Week 2 RESPONSE

The elderly community is an increasing vulnerable population in the U.S. as the “baby boomer” generation is getting older. The time will come where more than half of the population will be dependent on care from others. Nonetheless, the importance of caring for them appropriately is a necessary priority. Elderly patients are vulnerable due to their inabilities to perform their daily living activities, dependence on others, and declining health. Like immigrants the elderly are not incompetent and are able to make their own decisions. However, they face barriers and require different methods of explanation to assure they are well informed regarding their care. Both populations have barriers to accessing care due to poor socio-economic status. The elderly are underinsured and have little income which they need for living expenses, making it difficult to apply it to their care. Older adults are likely to face barriers related to their health and financial status including housing (Sung-Jin Lee, et. al 2019, p. 31). Immigrants are uninsured due to their status in the U.S. and are unable to access care because they can’t afford it. Each population faces barriers to accessing appropriate care due to their inability to afford care. This increases their risk of poor health outcomes and increases the health disparity among these communities. In contrast the elderly have access to more resources compared to immigrants in the same communities. They have the ability to access services that can make their medication or care cheaper to improve their health. 

      These resources reduce disparities among the elderly population and ensure these patients receive the care they need. These resources are not limited to the facility they may attend for primary care services. However, immigrants have limited options for care and the majority of them are seen in community health centers. This is because their status does not matter in these facilities or impede them from accessing care. These patients have no health insurance and many work under the table jobs. Due to their socio-economic status they may have issues trying to have simple procedures done such as blood work. Accessing resources for these patients can be challenging if they are in the U.S. “illegally”. Although both communities face socio-economic and healthcare access barriers. Their biggest differences are healthcare coverage and access to resources. Nonetheless, it is important to highlight that community health centers care and provide resources to both communities. Federally qualified health centers and navigators have a long history of improving access for vulnerable populations in the United States (López-Sanders 2017). Allowing these vulnerable populations to have access to the necessary sources they need to improve their care and health outcomes. Thank you for your post it was very informative!

References 

López-Sanders, L. (2017). Navigating health care: brokerage and access for undocumented Latino immigrants under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies, 43(12), 2072–2088. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1323452Sung-Jin Lee, Daejin Kim, Parrott, K. R., Giddings, V. L., & Robinson, S. R. (2019). Financial and Health Challenges of Low-Income Elderly Homeowners Aging in Place. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 111(2), 31–42. https://doi.org/10.14307/JFCS111.2.31