Pause and Reflect

Pause and Reflect

Ref #M2-PR1

How does the Canadian health care system address the diverse and unique needs of older adults?  What, if any, are some areas for improving, accommodating, and meeting the needs of older adults?

The Canadian health care system addresses the unique and diverse health needs of older adults in various ways. First, the government establishes the Canadian Medical Association. The authority provides insight and science-based guidelines to health care professionals and other associated personnel and fields in efforts aiming at promoting, establishing, and maintaining health in older adults. The association achieves this through advocating and working with the government to develop and implement the appropriate policies. For instance, the Canadian Medical Association published a policy recommendation for improving health in older adults in Canada in 2013. The association proposed ways to improve support programs for the aging, provision of comprehensive services and health products, and provision of an age-friendly environment (Canadian Medical Association, 2013). The key health areas emphasized in the report include nutritional and physical wellness, safety from the risk of falls, and mental health and social wellbeing (Canadian Medical Association, 2013). In addition, the government plays a direct role in ensuring the welfare of older adults. First, it has pension plans for the retiring workers, which provides some degree of financial security that is one of the stressors in old age. Secondly, the government offers various programs for assisting the aging, including health service programs and financial support for some conditions. It also provides the MAiD legislature that allows them to end life in severe health conditions. However, I think the MAiD services should include even those suffering from mental and psychiatric conditions.

• Pause and Reflect

Ref #M3-PR1

What are some differences between your generation and that of your parents?

There are several notable differences between my parents’ generation and mine. First, my generation has grown interacting with and having knowledge regarding the internet, smartphones, computers, and social media while my parents’ generation came to experience these things in advanced ages. As such, my generation easily manipulates, use, and interact with the internet and computer technology. For instance, I often see my father looking for information in books while I would rather search for information on the internet. The second difference is that my generation has been exposed to more advanced knowledge and global exposure. As such, our attitudes and views on community, national, or international issues are more liberal or accommodating. This might be due to the increased use of social media by my generation, which allows us to pass and share information quickly around the globe. This makes me think that we might be more efficient and effective when incorporating new technologies into an organization than managers of my parents’ generation are able to. Lastly, while my parents’ generation was taught and trained to be effective managers, my generation is constantly bombarded with notions of becoming leaders instead. It implies that my generation might be more innovative and ready to lead than my parents’ generation.

• Pause and Reflect

Ref #M7-PR2

The WHO definition considers much more than physical health, which is sometimes what people solely include in their health definitions. But can a person be healthy and/or consider themselves healthy if they are diagnosed with an illness? Why or why not? Does health have to be a complete state of wellbeing?

I think one can be healthy even when diagnosed with an illness. However, it depends on the illness or condition. WHO recognizes health as complete wellbeing not only physically, but also emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, mentally, and socially. This implies that an individual must exhibit the optimal wellbeing in these respective areas for it to be said that they are healthy in that dimension. Therefore, the role of the health care system is to recognize impairments or missed opportunities in these dimensions and institute interventions that place health in the respective domain optimal. For instance, a malnourished child requires diet therapy to ensure nutritional health. Notably, though, some conditions cannot be improved, changed, or eliminated. For instance, an amputated leg cannot be replaced with another living tissue leg. In such a situation, if the person has been treated and rehabilitated adequately enough to resume his daily life undeterred, he can be said to be healthy even with the missing leg. However, before treatment and rehabilitation, that individual was not healthy because of two main reasons. First, he is in pain. This managed medically. Secondly, the person is mourning the lost limb. This is rectified using psychotherapy and other interventions. When they finally resume their normal lives, such individuals cannot be said to be unhealthy.

• Pause and Reflect

Ref #M11-PR1

Think about the numerous jobs that are done by older adult volunteers in our society. Does society value this work? How could society value this work more? If you volunteer, what motivates you to do so?

The older adults volunteer for various jobs in the society such as teaching, construction, sports coaching, and cleaning of public spaces such as parks. The society values this work from several aspects. First, the volunteering seniors are contributing inputs (labor, ideas, and expertise) that lead to the development of the community by facilitating the completion of the tasks for which they volunteered. This is felt directly by the people they work with or the organization they volunteered. Secondly, their work reduces the time they would spend indoors living sedentary lives. Inactivity brought by sedentary lives would make them prone to senior health issues and diseases, which would be a burden not only to the family members but also to the community and health care system. Being a burden could be both in the form of financial burden or health burden. Thirdly, their age-related knowledge and wisdom are also appreciated, which is one of the reasons they are called upon to volunteer because they might provide unprecedented perspectives or insight. Their participation also allows other younger workers time to complete other rigorous or demanding tasks. Regardless, society can value their work more by offering significant incentives such as financial allowances. Personally, I would volunteer to keep myself healthy. However, financial allowances would definitely motivate me even more.

• Pause and Reflect

Ref #M12-PR1

How would you define a “good death” or dying successfully?

A good death is whereby an individual experiences minimal physical, psychological, and emotional pain during dying. A good death is also dignified, in that the person has autonomy over his life. Preventing undue suffering and pain as well as promoting dignity during death are the key principles of Canada’s MAiD legal provision. MAiD allows individuals with irremediable health conditions and facing imminent death amid severe suffering and pain to seek and receive assistance in committing suicide. When an individual makes the decision to receive MAiD, they avoid the undue suffering and die with dignity as opposed to living for several days or weeks bedridden and relying on others for everything amid great pain. I personally define this as a good death. Nonetheless, some individuals in such a predicament might turn down or refuse the MAiD services and opt to die spontaneously regardless of the severe pain and dehumanizing interventions that might follow to sustain his life. Such a person may have made the decision to die spontaneously based on spiritual or religious beliefs. This person can also be said to have died a good death because of two reasons. First, his spiritual wellbeing was intact until death. Secondly, the person may have found a spiritual or religious explanation for their pain, and has such, accepted it wholeheartedly and with self-felt dignity.