COMMUNITY HEALTH

Community health



Community health

Overview of the chosen community

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands and the descendants of these peoples. Although a small town in size (compared to many of its larger neighboring cities), Australian community and all its residents share the same thing as its larger counterparts: the need for health care service. Providing health care for a diverse population of people can be difficult, especially when you consider extremes of economic and cultural factors and social and influences. The people of Australian community, as in other cities of various sizes, can benefit from a combined approach to health care called Community Health. What is Community Health? A community is a system in which members interact formally and informally for the benefit of all people in the community. Community Health Nursing focuses on promoting and preserving the health of population groups. (Kozier et al.199). This form of care is provided in many ways: from check ups, community involvement on health issues and implementation, health promotion, immunizations, prevention of disease and many more. Although community health focuses on all aspects of a population, we are going to look at a specific area of outreach towards the elderly.

There is great diversity among different Indigenous communities and societies in Australia, each with its own unique mixture of cultures, customs and languages. In present day Australia these groups are further divided into local communities.The elderly population of a town or city can be difficult to define, contact, and manage sometimes, but should be treated with the same attention as given to children, adolescents, and adults. Why is this? They all require health care, and they all rely on numerous professional services to achieve better health and wellness. Many elderly have numerous problems with chronic debilitating diseases that affect their mobility and ability to function or subsist on their own. Arthritis, walking disturbances, and poor vision contribute to falls. Chronic cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, and neurological conditions contribute to overall poor health and a reduced level of functioning. They're less able to perform activities of daily life. Therefore, they have an increased need for medical and health care services.

The elderly move to and from different settings such as home, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living, with the eventual goal of being able to continue a healthy and independently functioning life at home. Some elderly achieve this and some don't, but it is because of access to health services that more and more people can enjoy the later years of their life. It is these informal supports and services that allow the elderly to be proactive in their own care and contribute to their own health (Ellenbecker et al., 8). There are many interesting health services out there that help maintain and improve the health and well being of the elderly (Ellenbecker et al., 8). There are even some of these services that people don't know exist. One of these services is "Life line", and is offered ...