Research in Gerontology

“Health Services as a Health Promotion Intervention of Geriatric Patient in Low-income Neighborhoods”

Happy Wellness to Everyone,

      Getting some experience in researching something that I have a little passion for makes the research more personal.  The research I plan to do is related to the field of gerontology.  The research design will comprise of two models in which I find it pertinent to the study, the action research model and the environmental and holistic research theory.  I believe this will become the foundations of my research study in the future.  According to Taneli (2015), a theoretical framework that has informed much of the research in environmental gerontology in the past four decades has been proposed by Lawton and Nahemon (1973).  The foci portion of the research is to associate aging with the adaption to environmental factors.

      In my study, I want to look at the medical and well as the social needs of a patient and how to maintain quality services within low-income minority neighborhoods.  I just do not want to study the minority population but all those who fall into the inclusive category of low-income residents.  The study will look into the access to qualified healthcare providers, the amount of funding that is spent on these services by either private pay and federal reimbursements, and the amount of social agencies that are available to senior residents in their immediate area.

      Using the holistic and environmental theory, the research will evaluate the cost of living to establish a baseline inclusion field.  For example, low income will be considered inclusive criteria beginning at 12,000.00 yearly to 25,000.00 yearly.  The research will also evaluate age, sex, race, and even social ecological status.  Social ecological status will let us know if access to quality food, water, and air purity is the determiner of illness.  The criteria may also study the amount of hospitalizations related to age and social status within the family unit. 

      My research started in Native Hawaii but during this class, I want to expand my population sample to other part of the mainland including Texas in which I live.  The interventions that I will place into the study will depend on the objectives placed in the beginning.  For example, if my sample is not large enough to evaluate and come to a reasonable conclusion, I will reevaluate the study population and change the criteria to fit the objective, but not to deviate so far that the study will no longer become valid.  Another intervention that I could incorporate into the study would be the pairing of social groups in efforts to provide support for those who are struggling financially.  Placing natural supports as “helpers” may improve the outcome of the study and reduce the amount of follow-ups.

      The evaluation stage is going to be the icing on the cake in which I will get the chance to look at all of the data collected and interpret that data for the betterment of the population in which I was able to study.  The results of the study can be used to further research or start new senior programs geared in health promotion and disease prevention.  The main causation of aging could be diet and exercise.  By identifying this theory, I may provide evidence that by starting an exercise disease prevention program for seniors, the population is getting much healthier by evidence in the reduction ER visits and long stay hospitalizations.  Take care and be in good health.

Reference:

Taneli, Y. (2015). Advancing theory and practice through collaboration research in environmental gerontology, Research in Gerontological Nursing 8(2), pp. 58-60