Within the Discussion Board area, write 500–700 words that respond to the follow

Question

Within the Discussion Board area, write 500–700 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

Discuss a population group that is facing greater challenges and barriers to accessing care in the United States. Include the following in your discussion:

Why does that segment of the U.S. population face greater challenges and barriers to accessing care?

What programs (local, state, or federal), if any, exist today to attempt to provide access to the vulnerable population you are discussing?

Note: Use APA style and at least 2 scholarly references.

Explanation / Answer

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

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 a 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 to racial/ethnic minority elderly (Jimenez et al., 2012).

About 2 million elderly individuals in the United States are homebound due to various chronic illnesses and functional impairments (Shafir et al., 2016). The homebound individuals particularly minorities are more vulnerable to depression and other psychological illnesses due to their social isolation and disabilities. Despite this fact, a majority of homebound individuals does not approach healthcare providers and receive treatment due to the provider and system-level barriers. For example, in certain home care settings, the service providers may not receive adequate training in assessing and dealing with depression cases (Choi et al., 2010). Prescription medications are the most common form of treatment for depression and anxiety for low-income and homebound elderly. These individuals generally cannot access outpatient psychotherapy services due to financial limitations, lack of office-based or home-based psychotherapy services.

References:

Jimenez, D. E., Bartels, S. J., Cardenas, V., Daliwal, S. S., & Alegría, M. (2012). Cultural Beliefs and Mental Health Treatment Preferences of Ethnically Diverse Older Adult Consumers in Primary Care. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(6), 533–542.

Shafir, A., Garrigues, S. K., Schenker, Y., Leff, B., Neil, J., & Ritchie, C. (2016). Homebound Patient and Caregiver Perceptions of Quality of Care in Home-Based Primary Care: A Qualitative Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 64(8), 1622–1627.

Choi, N. G., Teeters, M., Perez, L., Farar, B., & Thompson, D. (2010). Severity and correlates of depressive symptoms among recipients of meals on wheels: age, gender, and racial/ethnic difference. Aging & Mental Health, 14(2), 145-154

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