...Health Care Susan Medhurst Grand Canyon University: HCA 515 10/5/2013 Unfortunately, there is no single form of identifying test that can tell you if you have Alzheimer’s or if you are just forgetful. For those patients dealing with other illnesses like thyroid problems, depression and other health problems, memory loss is a very common side effect to their illness, which makes identifying Alzheimer’s even more difficult (Alzheimer’s association, 2013). This disease often goes unnoticed until the patient has reached a moderate to advanced stage because of the commonality of the indicators in early stages such as forgetfulness of where you put your car keys (Alzheimer’s association, 2013). Currently over five-million American’s have Alzheimer’s. This number will begin to increase as the baby boomers age and life expectancy is extended. The risk of getting Alzheimer’s only increases as we age with number of people doubling every 5-year interval beyond the age of 65 (Alzheimer’s association, 2013). Case Study Eaton, a 72 year old male patient, was found roaming downtown Denver with no recollection of how he got there. Paramedics brought him to the hospital for evaluation. The patient presents with progressive memory loss, confusion, agitation, and doesn’t know his last name. Identification in his wallet helped the hospital staff contact his wife. Upon the wife’s arrival, the patient seemed distant and unable to identify his wife Ethel. After multiple tests, the Care Team...
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...Name: Course: Lecturer: Date: The social determinants of health are the living and the working conditions which influence people’s health. Therefore our health is also affected in part by the social and economic opportunities available to us. Discussed below are the identified social factors affecting health in our society. Stressful conditions making people to be anxious and worried damage ones health. Stressful circumstances make it hard to engage in physical activities or even practicing health eating habits since the body energy is focused on dealing with day to day challenges (Brunner & Marmot, 2006). Stress also leads to prolonged biological reactions which strains the physical body. Therefore, continuous stressing circumstances will result to weakening of the resistance to diseases of the body and interferes with the functioning of the hormonal and metabolic systems. According to Brunner & Marmot (2006), the improvement of health may only be achieved if living conditions are improved and therefore, focus must be placed on solving the source of the problems instead of dealing with the underlying symptoms. Another social factor affecting health is the distribution of income. This is because it is the level of incomes which shapes how people live. Low incomes results to social and material deprivation as the basic needs are a challenge to meet for the low income earners (Raphael, 2010). Food, clothing and shelter are the prerequisites of health and for the...
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...Nursing in 3D: Diversity, Disparities, and Social Determinants The Social Determinants of Health: It’s Time to Consider the Causes of the Causes Paula Braveman, MD, MPHa Laura Gottlieb, MD, MPHb ABSTRACT During the past two decades, the public health community’s attention has been drawn increasingly to the social determinants of health (SDH)—the factors apart from medical care that can be influenced by social policies and shape health in powerful ways. We use “medical care” rather than “health care” to refer to clinical services, to avoid potential confusion between “health” and “health care.” The World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health has defined SDH as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age” and “the fundamental drivers of these conditions.” The term “social determinants” often evokes factors such as health-related features of neighborhoods (e.g., walkability, recreational areas, and accessibility of healthful foods), which can influence health-related behaviors. Evidence has accumulated, however, pointing to socioeconomic factors such as income, wealth, and education as the fundamental causes of a wide range of health outcomes. This article broadly reviews some of the knowledge accumulated to date that highlights the importance of social—and particularly socioeconomic— factors in shaping health, and plausible pathways and biological mechanisms that may explain their effects. We also discuss...
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...HIV/AIDS in the United States Jamie Green Grand Canyon University: NRS-427V April 06, 2014 HIV/AIDS in the United States Scientists identified simian immunodeficiency virus, in chimpanzees in West Africa, as the source of the mutated human virus through contact with the chimpanzee’s infected blood (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) is a preventable, transmissible infection first reported in the United States (U.S.) in 1981. More than 30 years later, HIV infection continues to spread in epidemic proportion discernable by reported demographic information. The community health nurse (CHN) performs many rolls to support demographical information collection, epidemiologic research, addressing determinates of health, providing preventive services, building and collaborating with community resources while effecting change to increase the well-being of communities across the nation. Description of Communicable Disease Dr. Robert Gallo (U.S.) is credited with discovering the retrovirus believed to be the cause HIV/AIDS. Simultaneous research in France, by Dr. Luc Montagnier and Professor Francoise Barre-Sinousi, substantiated Dr. Gallo’s discovery. The retrovirus invades cells of the body’s immune system, incapacitating the immune response over time, eventually leaving the body defenseless against opportunistic infections (OIs). HIV is suppressible but not curable. Medications can slow viral activity for decades...
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...individuals Carla has an unfortunate childhood. She lacks in parents’ care because they died when she was a little. So she raised by her uneducated aunt which leads to she barely experienced early childhood education. Carla got a divorce at young age, and she sole parented two children. Fortunately, her neighbours help her share childcare duties. So Carla has good interpersonal relationship in their community. She also is a kind-hearted woman. She still took care of her husband when he suffered a crisis, even they are separated. However, she is impoverished and lonely in late middle adulthood. She cannot find a fixed income and stable job; she even cannot afford the cost of visits on public transport. Also, many of...
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...organization, health is a state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not the absence of diseases or infirmity. Health starts at home, school, workplace, neighborhood, and communities. Eating well, no smoking, immunization, screening tests, seeing doctors when we are sick, good food and relationships. (HP 2020 data)The social determinants, these includes (1) Personal income, like if the income is low, it will affect the daily living. (2)social support (3)Education ;for example, the more educated you are the more you are likely to live healthy life style.(4) Employment; like if one is employed, it will determine the geographical location of that individual. (5) working conditions; If there no industry, no job, no schools, there will be unemployment, creating problem to the society. (6)social And physical environment; like if the area, where the water is polluted or swampy area like in sub-urban areas.in social, like in interpersonal relationships or social gatherings, or recreational centers, or fitness centers, health centers, parks, amusement centers, tourist centers to mention a few. All these also determine health. (7) Personal health practices. Like in exercises, eating healthy, having rest, and maintaining quality of good health. (8) Socio-Economic status; like the more money you have ,the more likely you will take care of yourself, eat well, do exercise and under take preventive health and more. (9) Health care rationing (10) Health services (11) Patient advocacy. (NLM...
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...Working Conditions as a Determinant of Health This summary is primarily based on papers and presentations by Andrew Jackson, Senior Economist, Canadian Labour Congress, and Michael Polanyi Assistant Professor, Saskatchewan Population Health Research and Evaluation Unit, and Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies, University of Regina. The presentations were prepared for The Social Determinants of Health Across the Life-Span Conference, held in Toronto in November 2002. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Health Canada. Current Situation Over the 1980s and 1990s, there has been an ongoing restructuring of the labour market and of employment relationships. The intent of these changes has been to promote productivity and competitiveness, as opposed to promoting a worker-centred agenda of “good jobs” (Lowe, 2000). In Canada, only two-thirds of the employed workforce are in “standard” salaried jobs with no defined end date (mostly provided by large firms and the public sector). In this shrinking core job market, workers who have survived layoffs, privatization and contracting-out are generally working longer and harder. Employers have tried to increase profitability and competitiveness and to contain budgets by boosting productivity. This has been accomplished largely by increasing workloads. For example, in the health sector, fewer nurses, social workers and other health professionals must now deal...
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...helps to maintain healthy bones, muscles, joints, and weight. Our engagements with our physical environment associate with the promotion of feelings of well-being. It reduces feelings of anxiety and depression. Thus, the five population health determinants are; access to health care, individual behavior, social environment, physical environment and genetics (Knickman & Kovner, 2015). The concept of social determinants often denotes how income, education, access, housing and other factors contribute to our wellbeing. Knickman & Kovner (2015) defined social determinant as “The circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age, and the system in place to address an illness in turn shaped by larger forces, including economic, social policies and politics.” (Knickman & Kovner, p376, 2015). Public Policy influences these social determinants. For instance, the government health system contributes immensely to the health of the population. The individual choices that we make in our everyday lives have a lot to do with how we maintain our health. How we decide on what to eat, exercise and stay active are key health determinants (Knickman & Kovner, 2015). For the past twenty years, there has been scientific studies on stress responses and have correctly reported how stress affect multiple...
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...Influenza Disease Linnette Corona Grand Canyon University (NRS-427V) 06/14/2014 Influenza Disease Influenza is an infectious viral disease also commonly known as ‘flu’ that is caused by diverse strains of influenza viruses. The virus belongs to ‘Orthomyxoviridae’ which is a distinct group of virus family. This virus comprises of a single stranded, segmented RNA (Jeffery et. al, 2008). Influenza (flu) virus primarily attacks the respiratory system and is highly transmissible. As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC (2014) “the virus may infect the nose, throat and lungs.” The disease can cause mild to severe illness often resulting in hospitalization or death. The viral strains of influenza viruses are constantly changing and appear regularly that are responsible for many pandemics around the world (Taubenberger & Morens 2008). Clinical Course Influenza is a contagious disease; the virus is easily transmitted from person to person via respiratory droplets when infected people cough, talk or sneeze. Another way to get infected with influenza is if the person touches its own mouth or nose after having direct contact with a surface that has the influenza virus (CDC, 2014). The influenza virus may be transmitted one day before the first symptoms start and even up to seven days after getting ill with the flu. In seasonal epidemics, influenza tends to spread rapidly. As reported by the CDC (2014), the infection may seem like...
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...Intellectual and emotional impoverished early years impair learning and social functioning over an individual’s entire life. Furthermore, influences such as distribution of economic and social resources result in the variation of health status in a community, among groups and individuals differently. This paper will further examine the critical factors affecting childhood development and the run-on issues that follow suit such as health deficits, juvenile delinquency, attachment issues and how community involvement and an increased sense of self-worth are potential protective factors for health. We then discuss how community immersion will increase standard of living and be a preventative and reconcile most health deficits that otherwise would...
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...Health care Markets Ashley Jackson HSA 510 Strayer University Professor Renita Blake Health care Markets Analyses of the Health care delivery system The United States has no special type of nationwide system of the health care delivery. In order to obtain health care insurance, the individuals must buy it in the private marketplace, or it is given to them by the government. Part of the traditional health insurance plans, permits the unrestricted selection of the health care provider and compensates on the fee for the service basis, recently, it covers less than 30% of all the employees. There are basically two kinds of MCOs: Health Maintenance organizations and Preferred Provider Organizations. About 70% of the employees registered in MCOs. HMO is the health care delivery system that associates the insurer and producer operations. PPOs are the third party payer that provides financial incentives like low out of pocket prices, to registers who achieve medical care form the preset sequence of physicians and hospitals. The Medicare plan contains two parts: Part A is necessary and gives the health insurance coverage for the inpatient hospital concern, very limited nursing home services and some of the home health services. Part B the willingly or supplemental plan gives the advantages for the physician services, outpatient hospital services and the home health services. The US health care system is more expanded in terms of the production procedures...
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...Muda Mura and Muri | Lean Manufacturing Wastes Lean Manufacturing Wastes When people think of waste in manufacturing they usually only think about all of the scrap material that gets thrown away or if your lucky recycled, they often forget about all of the other actions that waste our time, our resources and our MONEY.. When someone who has had some contact with Lean Manufacturing talks about waste they are often talking about Muda, or the seven wastes (or 8+ wastes depending on your definitions), but they often forget the other wastes defined within the Toyota Production System; Mura and Muri. Muda, The Seven Wastes Muda is any activity or process that does not add value, a physical waste of your time, resources and ultimately your money. These wastes were categorized by Taiichi Ohno within the Toyota production system, they are; * Transport; the movement of product between operations, and locations. * Inventory; the work in progress (WIP) and stocks of finished goods and raw materials that a company holds. * Motion; the physical movement of a person or machine whilst conducting an operation. * Waiting; the act of waiting for a machine to finish, for product to arrive, or any other cause. * Overproduction; Over producing product beyond what the customer has ordered. * Over-processing; conducting operations beyond those that customer requires. * Defects; product rejects and rework within your processes. To this list of the original seven...
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...Epidemiology and Vulnerable Populations Angela Wilson NUR / 408 November 4, 2013 Epidemiology and Vulnerable Populations Introduction Health is a state of optimum well-being, a human right and a social goal. The public health mission is to provide and assure conditions that promote health in the community. Public health, epidemiology and nursing practice share the same goal of disease prevention and control. By definition, epidemiology is the study of population in order to monitor the health of the population, understand the determinants of health and disease in the community, and investigate and evaluate interventions to prevent disease and maintain health. (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012). Epidemiology today is considered to be the core science of public health and is described as a constellation of disciplines with a common mission: optimal health for the whole community (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). Epidemiology has reformed public health and continues to strive for disease prevention and health promotion in communities across the world. The population...
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...N O R T H E R N T E R R I T O R Y D E PA R T M E N T O F H E A LT H Health Promotion Strategic Framework 2011 - 2015 www.healthynt.nt.gov.au NT Department of Health Health Promotion Strategic Framework 2011 - 2015 Background This framework provides a structure for describing the type of health promotion actions that are used across the Northern Territory. It enables a shared understanding of the actions that can be taken to improve health and wellbeing. It also provides guidance about embedding a health promotion approach into all planning processes, programs and service development across the NT. While this framework is intended to be used within the health sector, we strongly encourage other sectors and agencies outside of the health domain to use the framework. This framework should be used in conjunction with health promotion audit tools and other health promotion resources available in the NT, such as the Public Health Bush Books and the Quality Improvement Program Planning System (QIPPS). It is also designed to be used as a guide, together with other local, regional and national frameworks, policies, strategies and resources. Why Health Promotion? The World Health Organisation (WHO) acknowledges the growing evidence that health promotion and preventive health approaches are effective in improving overall health and wellbeing, reducing the burden of chronic disease and injury, addressing health inequities, facilitating the better use of resources and enhancing...
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...Patients | Lana Iris English 12312/15/14 | Disparity of Healthcare with Patients with AIDS/HIV For the last thirty years AIDS/HIV has been a controversial topic, but more recently, the disease itself has not been controversial but the disparity in receiving proper care both in prevention modalities and active treatment for the disease. While the Obama administration has taken steps toward the elimination of these disparities through the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Implementation Plan, there is still much work to be done. This brief highlights underexplored explanations for these disparities and outlines possible solutions to begin addressing them. Oftentimes, popular culture has offered unfortunately erroneous explanations for the stark racial disparate impact of HIV/ AIDS. The mass media, for example, has suggested that black men “on the down low” infect black women by secretly sleeping with male partners, acting as a bisexual “bridge” between gay and straight communities. But public health scholars have found little support for this theory. Many may assume that black people suffer from greater HIV prevalence because they are considered less sexually responsible than whites. Yet several studies have shown that black women and black men who have sex with men—the two groups most severely impacted by HIV/AIDS—have similar numbers of sexual partners and use condoms as often as their white counterparts. Thus, behavioral risk factors, while important, cannot fully explain...
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