Community Assessment of Richmond City and Henrico County: Addressing Dementia as a Health Concern
Community Assessment of Richmond City, Henrico County
Based on the 2020 1st April United States census, Richmond City, Henrico County, has 330,818 (Batko et al., 2019). That makes it the 5th most populated county based in Virginia. Richmond City’s total households between 2015 and 2019 are 90,301 (Batko et al., 2019). Individuals living in the same house total 76.2%, and those speaking more than one language total 9.4% (Batko et al., 2019). The importance of this paper is providing a helpful overview of accomplished Community Health One and assessment. This paper aims to provide in-depth information about Richmond City, Henrico County’s weaknesses and strengths, a health issue affecting the region; dementia, requiring improvement or adjustment, and a health initiation goal, Healthy People 2020. Dementia prevention and treatment are the health set objectives for this paper.
Major Health Concern
The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies Richmond City as one of the leading regions with individuals who have dementia. As noted by WHO, the condition is a syndrome with individuals suffering from thinking, memory, behavior, and capacity to participate in daily activities deterioration (World Health Organization, 2019). Dementia, as outlined, also affects older people majorly, and that worldwide; it affects over 50 million personnel, with each year recording over 10 million cases (World Health Organization, 2019). The most common type of dementia, as noted by the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, is Alzheimer’s disease and commonly affects older people based in Richmond City. Dementia disease, as pointed out, also remains one of the major leading causes of dependency and disability worldwide among older individuals. Dementia profoundly has not only economical and physical impact but also psychological and social effects on the individual. Thus it is a condition affecting one’s families, carers, and the whole community. Generally, it is a situation with progressive and chronic nature necessitating cognitive dysfunction impacting one’s overall life. Its early signs and symptoms are forgetfulness, loss of time tracking, increasing difficulty in communication, and assisted self-care.
On the other hand, Healthy People 2020 is one of the Federal Government’s prevention agendas on building healthier nations. It incorporates National Health Objectives designed to identify the essential prevention health threats such as dementia and incorporate the nation’s goals reducing the latter. The primary mission for Healthy People 2020 is to have a society where people other than living long have healthy and productive lives (World Health Organization, 2019). The goals of Healthy People 2020 thus focus on promoting high-quality life; live longer and free from preventable disability, disease, injury, and premature deaths. The other goal is achieving health equality and equity by eliminating disparities and improving group health, creating a physical and social environment promoting proficient health for everyone.
Similarities
Richmond City, Henrico County, has various households with older adults. The members range from retired engineers, accountants, doctors, teachers, and physicians (Batko et al., 2019). Consecutively, Richmond City, Henrico County, has most of its women as housewives and persons living with disabilities who at one point before having the various disabilities participated in multiple jobs. Besides Windshield Survey individuals who retired in the past three years, two out of five have dementia. Also, as noted in their healthcare premises, there are few healthcare personnel providing counseling and education helping individuals improve their health concerns. Also, based on collected data from Windshield Survey, it was noted that the elderly in Richmond City, Henrico County, suffering from dementia, had memory and thinking problems. Also, the collected data indicated that memory and thinking dysfunction results in mental health obstacles. Healthcare providers’ roles have thus helped them prevent or control the latter, which also treats other conditions such as depression.
Differences
To understand the various causes of dementia in Richmond City, Henrico County, it is vital to compare it to the United States of America Pinecrest Community. The community, as noted, has very many young personnel, and various constructions are having in the region ranging from residential, assembly, education, and institutional projects (Batko et al., 2019). Besides that, the Pinecrest Community members have a gym in their household and walking tracks promoting personal exercises. Based on various surveys conducted, the members also understand the essence of physical activity and thus have invested in lap pools, gyms, and walking tracks. Such acts have profoundly helped the community members stated above to prevent health concern cases such as dementia. Pinecrest Community members focus on maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy food, and getting plenty of exercises. The latter is opposite to Richmond City personnel behavior based on Cedar Field Organization reports which insist that its population grays (Batko et al., 2019). Also, with inefficient healthcare, fitness amenities, and physical exercise knowledge Richmond City portrays high cases of Alzheimer’s disease.
Strengths
Based on data collected, Richmond City, Henrico County community members have a strong connection. For instance, during community participation in various activities, they will look at one another appropriately, ensuring they are fine. The community members believe that they are the Audience of One and that the younger ones in the premises will thus look after the older adults and help them meet their needs (Batko et al., 2019). The younger and the more senior community members, other than participating in the community’s strategic needs, help one another with physical and emotional support. Besides that, when there are various holidays, the Home Owners Association provides a list of its community members and participating in the set activities. The list of activities involves encouraging community empowerment and survival (Batko et al., 2019). Also, Richmond City, Henrico County community members long for a better understanding of their health concerns and how they would avoid or prevent them.
Weaknesses
Richmond City community members have its majority population aged 50 and above. According to World Health Organization, its members also have their large population impoverished, and that its average income per year is $61,438 (World Health Organization, 2019). Also, the majority of the people graduating only from high school and that the community faces other health challenges, including dementia, which has its warning signs such as memory loss, the challenge in performing tasks, disorientation in space and time, and impaired judgment, and challenges with abstract reasoning. Also, the community’s other health concerns are obesity, heart disease, and stroke. Besides that, most health challenges faced by Richmond City result from the vast changing population creating healthcare inequalities and thus affecting its healthcare system.
Improvement
To improve dementia in Richmond City, the World Health Organization argues that mentors, counselors, and other health personnel must understand their needs. The healthcare personnel will thus understand the primary ways of helping the community members prevent dementia (World Health Organization, 2019). Also, as the community longs to prevent dementia, the community healthcare workers would thus provide them with techniques to avoid the latter. They include avoiding smoking, staying on healthy weight, getting plenty of exercise, and eating healthy food.
Also, healthcare personnel or counselors would mentor them to manage various health challenges such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, which are significant causes of dementia (World Health Organization, 2019). Besides that, to improve the health outcome of the community members, it will be critical to have leadership techniques promoting community empowerment and improvement. Since time immemorial, efficient leadership in the community improves the living standards of the community. Also, to raise community standards, healthcare personnel should work with the community city councils to help use Healthy People 2020 objectives to improve community standards.
Conclusion
Richmond City, Henrico County leads in significant health concerns; among them is dementia. The major risk factors linked to dementia and affecting the community members stated above are imbalanced health habits, inefficient physical activities, and knowledge on how to prevent various forms of dementia from affecting community members. To improve the state of Richmond City, Henrico County community members from suffering from dementia, it is thus critical for city’s leaders to introduce appropriate leadership approaches to improve the healthcare personnel working conditions in the premise and empower the community to adopt various healthcare standards. Correspondingly, via Healthy People 2020 Initiative, the healthcare personnel can provide dementia education prevention and treatment methods and how the community members would note its warning signs and symptoms.
References
Batko, S., DuBois, N., & Boshart, A (2019). Richmond, Virginia. https://henrico.us/
World Health Organization. (2019). Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia: WHO guidelines. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/312180/9789241550543-eng.pdf
