Week 8a: Diversity and Inequality and health promotion Flashcards
Health inequity
Unjust differences in health btwn persons of diff social groups; a normative concept
Example of health inequity
Canadians in remote regions don’t have access to nutritious foods
Health inequality
Observable health diff btwn subgroups within a population; can be measured and monitored
Examples of health inequalities
Diff due to genes or choices you make
Health disparities
The differences in the state of health and health outcomes btwn people
*similar to health inequalities
What types of health inequalities exist?
- Physical and mental inequalities
- Socio-economic factors (education, income, housing)
Nine factors to social isolation for seniors
- Poverty/lack of resources
- Age and gender
- Ethnicity
- Sexual and gender identity
- Geography
- Health and disabilities
- Life transitions
- Knowledge and resources
- Social relationships
How was Indigenous health in Canada prior to colonization?
Good
Nutritious diets, rich and diverse healing systems and active lifestyles
How did contact with European settlers affect health outcomes of Indigenous peoples?
Poorer health outcomes
More chronic illness and disabilities (heart disease and diabetes)
Direct cause of poor health outcomes for Indigenous peoples
Embedded racism and loss of a support system
ex. residential schools
Do the effects of colonization effect the health and healthy aging of Indigenous peoples living in Canada today?
Yes
What impact does caregiving have on older adults?
Increased burden
Financial stress
Poor health
Loneliness
Social isolation
Risks of being a spousal caregiver?
Decreased social support and loneliness
Increased stress and worsening health
Prevalence of caregivers
In 2018 1/4 of seniors age 65+ provided care to family or friends w a long-term condition, physical or mental disability or aging problems
Interventions for caregivers
- Helping and financial support through informal assistance
- Respite services
- Home care or related services
- Income and tax relief programs
Neurodiversity (ND)
Those living with intellectual/developmental disability, autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, down syndrome
Challenges of older adults with ND
Social exclusion
Unequal conditions that negatively impact their health and well being
Consequences of social exclusion for older adults with ND
More likely to live in poverty
Limited housing options and lack of opportunity to socially engage
Recommendations for older adults with ND
- Formal mechanisms for collaboration btwn diff sectors
- Enhance training for service providers
- Include them and family in decision making
- Prioritize the delivery of emotional, psychological, social and recreational responses
- Consider respite as essential service
- Create peer-led initiatives
- Provide psychological, social and emotional support
Are there a lot of older adult immigrants in Canada?
Seniors aged 65+ represent 3.3% of immigrants
Immigrant older adults vs Canadian born older adults
Lonelier
Lower prevalence of successful aging
“Healthy immigrant effect” and “Unhealthy assimilation effect”
Immigrants are healthier when they first arrive to Canada BUT the longer they stay, the health advantage diminishes to a point lower than Canadian-born older adults
Healthy aging interventions for immigrants
- Data collection and research on immigrant older adults
- Culturally and linguistically appropriate programs and services
- Public transportation, health and support systems more accessible
- Outreach sessions and education w older adults
- Creating user and aging-friendly communities specific to needs of older adult immigrants
What percentage of seniors in Canada live in rural areas?
23%
What does living in rural areas lead to for older adults?
Increased risk of social isolation, smaller support networks, loneliness, lower utilization rates of health and social services
Why are rural areas considered a health disparity group?
Higher mental health concerns, chronic disease, worse health outcomes than non-rural populations
Health concerns of rural older adults?
Increased risk of morbidity, obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer, COVID-19 and excess mortality
Strategies to address older adults healthy aging in rural areas
- Better access to health and social care services
- Joining up services to improve cost-effective service provision and access to services
- Developing cost effective transport
- Improving housing and local environment conditions to age in place
- Developing volunteering and community based initiatives
- Improve economic diversity and attractiveness
Most financially vulnerable Canadian population
Older adults
Risks of low-income older adults
Loneliness
Social isolation
Poor health outcomes
Low Q of L
Premature mortality
Evidence informed policy options for low-income older adults
- Protected pensions for older adults Canadians
- New class of workplace pensions
- Improve retirement income options
Graph on poverty rates
Poverty rates have decreased for every age group but older adults
How to increase cultural competence in healthy aging
- Awareness
- Knowledge
- Skills
What is culturally sensitive healthcare?
Interventions that help health care providers look at conditions among all specific vulnerable populations (ex. race, gender, ethnicity)
How to create cultural competence
Cultural targeting, Under-served needs and patient centered care/ health literacy
Interventions to improve cultural competence
- Completing education programs
- Patient-provider relationships
- Trustful relationship w relatives
- Engage in cultural discussion
What is health promotion?
Process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health by developing their resources to maintain/enhance well being; an action for health using knowledge, communication and understanding
How is health promotion implemented?
Complementing existing health promotion programs to ensure they are adequately meeting the needs of older adults, especially vulnerable populations
Types of health promotion strategies
Urban development
Age-friendly community
Ageing in place
Health promotion- urban development
“Active streets, active people”
- creating an environment so that older adults can be more mobile (benches placed sporadically)
Healthy aging framework around national prevention strategy
- Identify what matters most for patient
- Engage patient in developing action plan for healthy aging
- Provide patient education, support and resources
- Coach
- Revise
Age-friendly community
One that responds to opportunities and challenges of an aging population by creating physical and social environments that support independent active living
8 Stategies for creating age-friendly communities
- Housing
- Social participation
- Respect and social inclusion
- Civic participation
- Communication and information
- Community support and health service
- Outdoor spaces and buildings
- Transportation
What is the aging in place program?
Aging in your own home for as long as possible
4 goals of the aging in place program
- Safety
- Health
- Connection
- Standards
Aging in place: safety
Safe and injury free aging
ex. smart devices, AI-assisted decision making
Aging in place: health
Managing cognition, physical health and activities of daily living
ex. brain health, physical health, activities of daily living
Aging in place: connection
Reduction in barriers to mobility, transportation and social engagement
Aging in place: standards
Increase in Canadian AgeTech adoption through evidence-based age-friendly standards and policies
ex. data privacy and cybersecurity
Increased self-efficacy and healthy aging
- Increased self-care
- Increased energy
- Better sleep
- Decreased pain and discomfort
- Resilience against depression
- Increased use of healthcare system
- Successful healthy aging
Role models for older adults
Most often parents or grandparents
Expectations of aging - master athletes
Increased engagement in preventative health behaviours and successful aging & longevity
Role models who are master athletes
- Unrealistic standards
- Constrained by socioeconomic factors
- Reliant on free time, travel cost
- Negative social comparisons
- Reduced motivation
- “othering”
- Perpetuating stereotypes
