Health

These same leaders are not fully aware of what the community needs due to the lack of communication with the constituents. Treating chronic diseases in the early stages can save lives and reduce health care costs. Health care providers realize the importance in prevention. For example, Medicare will cover screening for breast and colorectal cancers. However, 20% of women aged 65-69 have not received a mammogram within the past two years. Only half of all Americans 65 and older have received the recommended blood stool screening test for sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy (CDC1, 2001). Most Americans do not realize these screenings are needed. If adults are aware that they should have the screening, most choose not to because of fear of cost. Americans are unaware of what health procedures are covered and those that are not. Health care even at its most basic is hard for the average person to understand. No person is ever trained on his or her health care policy. Most people are given the manual and documents that are supposed to explain the coverage and left to figure it out. This is apart of health promotion that isn't effective now but needs more work. Letting this growing number of adults know what resources are available is important. Most have passed the primary stage of prevention. Adults have crossed to secondary and tertiary stages. Educating the public on what resources are available and how to go about allocating those resources is important for the older age group. As for the next generation, if we can educate them now maybe we can catch them before the secondary and tertiary stages. The current adult population grew along with the American industry. Technology, fast food and unhealthy diets all come into being during the adult's youth. The elderly Americans did not have the education on the unhealthy effects foods can have on your body. Research was not as predominant in the past as it is today.