Advocacy for Vulnerable Population
The American population aged 65 years and above has increased. Current trends indicate that the population will continue to grow at an unprecedented rate in the future. The pattern will also create growth in health care needs (Krumholz et al., 2015). Besides, it will affect the demand for quality care and adequacy of providers who treat age-related and chronic illnesses. Although various groups will support their needs, nurse advocates will become more critical to ensure safe and quality services within and outside healthcare organizations.
The Federal government operates various agencies and departments that meet the needs of the aged in the United States. The agencies designed to help older Americans are responsible for their health care and other needs, such as access to proper nutrition to manage age-related and chronic conditions. Some of the agencies include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Social Security Administration, National Institute on Aging, and Employment and Training Administration on Aging (Federal Agencies on Aging, 2019). Hence, such agencies should provide mandated services to the target population.
Nurses can be involved in an agency, which serves the needs of the elderly in the community. They can work with the agency to identify the needs of the target population within the health care system to ensure that they receive necessary services. Besides, the nurse can work with the agency to ensure availability of supportive equipment and other resources to meet the health care needs of the ailing elders in the community (Taylor, 2016; Jeffs et al., 2017). They can advocate for necessary policies to protect the rights of the aged, such as the right to medical services, proper support in their old age, protection from abuse, and adequate diet among others.
Overall, nurses play an advocacy role in protecting the rights of the elderly. They should ensure that federal government agencies meet the needs of the elderly. Thus, they should support policy-making to provide necessary resources for safe and quality care.
