In community and public health nursing the target of care is the community, thus

Question

In community and public health nursing the target of care is the community, thus the community is the client receiving the care. The role of the nurse is to evaluate health concerns, and develop an aggregate plan of care to address those concerns. Aggregates or target populations in the community may include child care centers, cities, counties, senior centers, homeless shelters, minority communities, faith based organizations, work sites, schools, or other populations. Identify and discuss a few targeted populations in your community that are of interest to you, and explain your reasons for the selections identified.

Explanation / Answer

Target population: Mental Health Care and Service Utilization Among Depressed, Low-Income Minority Elderly Population

In the United States, the number of individuals aged 65 years and above has increased from 3 million (4% of total population) to 38.9 million (12.8% of the population) during the last century. The increased life expectancy may further increase this number to 72.1 million by 2010, means more than 1 in 5 Americans will be above 65 years aged. It was estimated that about 20% of individuals aged above 55 years’ experience at least one type of mental health concern. The common mental health problems of elderly include, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and severe cognitive impairments. These issues are often implicated as one of the key factors in cases of suicide. Elderly men aged 85 years or above have the highest suicide rate (45.23 per 100,000) compared to an overall suicide rate for all ages (11.01 per 100,000).

Elderly belonging to minorities is receiving inadequate mental health care services. As per the projections for the year 2050, the racial or ethnic minority will account for about 40% of the elderly population. Compared to non-Latino Whites, ethnic minorities exhibit the disproportionate rate of mental disorders and receive lower quality of care. So, the minorities are experiencing a higher burden of unmet needs for psychological issues mainly due to patient, provider, and health care system barriers. There are differences in beliefs regarding the causes of mental illness among the African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Latinos when compared to the Non-Latino White population. The treatment preferences and preferred characteristics of healthcare providers are affected by race/ethnicity. So, accommodating the cultural beliefs and individual preferences is needed to avail mental health services for racial/ethnic minority elderly.

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