There has been talk concerning the aging of the American workforce for decades now. Legions of blogs, speeches, articles, and books have been published on the topic. As the nation’s workforce started graying, it was anticipated that country would start taking elder care more seriously than it did before the 1900s (Aumann, et al., 2010). nevertheless, the 90s came and went, and speculation shifted to the 2000s, and again nothing happened. The elderly population of the country has been growing, which points at the need for policymakers around the nation to consider developing strategies that would meet their care needs, which are of course different from those of the rest of the populace.
This research paper describes the types of care resources offered for the elderly population in the town of Jupiter, Florida. The rationale for a research paper of this nature is its contribution to understanding the efforts taken so far to meet the care needs for the elderly around the State of Florida. The scope of the research paper covers elderly resources dedicate to independent self-care, acute care, long-term care, family care-giving, and end of life care. While highlighting the types of resources available in each category, the paper considers their availability to the entire population and the reasons underlying their availability, chances of a seamless transition in the continuum of care, and the additional resources that could be required to enhance the quality of care offered to the elderly.
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A Description of the Jupiter Town Community
Jupiter Town, FL advanced from a fishing and animal trapping village at the start of the twentieth century to an incorporated township during the second decade of the 1900s. Today, the town is among the most desirable places to reside in the State of Florida. The 2010 Census Report found that some 55, 156 persons living in 23, 920 households were located permanently in the town (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). The most recent data on the demographics of Jupiter come from a 2018 research by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida, and it reported a total of 62, 100 permanent population (Town of Jupiter, 2018).
Going by the findings of the 2010 Census Report, five percent of the population of Jupiter Town are below five years while 18.3% are below the age of 18 years. Those above the age of sixty-five years constitute 22.2 percent. The median age of the town is 46.4 years while the median household income is $76, 687, the median poverty rate stands at 8.6% (Data USA, 2018). Furthermore, there are approximately 30, 977 employees in the town while the median property value is $305, 600. The population of the town has grown by an approximated 2.61% since 2010 (Data USA, 2018).
Resources for Each Level of Care
Independent Self-Care
Independent living (independent self-care) is perceived as an advancement in the provision of care to the elderly before resorting to assisted living. The reasoning behind independent living is to ensure that the aged live on their own through providing them an environment that reduces the challenges that they would have encountered if they were to live in other places. This approach to care emphasizes the personal and social aspects that the aged persons would require help. In any case, older people desire to age with dignity, and most of them would want to remain as independent as possible either in their homes or in facilities that offer such services.
Though there are many resources offering independent self-care around Jupiter Town, the scope of this research paper is on only one of such resources, which is Atria Park of St. Josephs. This independent self-care resource is located 350 Bush Rd Jupiter FL 33458, which is approximately a four-mile distance from the beach. According to the organization’s corporate website, the facility offers a combination of an elegant resort and the comforts of home (A Place for Mom, 2018). The location of the resource is in close proximity with medical, cultural venues, and shopping centers, and the fact that it is situated only a few minutes from major interstates makes it easy for friends and families to visit the elderly.
The resource is available to all the adults in the community who would like to access the services offered. The reason for this conclusion is the fact that the organization has indicated to the public about the availability of its services through the internet. Precisely, one can contact the management and inquire about the services offered. It means that the facility does not target aged persons from a specific category, and that it is available to anyone. While at the facility, the elderly can transition seamlessly from one level of care to the other since it has a dedicated staff that guides those living in there through independent living, memory care, supported living, and assisted living services (A Place for Mom, 2018). As much as the the facility offers the services that have been identified, it is noteworthy that it does only so much to help the older adults with disabilities. Consequently, it would be imperative for the management to consider providing services for independent self-care for those with disabilities.
Acute Care
The model of care for the elderly around the country is yet to establish facilities that are exclusively for acute care service delivery to this group of people. For instance, as much as most of the resources offering assisted living and related service types, most of them do not provide acute care services for the aged. Consequently, acute care is left to the hospitals, and they coordinate with most of the nursing homes to care for the aged. The Jupiter Medical Center is one of the resources that offers acute care for the elderly in Jupiter Town.
The corporate website of the hospital reports that it was established in 1979, and that it currently has a team of 640 volunteers, 615 physicians, and 1600 support staff. The team has been instrumental in ensuring that the hospital operates in the top ten percent of hospitals that deliver the best quality of care and patient satisfaction. The institution has up to 327 beds out of which 207 are dedicated to the private acute care section. According to Jupiter Medical Center (2018), the facility places the wellbeing and health of the community, which it serves at the heart of its operations. The dedication of a large number of the hospital’s bed capacity to the private acute care wing is in line with its objective to offer emergency care to the aged and the aging in the region. As much as the hospital provides a wide range of services, it has specialized in weight management, thoracic and lung health, emergency services, cardiology, oncology, digestive health, spine and orthopedics, imaging, men’s and women’s health (Jupiter Medical Center, 2018).
The services provided by the organization are open to community access for two reasons. First, the hospital is not-for-profit, which means that chances of exploiting the economic capacities of some people are limited. Second, the management of the institution constantly invites those who would like to be cared for in a special way to contact its staff or visit the facility, which is why it has partnered with numerous nursing homes in the region to improve the quality of care that the elderly receive. The personalized care that the staff at the hospital offers to the patients enables a complete continuum of care. Nevertheless, it is important for the management to expand its capacity to handle emergencies related to elderly health care.
Long-Term Care
Long-term care comprises a collection of services that help in meeting the medical and non-medical needs of individuals with chronic ailments or disability who lack the ability to care for themselves. In Jupiter Town, there are several resources that offer this type of care to the elderly, including the nursing center at La Posada. The nursing home holds the idea that living healthy is a component of living well. Consequently, the organization provides memory care, skilled nursing, assisted living, and home health care to individuals. Individuals admitted at the facility have an opportunity of interacting with their loved ones while they access a range of state-of-the-art facilities that would improve their health and enhance their quality of life (La Posada, 2018). The health center has a collection of forty short and long-term private residencies that are equipped with skilled nursing care to offer their services to persons who might want specialized nursing care and rehabilitation.
The organization does not discriminate the type of clients that it services since its services are available to the public. The objective of the nursing home is promote the wellbeing of the community, which is why the management is open to anyone wishing to obtain such services. A combination of the services that the corporation offers to the elderly completes the continuum of care for this population, and contributes to efforts meant to improve their quality of life. Though the resource is available to all the aged population in the region and around the state, challenges of accessibility arise from the fact that the services offered are quite expensive, which implies that only the rich people can afford them. Consequently, the organization should review the pricing practices to ensure that more people access the services offered.
Family Care-Giving
Family care-giving is central to the long-term system of care of the country especially in handling the aged persons. Caregivers have the task of aiding the frail older persons in the management of their activities as a means of improving their quality of life. Comfort Keepers In Home is one of the resources in Jupiter Town that offers family care-giving services to the aged. The company’s website indicates that the organization was founded with the objective of caring for the elderly and other older people who wished to stay in their homes although they require extra help in the management of activities around the house including companionship, movement, and others (Comfort Keepers, 2018). this approach, as the cited material indicates, is critical in reducing pressure that family members would have if they were to be forced to balance their time between employment and caring for their aged relatives. Consequently, the organization serves its clients in the comfort of their homes, which promotes their security and feelings of love.
Anyone wishing to subscribe to the services offered by the company may do so by contacting the concerned persons through contact information provided on its website. This statement means that the organization is free to public access for residents of Jupiter. The different types of services and professionals involved in the provision of care allows for a seamless transition in the levels of care for the aged persons. Nevertheless, while family care-giving is founded on a volunteerism model, the services that the organization offers are paid for by the clients. It would be useful for the state government to establish a few family care-giving organizations in Jupiter Town.
End of Life Care
End of life care refers to the health care that is offered to persons with terminal conditions that have become incurable, progressive, or advanced as well as those living their final moments of life. The Jupiter Town region has several organizations that provide end of life care to the aged, and VITAS Healthcare is one of the most renowned among them. Though the headquarter of this organization that was founded in 1978 is in Miami, it has an office along 4200 Northcorp Pkwy Ste. 140 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 and other 50 hospice programs elsewhere in the state and around the country (Aging Care, 2018).
The organization has approximately 11,000 professionals who provide palliative care to the aged both at their hospice clinics and in their homes. The company’s staff also works in assisted living communities, hospitals, and nursing homes. These professionals comprise of chaplains, social workers, physicians, home health aides, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and other professionals connected to the field. The variety of caregivers at the organization allow for a seamless transition of the aged people admitted to the facility in the continuum of care. Far as the state of the company is concerned, there is only so much that can be done to improve the quality of service delivery to the community since the services are available to everyone.
References
A Place for Mom (2018). Atria Park of St. Josephs . Retrieved 9 October 2018, from https://www.aplaceformom.com/community/atria-park-of-st-josephs-150528
Aging Care (2018). V ITAS Healthcare Palm Beach Gardens, FL - Hospice Care. Retrieved October 9, 2018 from https://www.agingcare.com/local/vitas-healthcare-palm-beach-gardens-hospice-fl-33410
Aumann, K., Galinsky, E., Sakai, K., Brown, M., & Bond, J. T. (2010). The elder care study: Everyday realities and wishes for change . New York, NY: Families and Work Institute.
Comfort Keepers (2018). In Home Care | Jupiter, FL. Jupiter-433 . Retrieved 9 October 2018, from https://jupiter-433.comfortkeepers.com/
Data USA (2018). Jupiter, FL . Retrieved 9 October 2018, from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/jupiter-fl/
Jupiter Medical Center (2018). Jupiter Medical Center -Hospital in Jupiter, F L. Retrieved 9 October 2018, from https://www.jupitermed.com/
La Posada (2018). Healthcare - La Posada. Retrieved 9 October 2018, from http://mylaposada.com/healthcare-at-la-posada/
S. Census Bureau (2018). Facts: Jupiter town, Florida. Retrieved 9 October 2018, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/jupitertownflorida
Town of Jupiter (2018). Demographics | Jupiter, FL. Retrieved 9 October 2018, from https://www.jupiter.fl.us/380/Demographics
