Background Information
The elderly population has several needs, including physical health, safety, and normal daily activities. With the increasing number of baby boomers entering the retirement phase, social workers play a role in facilitating the wellbeing of the elderly population (Plummer et al., 2014). This process evaluation reports the assessment of a program aimed at identifying and analyzing the unmet needs of the elderly. The needs assessment program entails understanding the fundamental elements related to care for the elderly, the various needs to be assessed, and data collection methods. The process involves collecting data from social workers, health caregivers, and elderly persons living in nursing homes. Essentially, this report provides a comprehensive evaluation of the process followed, from needs identification to solution development and the effectiveness of each step.
Key Program Elements
Healthy aging has remained a significant challenge in many countries globally. In low and middle-income countries, the elderly have additional challenges, including mental and emotional health needs. According to research, people with dementia will outnumber those without it four times more in nations with low and intermediate incomes by the year 2050 (Aasmul et al., 2018). One key element of this program is creating a distinction between the needs and preferences of elderly care. This aspect defines the ability to distinguish between essential concerns that ensure elderly people’s wellbeing and facilities that provide extra comfort for the group. This program aims to facilitate normal healthy lives across all health needs of the elderly; health, financial, and safety needs.
The second element is research, which is linked to the first element of needs. The research summarizes the process followed to identify, evaluate, and classify the needs. This process entails a description of key personnel required for research; nursing home managers, social workers, health caregivers, and elderly persons who have stayed in nursing homes. This needs assessment is based on the individuals living in nursing homes. It assumes that the prevalence of needs and the lack of support in the community is the main factor that pushes people to join nursing homes (Bridges et al., 2017). The last element is the classification of needs, which entails grouping the needs identified into health, financial, security and analyzing their level of importance and urgency.
Strategies for Program Implementation
Although the elderly have been a part of society for centuries, theory needs are seldom researched and met adequately. This program seeks to identify the unmet needs of the elderly through qualitative and quantitative studies. It is based on a literature review and actualized through personal interviews, questionnaires, observation, and expert opinion. The needs assessment process is guided by the increasing need for social workers’ enlightenment on their roles as elderly acre givers in a growing population with minimal resources (Plummer et al., 2014). Unlike qualitative programs that generate theoretical data on needs and formulate change policies, this program combines qualitative and quantitative data to help learn the severity, urgency, and implications of the proposed change.
Primary Needs of the Elderly Population
Old age introduces several changes that result in the emergence of health issues, such as geriatric illnesses or normal pains and discomfort associated with old age. In a research conducted by WHO, although health is sometimes genetically determined, it is determined by physical and social settings and personal factors such as their sexes and socioeconomic position (Bridges et al., 2017). Health comes out as the most pressing need of the elderly population. The second need is access to health care, which is limited by financial condition. Most people retire without health savings or a health care plan, making it extremely difficult to manage the health challenges that emerge in the latter years (Bridges et al., 2017). The third and fourth needs are security and self-actualization, which are linked to mental health. The elderly may experience isolation and find it difficult to maintain social relationships, contributing to mental health deterioration. These four fundamental needs necessitate the development of viable needs assessment programs that will aid in formulating policies for the support and sustainability of elderly care.
Importance of a Process Evaluation for This Program
A process evaluation serves as a continuous monitoring tool throughout the life of the program. In this case, the process evaluation is crucial in every element of the needs assessment program for the elderly. First, it serves to highlight the interventions put in place from the start to the end. It is, therefore, a crucial monitoring tool that will aid in identifying any gaps and missed objectives (Dudley, 2020). Second, it facilitates impact and results evaluations by indicating how each intervention aids in accomplishing the goal. It also shows how the elements link to each other and can be used as a change tool. If any of the procedures followed in the qualitative and quantitative research are found inappropriate, changes can be made in the process. For example, it may be found that expert opinions given during qualitative research on the elderly needs in nursing homes present a considerable level of bias. In this case, expert opinion may be replaced with meta-analysis data from previous literature.
Staff-Management Relationship Building
The welfare of elderly people living in nursing homes is influenced, to a great extent, by the relationship between staff and management. The process evaluation entails the collaboration of staff and leaders involved in program implementation. For this reason, it is crucial to maintain a healthy staff-management relationship throughout the process. To achieve this, open communication, role sharing, and work ethics will be enforced. This will create accountability between leaders and workers and facilitate constructive feedback.
Broad and Specific Questions to be Answered by the Process Evaluation
This process evaluation seeks to address two main questions and three specific questions on needs assessment for the elderly population. The broad questions are: What are the most pressing needs of elderly people in nursing homes? How can sustainability be ensured in elderly care? These two questions cover the needs and processes through which they can be met. The specific questions are: How many needs have remained unmet among the elderly population? How can nursing homes facilitate elderly care through self-actualization and social relationships? What are some of the trends in elderly care that influence their wellbeing?
Information Gathering and Analysis Plan
The evaluation process will entail both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The qualitative data will be gathered through a case study of two major nursing homes in New York. Interviews will be conducted involving nursing home managers and some elderly persons and combined with expert opinion from famous social workers in the U.S. The quantitative data will mainly be obtained through questionnaires and surveys. The information gathered will be analyzed through regression analysis for predictive, prescriptive, and inferential outcomes.
References
Aasmul, I., Husebo, B. S., & Flo, E. (2018). Description of an advance care planning intervention in nursing homes: Outcomes of the process evaluation. BMC Geriatrics, 18(1), 1-11.
Bridges, J., May, C., Fuller, A., Griffiths, P., Wigley, W., Gould, L., Barker, H., & Libberton, P. (2017). Optimising impact and sustainability: A qualitative process evaluation of a complex intervention targeted at compassionate care. BMJ Quality & Safety, 26(12), 970-977.
Dudley, J. R. (2020). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (3rd ed.) Oxford University Press.
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Laureate International Universities Publishing.