Community Health - Potential Health Issue - Community Report Writing - Assessment Answer

Community Health Assignment

Assignment Task

• Age profile
• Gender profile
• Ethnicity and cultural profile

• Communication networks for example telecommunications and media (newspaper, radio, t.v. etc)
• Volunteer agencies
• Law enforcement
• Emergency services
• Social support services

• Geography
• Population size
• Classification: remote, rural, urban, etc
• Climate
• Air quality
• Water source, availability and quality
• Sewage and other waste disposal
• Housing types and adequacy

• Marital status
• Family composition
• Education levels and facilities (formal and informal)
• Income
• Employment rates and occupation types
• Transport
• Leadership of community
• Religion
• Community groups and organisations

• Access to goods and services
• Shopping facilities
• Sport and Recreation facilities
• Leisure activities
• Entertainment facilities
• Dining and eating facilities

Part A

Biophysical Assessment

This report provides the detail about the City of Horizon, which is an aboriginal community. The purpose of this report is to prepare a community health assessment in order to understand the health requirements of Horizon community. The total population of the City of Horizon is 125,000 people. This is a rural area and this community cannot be considered as well developed.

Age Profile

According to the age profile, the population of Horizon community is aging. Children between the age of 0-4 are 5,000; age 5-19- 1500; age 20-39 35,000; age 40-59 30,000 and from age 60-80 are 50,000. Thus, the community is rapidly getting aged, which demonstrates the need of better healthcare facilities.

Gender Profile

The overall population of the City of Horizon is almost balanced. There are 49.3% man and 50.7% females. Though the gender balance remains stable, but it can change with increasing age of the community members. The gender difference among the population is mainly seen in the people above the age of 70 years. The women of this community make up to 65%, as the life expectancy of the women is 82 years, but for men it is only 77 years.

Ethnicity and cultural profile

The aboriginal people of this community identify themselves and have been identified to be from North and South America, the Maori of New Zealand and many inhabitants of Europe, Asia and the Pacific region. Most of the groups of the aboriginal people living in City of Horizon have been subjected to same experience. Their experience can be characterized by being disadvantaged, loss of culture and dispossession from their land. The effect of colonialism can still be seen on these people. The dominant culture has suppressed their traditional culture and has also affected their mental and psychological state.

Psychological Assessment

The people living in City of Horizon do not have much facility of communication networks and media. Most of the people in the community ate low educated and some of them are even illiterate. Some of them have radios in their houses, which they use rarely. These people have been ignored and discriminated by other non-indigenous population of Australia (Hampton, and Toombs, 2013). The volunteer agencies are not very frequent in the community. Some of the volunteers related to National Child Welfare, visit this rural community, in order to access the health condition of children and to assist the families in understanding the need of good health and education for children.

Law enforcement is not very well established in the community. They have their own law enforcement and still rely on the senior citizens of the community for any kind of decisions. However, there is a police station in the community with four officers. Police officers do not have much to do in the community, as people living in the community rely on the aged members of their families. People living in this region, generally do not have appropriate access to healthcare services and emergency services. There is a shortage of the health related infrastructure and health professionals. This rural area have a large population of Aboriginal people, still there is not effective social support service available for these people. Stigma associated with these people, also make them socially isolated (Hampton, and Toombs, 2013). In the ‘global societies’, these simple communities are struggling to have technological support. These people have grown the skills of traditional husbandry of their environment and developed their environment according to them.

Physical Environment:

• Geography: Located in the rural area of NSW
• Population size: 125,000
• Classification: remote, rural, urban, etc: Rural Community
• Climate: Tropical Climate
• Air quality: Clean
• Water source, availability and quality: The community does not have appropriate availability of water. There is lack water storage and treated water could reach these people. They have to use surface water, which is often contaminated.
• Sewage and other waste disposal: No proper sewage and water disposal
• Housing types and adequacy: Simple and small houses with crowded family environment. 36% people of the community are home owners, 59% are renters and remaining are homeless.

Socio-Cultural features:

• Marital status: 55% people reported to be married, 40% women are separated and taking care of their children alone.
• Family composition: Multifamily Household.One quarter of the aboriginal families in community are one parent families. One parent family comprises approximately 21% of all the aboriginal house hold in City of Horizon.
• Education levels and facilities (formal and informal): Education or literacy are associated with social and economic performance of the individual. Literacy also identifies the type of job that people get, salaries they earn and how they upgrade their employment. Many people in the community are low literate, due to which they are underemployed. The level of literacy is very low in older people. 16% of the adults do not have basic literacy skills and informal education, 57% people are below literacy level. Young generation is found to be more literate than adults.
• Income:Income I linked with an individual’s literacy level and appropriate employment. Due to low education level, the income is not very high. The median family household income is $55,552.
• Employment rates and occupation types: The people living in the Horizon community are exposed to higher health issues due to unemployment and under employment. These people work in unsafe and stressful working conditions. Employment rate is 65%.
• Transport: Transportation facilities are not very good
• Leadership of community: Leadership of the community is under the hands of a Senior citizen of the community.
• Religion: Catholic
• Community groups and organizations: The Horizon community have small community group centre, where they have weekly meetings of the community groups “Helping Hands”. This groups helps the people of community in various ways. Also a single healthcare service is available for the Horizon people.

Behavioural features:

• Access to goods and services: Community members are unable to access goods and services appropriately. The area being a rural region, people do not get access to healthy food items and other affordable services.
• Shopping facilities:No shopping facility is available close to community. Though, people have some small shops in the City of Horizon, who sell goods.
• Sport and Recreation facilities: Young children of the community have made a group and they play sports on every Saturday and Sunday.
• Leisure activities: These people being from aboriginal background have their own leisure activities and also enjoy gatherings.
• Entertainment facilities: Do not have access to any recreational or entertainment facility.
• Dining and eating facilities: There are few small restaurants in the City of Horizon, which serve very costly food.

Health System:The people from the City of Horizon require the attention of Australian government. They do not have access to healthcare facilities and are suffering from various chronic diseases.

Part B- Potential Health Issue and Role of Registered Nurse

Introduction

Diabetes can be considered as the fastest growing chronic disease of the world (Burrow and Ride, 2016). Particularly, type 2 diabetes has reached the epidemic level in the world as well as in Australia. This situation is posing a major health concern for the public healthcare system (Ware, 2013). The greatest burden of the chronic illness like type 2 diabetes tends to fall on the socially disadvantaged Aboriginal Australians (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014). These people in Australia are more likely to suffer with diabetes in comparison to non-indigenous population of Australia. The mortality rate is also high in these people and aboriginal people are six times more likely to die from diabetes (Zimmet et al, 2014).

Factors Responsible for Diabetes

There are many factors responsible for epidemic rise of diabetes in aboriginal communities. The factors contributing to the ill health of aboriginal people are historical, social and cultural factors. Diabetes is the disease, which is characterized by high level of glucose in blood and body’s inability to produce the sufficient amount of insulin (Shaw and Tanamas, 2012). The complications and co-morbidities associated with diabetes are high. Aboriginal population have higher rate of type 2 diabetes in comparison to non-indigenous population, this is because these people have lack of healthy food and lack of healthy living environment. Obesity is the major health reason associated with diabetes. Aboriginal people in the community take no regular exercise and eat fatty foods (Diabetes Australia, 2015). Due to lack of quality education, these people do not understand the need of healthy lifestyle. Poor housing environment is also responsible for prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Horizon community. Diabetes results in many renal and heart diseases; It also results in infections, blindness and limb problems. Thus, diabetes is the potential health issue for the Horizon Community, as the aging population is suffering with this chronic disease.

Role of Registered Nurse

According to Ashley (2013),“the registered nurse (RN) demonstrates competence in the provision of nursing care as specified by registration requirements, National Board standards and codes, educational preparation, relevant legislation and context of care”. Role of registered nurse is very important in providing quality care and efficient healthcare services to people. For aboriginal people in Horizon community, the role of registered nurse can be very essential in improving their living condition. Registered nurses are specialized and skilled in providing quality care and management of chronic diseases. A registered nurse receives the degree in nursing is expected to be able to practice independently and take responsibility of her actions. Registered nurses work in the clinical settings, thus they are eligible for assessing patient, developing care plans, implementation and evaluation of nursing care (Shaw, and Tanamas, 2012). The aboriginal population of Horizon community has very limited access to healthcare services. Registered nurse can access these people and can educate them about various chronic diseases. RNs have the responsibility of seeking ongoing education and improve professional development, so as to provide quality care.

According to King et al (2013), the role of registered nurse in rural and remote areas, to mange type 2 diabetes. In the nursing practice, RNs are expected to maintain the competency standards, which make them suitable to provide care to disadvantaged groups. The National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurses in Australia include different domains. These domains are professional practice, critical thinking and analysis, provision and coordination of care and collaborative and therapeutic practice. Under professional practice, RNs are responsible for working in accordance of the law. This helps to protect the rights of the target community people. The interventions practiced by RNs are done in accordance to standards of practice.

The registered nurses apply critical thinking and analysis to their practice. With their legal knowledge and provision of care, people of Horizon community will be benefited. The critical thinking skills of RN would help in identifying the problem and investigate its prevalence. RN would also be able to review the condition, and would be able to generate improvement plan. With their knowledge and skills, RNs can educate people about healthy lifestyle and adverse effects of unhealthy eating and drinking habits (alcohol drinking and tobacco). RN will also be able to develop a research related to the ongoing epidemic health problem King et al (2013). RN can do an evidence based study, to identify the major factors associated with prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Horizon community.

RN can successfully include individuals and group to the healthcare delivery. RN also understands the importance of psychological, socio-economic, spiritual, and cultural variables. Aboriginal people have their own values and beliefs, thus RN are also culturally competent. RN can play a very significant role in addressing and managing the health issue of type 2 diabetes in Horizon community. RN can plan care according to ongoing analysis of the data and ensure that nursing plan remain consistent. Maintaining therapeutic relationship with individuals and groups is another quality of RN. Registered Nurse establishes therapeutic relationships with the target group, which recognizes professional boundaries and are goal directed King et al (2013). These people require empathy, respect and trust, and RN can provide them respect and trust with quality care.