. Most member states have adopted a national policy plan on aging that cover a vast majority of issue that are relevant to the persons of aging. Additionally, there have legal instruments to ensure resource assigning and issuance to the elderly as spelled out in the Madrid Plan. The resources are available to the national budget for the implementation of the national plans on the elderly.

Personal Experiences/Insights Relating to the Elderly

The United States and many other countries globally experience an aging population. Such growth in the elderly population has evoked a rising concern concerning the available healthcare provider available for the community. A report by the Institution of Medicine (IOM) juxtaposed recommendations aimed at increment and retention of caregivers and specialists of geriatric. Intervention targeting the elderly perception among the young generation in the quest of promoting interest has been warranted, and the same applies to the intergenerational program that not only benefits the elderly but also a positive attitude on the younger generation. The mutually beneficial program ha bore fruit in through helping older adults and positively impact on the student participation on the same. It has, for instance, improving the awareness of dementia, change in stereotyping, and attitude toward the elderly, improved performance in school coupled with the cooperation of reminiscence (Chippendale, 2013).

A review of an incorporation program underscored that mot elder was not able to generate their shoddy written work nor benefit from writing workshops. Similarly, in the realm of internalization of age stereotype, a study hoed that the environment in conjunction with culture responsible for stereotyping. Intergenerational programs, therefore, aimed at curbing the effect of mainstream culture through instilling positive images on the students that the elderly are senior community dwellers.

Types of Roles that Human Services Workers Perform for the Elderly

Human service workers employed in the homes of the elderly perform a vast majority of functions underlying helping the elderly adjust to their lives in their new homes. They also advocate for the need and rights of their client, providing supportive counseling sessions coupled with psychological assessments. The services workers for the elderly, also known as geriatrics, work in nursing homes, the same environments with the elderly or assisted living facilities (Miller, 2020). Human service workers are mandated with the role of providing psychological assessments in the quests of determining the amount of care needed, whether counseling or psychiatric intervention. Psychological evaluations are done to determine a person's social, biological, and psychological needs. After completion of the psychological assessment, the social worker discusses her findings with the team of interdisciplinary, consisting of physical therapists, medical staff, and occupational therapists for better collaboration on treatment formulation in addressing the need of the elderly.

Similarly, the human service workers perform counseling to help the elderly adjust with the lives of their new homes of supportive care settings that may be about challenging to them at first. The advice which the service worker may provide to individual or groups is also aimed at helping the elderly in overcoming the social, emotional, and psychological obstacles of adjustments. Failure of the facility to provide some services, then the client would be referred to other professionals or other appropriate resources. Additionally, the service providers educate the elderly together with their families regarding the clients' rights and responsibilities. They also provide education to the support staff on the residents' psychological needs besides training on diversity and multicultural issues (Miller, 2020). They achieve that through st...