Population, Need, and Rationale
The population that this work will explain is the elderly. One area of community change is where there is a need to improve the elderly’s lives. Older adults have already played a huge role in society. For instance, some have been essential in growing the community through different programs. Some have served in the military by dedicating their lives to protecting society (Kuerbis, 2020). On the same note, most have been important in younger generations’ lives.
For this reason, choosing this population is important in this paper. As a social worker, one should focus on several problems affecting society. This way, one can devise strategies and interventions to prevent several societal problems. Social workers should be aware of their populations. This way, it would be easier to identify any issues they may experience. It is also a good way to interact with the population members and establish ethical relationships.
Based on this selection, the social worker will identify elderly alcoholism as a major problem that needs change. One of the most important things that people should note is that the elderly in society has reached a stage where most do not focus more on socialization. Some have opted to remain alone for their reasons. However, studies show that one of the reasons for such situations is that other family members find it hectic to take care of the elderly (Satre et al., 2020). For instance, some feel they take care of their needs too much. Thus, some would opt to take them to nursing homes, where they can receive care services from other professionals. Such situations can lead to several problems among the elderly. For instance, some may drown in depression. This can affect their connection with others in society. For this reason, some older adults have resorted to alcoholism as a management approach. This is because they believe alcoholism would help them sort out their problems.
As a social worker, this might be a challenging aspect to deal with. First, dealing with the elderly requires intense skills, knowledge, and patience. Thus, one may find it challenging to develop an intervention that can help them deal with alcoholism and any other social problem. However, this is a task that most social workers have already taken. They are ready to deal with the situation regardless of how long it takes.
The rationale for the focus
The rationale for the focus is that the elderly in society is among the most vulnerable population groups. One of the reasons is their physical and mental well-being. Studies show that the elderly are more vulnerable to physical and mental conditions that can affect their lives (Pachankis et al., 2020). This is also because of their deteriorated physical activities and immune systems. Another issue is that older adults are more likely to fall into depression because of their financial situations. Most are retired individuals who no longer have a stable income. Such a case may make them engage in substance abuse such as alcoholism. With time, they can also develop conditions such as alcohol abuse disorder. Therefore, the target change would be implementing an intervention that would help the elderly avoid alcoholism and any drugs.
As a social worker, one should also consider cultural humility. One should evaluate the population’s culture before incorporating any intervention. Understanding one’s culture would help one know several aspects, such as language, practices, and beliefs (Day & Rudd, 2019). This way, one would also prevent instances of culture shock and conflicts. One should incorporate a client’s cultural practices and beliefs in their interventions.
Innovation, Evidence, and Past Intervention
According to studies, older adults engage in alcoholism for various purposes. For instance, some take alcohol to fight boredom. This is because of their lack of engagement in several activities that would make them active. On the same note, some engage in alcoholism to fight pain. Studies have shown that some older adults believe in using substances such as alcohol to fight pain. Their pain may be from chronic conditions such as cancer or a traumatic event. Other reasons include fighting depression, sleeplessness, and dealing with self-esteem-related issues. According to Marengoni et al. (2020), social workers should understand why older adults take alcohol before they can develop interventions to help them. As studies suggest, people drink alcohol for various reasons. Thus, understanding these factors would play a huge role in identifying the best intervention that would lead to the preferred outcomes.
From the literature review, one can learn several things. For instance, studies state that people engage in alcoholism for various reasons. Thus, it is essential to personalize care intervention based on the factors behind one’s engagement in alcoholism. One can also learn that some mental-related issues can lead to alcoholism. Therefore, when developing an intervention, one should consider handling mental issues, as well. This can also call for collaboration with other social and health workers.
The review also outlines several interventions that communities have used to deal with elderly alcoholism. For instance, finding a new skill helps the elderly divert their attention from alcoholism to doing something else. Similarly, cognitive behavioral therapy has been a major aspect of dealing with alcoholism among the elderly. Studies show that cognitive behavioral therapy helps the elderly learn how to control their behaviors and desires toward alcoholism. This way, they are better positioned to change their behaviors and focus on other things apart from alcoholism.
Macro Intervention and Planning
The intervention will play a huge role in ensuring that the elderly understand the risks they put themselves in. the intervention must also include several stakeholders, who should play different roles. For instance, the first stakeholders are therapists. They should help the elderly undergo several forms of therapy that would help them cease taking alcohol. Similarly, the intervention will include additional social workers, who will evaluate any additional problems the elderly would have. The intervention will also include the elderly’s family members, who will help make several decisions. This will incorporate autonomy, as the elderly and their families must be part of the decisions to incorporate the interventions.
Assessment
The change has several targets. For instance, it aims to help the elderly reduce their alcohol intake per month. With time, it will focus on helping them stop taking alcohol completely. The aspect of positive change entails helping the elderly engage in other activities that would make them forget about alcohol (Carvalho et al., 2019). The target population wants to know the essence of ceasing to take alcohol. The program will also focus on educating them about the negative impacts of taking alcohol, especially at their ages. From the analysis, the most appropriate intervention would be teaching the elderly population new skills. They can use these skills to do other things, which will help them shift their focus from alcoholism.
Intervention Strategy
As stated, the intervention will focus on educating the elderly about the negative impacts of alcoholism and engaging them in developing new skills. The intervention will involve several stakeholders. One of the stakeholders will be nursing home nurses. They will help interact with older adults in nursing homes (Purser, 2020). They will also learn about several problems older adults face and inform other stakeholders. Another party that would be involved would be religious leaders. They would greatly communicate the change plan to the older adults and their family members. In this intervention, collaboration would be essential as it will help share ideas and responsibilities.
Assets and Resources
The plan will require several assets and resources to implement the change. For instance, the plan will utilize nursing homes, where many elderly stay. The plan will also work with family members with older adults. They will help cite older adults in the community. Finally, the plan will work with recreational facilities to help older adults engage in new hobbies. As stated, the program should focus on educating older adults about the negative impacts of alcoholism. It should also help them develop new skills, which they can use to shift their focus from alcoholism. For instance, they can engage in knitting, playing games, and others.
Specific Goals
The macro intervention would have several goals. First, it aims to reduce the amount of alcohol that older adults consume. It will also focus on helping the elderly develop new skills, which they can use to shift their focus from alcohol (Knox et al., 2019). The program will also have different approaches to measure these goals. For instance, it will measure the amount of alcohol participants take before and after the intervention. This will help determine whether there is any change. Also, the program will assess older adults to determine the skills they have learned from the intervention.
Theory
The main theory that will apply in this case is the cognitive-behavioral theory. The theory suggests that people develop alcoholism as a behavior. Thus, they can also modify their behaviors to eliminate the addiction. The theory further suggests that engaging in behaviors that would help son shift their focus would help them deal with alcoholism.
Sustainability of the intervention
The intervention will be considered sustainable, as it will meet most of its goals. Similarly, the implementation will take three months. This will be enough to evaluate whether the program has brought any desired outcomes. Finally, the program will also work with stakeholders, using their experience and skills to assess its outcomes and benefits.
Resources needed
The program will require several resources. For instance, it will require social places where stakeholders interact with older adults. It will also require financial resources to cater to several other needs, such as public address systems. The program will also require technological resources such as websites and social media. It will use these to report its findings to other stakeholders, such as the public.
Challenges
The implementation may face several challenges. For instance, the program may need more funds to implement the change. Thus, stakeholders will rely on donors, sponsors, and other funds sources. The program may also need support from older adults participating. Thus, social workers and other stakeholders must convince older adults to participate.
Conclusion
Older adults face several problems which can affect their lives. One should assess older adults and identify these problems as a social worker. As this work suggests, alcoholism is a major issue among older adults. Social workers can collaborate with other stakeholders to implement interventions to help older adults cease alcoholism. This work also suggests that social workers should research to determine evidence-based practices they can use to implement change in society.
References
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Day, E., & Rudd, J. H. (2019). Alcohol use disorders and the heart. Addiction, 114(9), 1670-1678. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14703
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Pachankis, J. E., McConocha, E. M., Clark, K. A., Wang, K., Behari, K., Fetzner, B. K., … & Lehavot, K. (2020). A transdiagnostic minority stress intervention for gender diverse sexual minority women’s depression, anxiety, and unhealthy alcohol use: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88(7), 613. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000508.
Purser, G. L. (2020). The combined effect of functional independence, loneliness, and social engagement on older adult drinking levels. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 20(4), 311-324. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533256X.2020.1838858
Satre, D. D., Hirschtritt, M. E., Silverberg, M. J., & Sterling, S. A. (2020). Addressing problems with alcohol and other substances among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 28(7), 780-783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2020.04.012
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