Essay Sample about Advocating for the Elderly in the Community

As a nurse, it is our responsibility to advocate for the less fortunate in the community like the elderly who require healthcare due to age-related health problems such as Arthritis. In my advocacy work, I have encountered many elderly people in the community who are not aware of their right to care and feel neglected by the community. Mrs. Dawson was living alone after her husband and two children perished in a road accident and she had no one to look after her. As a good neighbor, I realized that Mrs. Dawson was struggling with her healthcare needs and arthritis complications was making it hard for her to do a daily activities to earn a living. In December, I accompanied my friends to advocate to her to help her get a long-term solution to her problem. I was able to inform and educate Mrs. Dawson on Medicaid assisted living and nursing home benefits. Medicaid helps the elderly by paying for the nursing home and assisted living care. Through Medicaid assisted living program, Mrs. Dawson would be able to benefit through an assisted living program especially because of her arthritis complications which makes it difficult for her to carry out her daily activities on her own. The advantage of the Medicaid assisted living is that it is a long-term program and she can choose the in-home services where she will be able to get help with arthritis medication management and also housekeeping. Upon educating Mrs. Dawson on the Medicaid benefits for assisted living and in-home services she agreed for the in-home services and she was qualified because of her age. After enlisting for the Medicaid in-home assisted living Mrs. Dawson health has significantly improved because she can now manage her medication well and also she gets assistance on the in-house housekeeping chores.

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The advocacy had a significant impact as a nursing professional I felt that I was able to give back to the community by educating the elderly and the less fortunate on their healthcare and wellbeing options. I feel excited that Mrs. Dawson will have someone to take care of her and she will be able to take her arthritis medication regularly and in time which will significantly improve her health. On advocating for Mrs. Dawson I was able to learn that therapeutic relationship with the patient help to identify the problems faced by the patient and inform them of their different options which makes it easy for the patients to understand their situation and make positive decisions. I was able to learn that many people in the community are not aware of their healthcare options especially the Medicaid beneficiaries and it is important to regularly educate the community members on different healthcare options available for them. Advocacy is a process because apart from identifying the target for advocacy one needs to carry out a background study on the best options for the patient as well as network with the individuals and institutions which can provide the necessary help to the patient. Therefore, advocacy starts with the establishment of a problem or a perspective and establishing the best alternatives for the current condition. The major barrier encountered was the opposition from Mrs. Dawson because she viewed me as an outsider. However, after informing her of the role of advocacy she agreed to listen and consider the options I gave to her. The advocacy activity played a significant role in educating me the challenges faced by the elderly people in the society and the importance of advocacy especially for the less fortunate in the society.