Questions We Can Help You To Answer

Paper instructions:

Question: Here is the rest of Harold's story:

Harold was married to his childhood sweetheart, who suffered from bipolar disorder. They kept this secret from their children because they thought it was best. In the last few years, they decided together to enter a retirement community so that her care could be provided without burdening their children. At the funeral, Harold spoke to his children explaining the mother's disorder, and although the children were sympathetic, they were also angry at the fact that they did not know the truth. Instead, the family had been torn apart by their mother's strange and unpredictable behavior. With his offspring still angry at him, Harold is now determined to live a life in which he can care for himself, after spending the last 30 years helping his wife to maintain balance and joy in their marriage.

For this discussion, analyze how perceptions influence professional effectiveness.

Now that you have this additional information, how does this affect your assumptions?
Would it change how your view or treat Harold?



unit reading: Leadership And Advocacy
INTRODUCTION

Male hand pressing culture key button. © istockphoto.com Quote: 'Leadership is not about speed, ideas, efficiency, or power...It is about knowing your own limitations and celebrating the gifts of others.' - https://nurturingfaith.wordpress.com/
There are multiple ways of defining advocacy and various types of advocacy used for this population. "Vigilant efforts by, with, or on behalf of older persons to influence decision-makers and structures of imbalanced power and to promote justice in providing for, assisting with, or allowing needs to be met," defines advocacy according to authors Huber, Nelson, Netting, and Borders (2008, p. 4). With such a detailed definition, it is easy to understand the need for focusing on multicultural knowledge as necessary to fully comprehend the differences impacting seniors based on where they are located and in which they fulfill their life goals.

Advocacy at many different levels and in many different capacities requires attention to needs indicated by the vulnerability of this age group. To be able to encourage seniors to self-advocate and understand the need for collaboration and support, demands recognizing what Huber, et al. call a power differential. They explain the need for questioning what seniors want and how the collaboration efforts and the service providers who are involved can support these needs. Self-advocates and collective self-advocates, as the authors identify, adopt various goals and organizational structures to address issues and guide this population. Legal provider advocates are also identified by these authors helping us to recognize the various ways and forms advocacy may take. Understanding the group to which one is tied and their cultural perspectives and positive attributes, will support the effort to advocate effectively for this population (2008).

Leadership for this age group has become a strong focal point for training organizations. Training differs, supporting leadership of the elderly, who are frail or healthy and engaged as adults, as well as their family and significant others. Leadership within the professional community  requires training in skills of communication and empowerment. Holm and Severinsson (2014) describe the need for protecting vulnerability of patients considered as individuals, and not as groups of individuals.

The focus on this will continue throughout the course as we discern ways to protect the integrity and enhance development and self-esteem of the aging individual. It is essential to communicate effectively.  We must recognize the contributions of various individuals, focus groups, and organizations for enhancing the life quality of a resident of a continuing care community or one who lives independently, as well as value the support of the family, which requires a balancing act for any leader.

From a counseling perspective, positive regard for all contributing parties becomes an expectation. Building relationships that create alliances with other contributing forces to care (Huber, Nelson, Netting, & Borders, 2008) as well as team building are integral aspects of leadership that is effective, responsive, and conciliatory. This unit will give us an opportunity to view multiple leadership roles and to consider their response to change as well as their options for enhancing empowerment from all contributing forces