Need topic for teaching project :)

I've lived in a number of places where there were a large community of retired people. One subject I can think of that gets some notice on the local news is the number of car accidents caused by older folks whose driving skills are getting bad because of problems with their vision, slowed reaction time and their ability to make decisions. In some places the AARP has special driving course to help older drivers become aware of these things and learn to compensate for them. The AARP (American Association of Retired People) is a staunch advocate of the rights for their members who are 50+. You can search their site for information. You will be astounded at the different "pies" they have their fingers into. One of my HIM (health information management) instructors posted an expose article that was released by AARP this spring on a study they did (and it was reported on the national news services as well) on a number of drug companies that boosted the price on their top selling drugs way, way above all the other drugs that were being sold. It really made the drug companies look bad. However, older people are the biggest consumers of prescription drugs and the cost is an issue for them.

Maybe when we are young we don't think about what happens when we age. When you start working in the acute hospital you are going to find that almost all of your patients are going to be in their 50s, 60s and up. It is almost rare to see patients younger than that. Chronic diseases are often the cause. But, you can look at statistics as well to see what is killing off people. I've given you a link to see what those are.

I did a search for health concerns and came up with a few interesting articles. As I was reading each I knew they were correct in what they were addressing. They will give you some ideas of subjects to focus on. People need to be taught the signs and symptoms of the onset of these conditions and the importance of regular medical check ups. Something I learned over the years as a nurse is that you only see a small percentage of people with acute problems in the hospitals. A greater majority live in the general public and cope with their health problems through utilization of outpatient services.

Something that has come up in my life very recently is that I was found to have a colon cancer with routine hemoccult blood testing. Colon cancer is the 3rd most prevalent cancer killer in the U.S. of middle aged Americans. Lung is first (smokers are especially susceptible) and breast is second. Mammograms are supposed to be done regularly every year after the age of 40. Skin cancer only surfaces in the aging person, not the young. Cancer is curable if found early through some of the simple screenings and this is something that would make a wonderful subject to teach to a group of 40+ people.

• http://www.apa.org/ppo/issues/growing.html - depression, suicide, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, misuse or abuse of alcohol, and chronic illnesses (which can be delayed in progression with good medical care) such as hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, hearing loss, cataracts
  
• http://women.webmd.com/guide/5-top-female-health-concern - Women's Top 5 Health Concerns (there are multiple pages to scroll through). Since this is on the WebMD site you might also want to explore the other links within WebMD which is a website specifically aimed at the consumer of healthcare.
  
• http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=46826 - Men's Top 5 Health Concerns from MedicineNet. This website is similar in purpose to MebMD.
  
• http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/default.htm - National Center for Health Statistics. Scroll through the various links to explore and see if something interests you. These statistics are compiled from information that is sent to the U.S. government by way of the DRGs (acute hospital), MDS (nursing homes), OASIS (home health care) and other statistical reporting tools that are required to be reported by numerous healthcare providers throughout the country that receive any kind of Medicare or Medicaid funding. Additionally, all facilities are required by law to report birth and death statistics to the federal government.
  • http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm - Leading causes of death.

If you want to really impress your instructor and get a good grade, approach this assignment as a professional nurse educator would approach it. Use the nursing process.

Assess the target audience. What are the health concerns of that community and age group? Then plan your intervention based on your knowledge of the target audience. don't just "pick a topic that sounds good to you," you should be "picking a topic (and an educatinal strategy) that meets their needs." Don't forget to plan how you will evaluate the effectiveness of your intervention.

What are the main health concerns of your target population: heart disease? metabolic syndrome? cancer? etc. Do a little research and find out. Then pick one of the top problems and design your class to help the audience to prevent the problem, detect it early, manage it, etc.