NUR 4244 – Deliverable 4 – Vulnerable Populations Report

As the global population ages, growing importance surrounds the understanding of health determinants affecting the vulnerable population of the elderly. These health determinants include the social and economic environment, physical environment, individual characteristics, and behaviors of the elderly.

The social and economic environment of older people affects the perceived quality of care for those wishing to age in place. Aging in place allows the elderly a level of autonomy, control, and dignity over their health. Social determinants include transportation, access and availability of services, nutrition, and safety. Having availability to these resource options can positively affect the health status of the elderly. Economic resources are fundamental to health because they are necessary to obtain goods and services needed for a healthy life (Nosratabadi et al., 2018).

When a person is in poor health, disabled, or has functional declines due to aging, health issues can be related to housing issues. The physical environment of homes can be both prosthetic and therapeutic to compensate for and help treat health problems. As a prosthetic environment, the home can compensate for functional ability limitations to allow individuals to safely and independently conduct basic activities associated with daily life, engage in social roles, and obtain personal assistance from caregivers. Therapeutically, by encouraging health-promoting practices and offering healthcare services, the environment can promote health maintenance and management (Lee et al., 2018). When homes are not designed to support an aging population, there is an increased risk of accidents and hazards when trying to perform activities of daily living independently. When there is a lack of space, the use of assistive devices or even personal assistance can become impossible (Lee et al., 2018). Environmental factors can directly impact an elder’s quality of life.