Final synthesis - Critical Foundations in Health Disciplines

The creation of this e-portfolio was done to respond to the needs of the course Critical Foundations in Health Disciplines at Athabasca University. Most of the learning outcomes were based on connecting with classmates and the tutor while curating our learning resources to share with the group. The study guide helped us navigate through the different subjects. Within the course, I've learned the importance of inter-professional connections, a social media and professional online presence, the determinants of health in Canada, multilevel approaches to understanding health, chronic disease prevention and management, health within vulnerable populations and future directions of health. I've also learned new skills to curate and locate resources and to keep an organized system of these resources for future use. 

As a volunteer lead in a health centre, I work mostly with the aging population. Within most of the course, I've kept my focus on this population. In this synthesis blog post, I will keep my focus on seniors. In 2019, Canada had 6.6 million seniors composing 1/5 of the population. By 2040, it is estimated that seniors should be 1/4 of the Canadian population (Aging and Chronic Diseases, 2020). Older adults take a lot of the resources in the health care system, yet, nearly 33% admit being dissatisfied with the quality of their care (Zafar, A. 2018). As we all know, the process of aging affects the health condition of individuals. There are some ways, that the process of aging can be slowed down or the negative effects can be minimalized. 

Importance of inter-professional connections 

There is an emphasis throughout the course to collaborate with colleagues to discuss different subjects. It's a great opportunity to learn more about health within your province while comparing and learning about other provinces as well. Everyone comes from very different backgrounds and provinces and everyone has a different point of view. While I kept my focus on the aging population, I was also able to read about different populations chosen by my classmates. I learned about their role in the health system and how we can interact and connect. 

Inter-professional connections were important within the course, but they are also necessary while working in the healthcare field. Within the interprofessional team that I work with daily, I often work with nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, Social Workers, Dieticians and people from many other professions. The goal of these inter-professional connections is always to learn from each other and to offer the best care to our patients and groups of patients. I've reflected on how I can best use these human resources as they are easily accessible and how we can collaborate to offer effective care to our clients. 

Social Media and professional identity

From a very young age, I have always been aware of my online presence on social media and how this can affect me. I've never posted anything inappropriate and I've always kept my social media private. What I learned in this course is the importance of a professional online presence. I do have to admit that I still need to develop my online presence. I created a Twitter and a Linkedin at the beginning of this course and I find it hard to actively post on them and keep them updated. It does not come naturally to me. If I reflect

on my initial social media plan, I still believe that a professional online presence can interfere with my online presence. If someone visits my social media, I'm comfortable that they see who I am outside of professional boundaries. The creation of my e-portfolio has been hard work but I'm proud of where it's at currently. I will now share my e-portfolio if I need to show who I am as a professional. 

Determinants of health in Canada 

Determinants of health are non-medical factors that influence individuals or groups' health. According to the Government of Canada (2022), they are 12 main determinants of health. These include income and social status, employment and working conditions, education and literacy, childhood experiences, physical environment, social support and coping skills, healthy behaviours, access to health services, biology and genetic endowment, gender, culture and race/racism. As healthcare professionals, it's essential to consider and reflect on social determinants while accessing the needs of clients. While working with the aging population, it's important to remember the determinants affecting their health and to keep an open mind to factors affecting their health. For example, education can affect the aging population as there is a lower level of education compared to the general population. From personal experience, I hear a lot of false information when it comes from seniors when they talk about their health. We must kindly educate them and find resources so that they can understand. 

I still like to rely on the Health Foundation infographic to understand how determinants of health work. Although this resource is not Canadian, it's a helpful tool that I will use throughout my career. While educating seniors, I find it useful to have a visual representation to show. It's a great way to understand how we can all be healthy, but we don't all have to same chances when it comes to health. 

Multilevel to understanding health 

Health is a complicated phenomenon to understand. While discussing health, it's important to consider the multi-levels and not see health on an individual level. Many groups face health inequalities and health care should consider these groups as a whole instead of temporarily fixing health problems among individuals. Within this unit, I've studied the health promotion model and seniors. My learning outcomes were that as a worker with this population, I can influence, educate and create programs to help seniors benefit from better health, but as long as individuals do not want to put those strategies in action to stay as healthy as possible, we're limited to what we can do to influence their actions. I've learned from my classmates about many different multi-levels to understanding health. I particularly enjoyed Mojgan's blog post as she discussed a socio-economic model to describe the health outcomes of the aging population. I found that factors were all interconnected and that it could be more difficult for a senior to obtain good health if they face inequalities at a younger age.

Chronic disease prevention and management 

Chronic diseases are conditions that affect the quality of life of individuals and that require medical attention. Living with a chronic disease can impact a person's quality of life and limit their activities. When it comes to chronic diseases within the aging population, the list can get quite long. Some chronic diseases that can be seen are cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, mental illness, musculoskeletal disorders, neurological diseases, respiratory diseases and more. According to the Aging and Chronic Diseases guide (2020), over one-third of seniors have at least 2 chronic diseases. Many chronic diseases are preventable or the effects of the disease can be manageable. Lifestyle behaviours and risk factors can increase the risk of developing chronic diseases. Four key behavioural risk factors increase the chances of developing chronic diseases among seniors. These are tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy eating and physical inactivity. Public health education can help seniors understand these factors and avoid falling into these patterns. 

Vulnerable populations

Different groups within society face challenges when it comes to their health and accessing health care. These vulnerable populations face structural inequities when it comes to health care. This can result in misdiagnosis, not receiving adequate health care, mistreatment and more. Vulnerable populations are often hesitant to reach out when they need health care because they often do not face the same treatment as the general population. They have a lack of trust when it comes to healthcare professionals and their interventions. Seniors are seen as a vulnerable population within the healthcare system. Even if some seniors still have their full mental and physical capacities, they are more at risk of different diseases and conditions. Seniors are often seen as a burden by healthcare professionals. I've enjoyed Culum's point of view in his unit 7 weekly check-in. He said that as a health care professional if we see a patient as being difficult before he comes in the door, we will most likely find them difficult. It's important to keep an open mind and to change our point of view when it comes to seniors.  

Future directions of health

During the last unit of the course, we studied the future directions of health. After the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare system, we have seen where the system lacks and where change is necessary.  

A demographic change is happening as it is estimated that by 2040, more than 1/4 of the population will be seniors. The system is already unable to respond to the increasing needs of seniors. According to the Canadian Medical Association (2017), it is estimated that by 2026 2.4 million Canadians aged over 65 years will need continuing care in the public or private sector. Improving how we care for our seniors benefits not only this population but the general population, we are all affected while caring for seniors. Everyone cares for a parent, a grandparent, an older sibling or a friend. If we do not care for a senior, we will most likely get there someday and we need to trust that the healthcare system will be able to respond to our needs. As the continuing care home's capacity has reached limits, more funding and initiatives should be delivered to offer better home care to older adults. 

Conclusion 

To conclude, it was interesting to study, exchange and learn with a group of students during the course Critical Foundations in Health Disciplines. Having classmates from different provinces of Canada and different backgrounds in the health care system made the conversation rich and educational. Learning about the foundations of health in Canada and more specifically in Ontario will be useful for the rest of this master's degree and throughout my career. 

References 

N.A. (2019). What makes us healthy [infographic]. The Health Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.health.org.uk/infographic-what-makes-us-healthy October 1, 2022.

N.A. (2022) Social determinants of health and health inequalities. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/what-determines-health.html November 26, 2022. 

N.A. (2001). Population Health Promotion: An Integrated Model of Population Health and Health Promotion. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/population-health-promotion-integrated-model-population-health-health-promotion/developing-population-health-promotion-model.html

N.A. (2020) Aging and Chronic Diseases. Government of Canada. 

N.A. (2017). Improving the health of all Canadians: A vision for the future. Canadian Medical Association. 

Zafar, A. (2018). Canadian seniors less satisfied with quality of health care in international survey. CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/seniors-satisfaction-cihi-1.4525303November 27, 2022.