Sun City Center
Communities that senior citizens form represent an interest for policymakers, academics, and medical professionals in gerontology. With the continually growing elderly population, the need for healthcare services provided expressly for this demographic group and facilities that cover its needs increases in parallel. Some elderly prefer to go through this period in their life in the privacy of their own homes, while others create communities where the desire to remain an active member of society can be satisfied in a different setting. An array of these social units exist throughout the country with varying socioeconomic statuses, educational levels, commonality in interests, and health concerns – Sun City Center belongs to this category.
Community Description: Geography, Geopolitics, and Population
The community has a long history and takes pride in being self-contained and one of the first designed for older adults. It is active approximately since the middle of the last century and incorporates several activities that strengthen it (line dancing, bingo, nights, and heritage events). Additionally, Sun City Center has a site detailing the advantages of living there. It is located in the west of Central Florida, where the climate tends to be equatorial with relatively high levels of both humidity and temperature. The vast majority of the community is Caucasian (92%), with minorities belonging to Africa-American (5%), Native-American, and Asian (3% jointly) ethnicities (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). It consists primarily of people older than fifty-five years old with almost equal distribution between male and female populations.
Community Description: Socioeconomic Characteristics
Regarding the financial situation, the community seems to coincide with the average household income in the country. The socioeconomic status of its residents, seemingly, can be correlated with their educational levels; thus, people who obtained degrees starting from bachelor’s potentially live in higher-income households (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). On the other hand, the poverty level in Sun City Center is lower approximately by four percent than the country’s average if pre-pandemic statistics are considered (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). From the perspective of the political climate, the community is leaning slightly towards conservatism, which may align with other its characteristics.
Functional Health Patterns
Spiritual resources appear to form a significant part of life in Sun City Center and one of its central values. Several facilities and houses of worship belonging to different religions and confessions are built there. Christianity, its Protestant tradition, prevails in the community as Baptist, Lutheran, and Methodist churches seem to succeed. The substantial presence of Protestantism may affect health, as faith healing is still prevalent in the tradition (Klassen, 2015). Despite that, Sun City Center also incorporates health promotional services – family practices, lifestyle change programs, and oriental healing can be found in the community.
Leisure and activities practiced in Sun City Center are varied and range from board game nights to tennis and volleyball matches. In terms of common goals and interests, fitness appears to enthuse its residents – Sun City Center provides workout programs, facilities for various hobbies, and travel options. The community has a fitness center – one of its major facilities – available for the residents, and during peak periods, free training is also provided. Furthermore, outdoor and indoor pools serve as places for aquatic physical exercises, such as water volleyball, aerobics, and synchronized swimming. Athletic trainers, rules, and regulations are meant to prevent injuries linked to sports and age; nevertheless, the most common injuries like joint pain, strains, sprains, bruising, and inflammation happen.
Sedentary hobbies and interests are also appreciated in the community. Monday bingo nights are regularly hosted as they present an inexpensive opportunity for entertainment and socialization. It is also worth noticing that the community recognizes the need for digital literacy for seniors. Computer club with trained monitors strives to inform and educate Sun City Center’s older adults, enabling them to gain a sense of independence, inclusion, and belonging to society in general through digital technologies. To increase residents’ and guests’ mobility, public transportation exists in the area. For example, Route 84 enables the community’s members to access different points of Sun City Center as well as neighboring territories. Golf carts are a popular means of transportation that can be seen on the community’s local roads along with regular cars.
Considering the given according to CDC statistics on the community’s obesity rate and its proclivity to cardiovascular diseases, besides the regular physical activities promoted extensively, nutrition should be one of the primary considerations. Health food stores and markets are not represented immediately in the area, as the closest farmers market is located at a driving distance. On the other hand, potable waters is not a scarce resource in Sun City Center as well as fast food, since numerous restaurants serving it surround the community. On the contrary, the community’s St. Anne Catholic Church distributes food boxes, enhancing food accessibility and, potentially, decreasing malnutrition. These observations may support the claim that food consumption is rather unhealthy in the social unit under consideration.
Common air contaminants, such as particulates, can affect the community’s lung health, increasing the chances of problems with breathing, coughing, and airways’ infections.
The community’s noise ordinance is subordinate to the state’s rules.
Recycling and waste disposal, seemingly, are not an issue as commercial waste management is widely practiced. Pest control is also required for all owners in the community.
Laundry services are obtainable in the Sun City Center’s Laundromat.
The community’s major facilities have shade structures outside, and the territory is quite green in general, increasing the number of places where heat can be avoided.
A security patrol of trained volunteers operates in a community.
English is predominant in Sun City Center, and thus language does not constitute a communication barrier. Due to ethnic minorities’ presence, some other languages are used (Spanish, for instance) although way less often. Education levels tend to vary significantly in Sun City Center. Approximately one quarter terminated their education after high school graduation. Another quarter attended college for some time, while 20% obtained bachelor’s degree, 15% finished with a graduate degree, 9% with an associate degree, and others (6%) did not graduate high school (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). Philanthropic Educational Organization awards scholarships for the female community members to provide educational opportunities. At the same time, the community, seemingly, does not have them for people with disabilities as well as educational offerings besides clubs and societies. Nevertheless, SSC library with extensive book collection and Internet access is available to any community member.
In terms of violence and delinquency, the community is considered to be a safe one. Its violent crime rates are lower than the state’s average (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). Elder abuse hotline and support groups (Alcoholics Anonymous, American Cancer Society, Diabetes Support Group, et cetera) serve the community’s seniors as stress management resources. Consequently, this social unit accentuates the significance of mental health by offering services of Coalition for Mental Health & Aging that consists of mental health professionals. Community Emergency Response Team is responsible for disaster planning, assisting professional fire and police forces.
Healthcare Barriers
Despite the community being, seemingly, highly-developed, and possessing the necessary infrastructure to meet the healthcare needs of its members, some barriers and boundaries are still present. They can be linked to high expenses that healthcare services entail, problems with insurance coverage, and not culturally adapted care for ethnic minorities constituting a part of Sun City Center. Even though the median household income in the community almost coincides with the national average, health care availability narrows for lower-income households, as economic stability is a significant determinant of health as well as medical bills rising by age. Considering that, on average, a Sun City Center resident is seventy years old, healthcare expenses could constitute one of their primary expenditures.
Within the community, the number of healthcare professionals seems limited to emergency medical technicians forming an emergency squad that is able to provide primary life support care. For all other health problems, residents are supposed to refer to the South Bay Hospital, located outside the community but which can be reached promptly. Hypertension is one of the predominant health problems in Sun City Center – the obesity rate in Hillsborough County is around twenty‑five percent, more than the state’s average (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). As aging is also a factor contributing to the likelihood of the disease’s progression, the community could implement healthier nutrition promotion programs. High blood pressure can lead to several heart diseases, the principal cause of death in Florida, putting Sun City Center s residents at higher risk.
Community Assessment Summary
Sun City Center has a charitable foundation and operates based on a community fund consisting of operations, donor field of interest, and donor-advised funds. The operations fund exists to sustain functional expenses (administrative, office, and related to website maintenance). The donor-advised fund supports the community’s charities and gives contributors several benefits concerning taxes. Lastly, the donor field of interest fund assists various services and programs operating within the community. The community is in partnership with Physician Partners of America – this alliance is supposed to form a pain management group in the area. Therefore, the community, to a degree, manages to maintain itself independently.
Health Issues Identification
Senior citizens are particularly vulnerable and affected by imbalance, excess, and insufficiency in their alimentation. The lack of resources to obtain the proper nutrition outlined earlier can affect the community’s health and life quality. Besides deteriorating the digestive system’s functioning, this dietary factor can lead to the emergence of cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer, for instance. Since heart diseases, stroke, and diabetes are among the principal causes of mortality in Florida, the community’s nutrition constitutes an issue declining the state of general public health. Preventive measures, including dietary plans, weight monitoring, and moderate exercise, could, to an extent, alleviate the issue.
Interview Summary
The interview made evident that given the impact of aging on mental health, Sun City Center views its members’ emotional and psychological soundness as one of the vital preoccupations. Professionals constituting Coalition for Mental Health & Aging describe their main role in the community as providing psychological assistance and support. They also perform an intermediary role, giving referrals to mental health hospitals in the region. Monthly meetings for the coalition’s workers serve to align mental health promotion plans and review short-time objectives. The interview created the impression that the extent to which mental health workers provide care within the community is limited to consultative services, psychological health education, and assistance in support groups.
Conclusions
The investigation of Sun City Center can be summarized by stating that it constitutes a safe setting to age with an array of services provided, including professional care, clubs, and physical activities. The attention to disaster planning and safety measures renders the community successful in decreasing stress. Nevertheless, upon closer observation, nutrition seems to be one of the primary problems in the community as obesity rates are somewhat higher than the state’s average, potentially due to the median age, and healthy food retailers are absent. Thus, recommendations apropos of dietary plan implementation and weight control could serve to enhance the community’s longevity.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Stats of the State of Florida. Web.
Klassen, P. (2015). The politics of protestant healing: Theoretical tools for the study of spiritual bodies and the body politic. Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, 14(1), 68–75.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2018). ACS 5-Year Survey. Web.