Age Related Complications in Aging Inmates

It is known that the graying process instigates a number of age-related complications; this has been the case for the individuals who are aging within the federal prison cells. This condition has affected their fellow inmates, the guards, and also, the US citizens at large. There is a need for solutions to the age-related complications within the prison settings in order to enhance the living standards of the afflicted (Filinson, 2016). The current healthcare policy only provides for access to medication but it does not provide for personalized healthcare. Some of the solutions that can be implemented include the provision of more professionals to dispense healthcare services within the prison settings and also, the tailoring of the prison cells to account for the accommodation needs of the aging inmates.

The paper, therefore, describes the problem instigated by the aging inmates and also, presents solutions coupled with a number of recommendations to address the problems encountered by these inmates. The Problem and Audience Identification The graying process is characterized by several age-related complications. Therefore, the challenge, in this case, is the deteriorating health of the aging inmates. One such complication is dementia, which normally leads to memory loss and decreases the mind’s ability. Dementia causes its victim to be forgetful, which irritates anyone who interacts with the patient since he or she tends to repeat himself or herself a lot in a conversation (Sung, 2010). Policy Analysis The Eighth Amendment to the US constitution provides for the healthcare needs of the law offenders.

It guarantees the prisoners access to healthcare facilities within the prison’s setting. For this reason, several healthcare facilities have been put up within the prisons to dispense care to the inmates. There have, however, been no efforts to improve the quality of the care services provided to the inmates since the perception of the society is that they are criminals. It has been observed that the current healthcare systems do not meet the needs of the aging inmates who are more affected by the chronic medical condition, like heart failure and diabetes (Flatt, Williams, Barnes, Goldenson & Ahalt, 2016). The government can also allocate more budget towards the improvement of the quality of the healthcare provided in prisons for the old individuals (Filinson, 2016).

There are also a number of recommendations that the government should consider in a bid to curb the effects of the age-related complications on the aging inmates. First, the government should come up with educational programs where all the persons who interact with the aging inmates can be thought how to care for them. During such programs, the inmates can be thought the vitality of interacting with their ailing fellows and making them feel safe. The guards can also be educated on the ways of handling this vulnerable population so that they do not go ordering them around, like the younger inmates who are still energetic (Sung, 2010). It is recommended that the government comes up with educational programs during which those who interact with the aging inmates can be educated on the ways to care for them.