Week 1

In this blog, I will be going over my project progression during Week 1 and some things to look forward to in Week 2.

Week 0 Recap
As a reminder, in my Week 0 blog post, I delved into the importance of understanding how patients are coping with instability and inconsistencies in medical care coverage. Specifically, measuring confidence levels in the elderly population in NYC can communicate whether a particularly low-income demographic is struggling under high insurance premiums and uncertainty within the current medical coverage system. Of course, the benefits of the study are ascertaining the simultaneous cognitive burdens on seniors, as prior research has shown that patients under financial stress often impede necessary prescription use and primary care administration.

Week 1: Source Work and Volunteering
This week, I focused on writing and engaging with my sources more purposefully, while also beginning my work with JASA (Jewish Association Serving the Aging). As a reminder, I am hoping to answer the question of how elderly primary care patients in NYC perceive the affordability and stability of their out-of-pocket medical payments in the current U.S. healthcare environment.

As I worked through my sources, I noticed that they primarily focus on adult patients rather than older adults (65+), which highlighted a gap in the research. This realization guided my approach as I reread my sources and drafted my literature review. The process was time-consuming, as it required not only synthesizing the sources but also carefully analyzing each article’s significance in shaping my overall argument.

I also worked to better contextualize the issue of insurance instability among the elderly by introducing key demographic and geographic details. Specifically, I found that about 2 million seniors reside in NYC, with 65% reporting that they have a Primary Care Physician (PCP) (“National Institute of Health”). Alongside this research, my volunteering with JASA has allowed me to engage more directly with this population. I created a March-themed newsletter for seniors living in assisted housing, which features motivational articles and easy recipes, and began volunteering my time there, speaking with residents about their lives—and their unexpected enthusiasm for racing video games and banana pudding.

Week 2 Plan

Looking forward to Week 2, I plan on meeting again with my on-site advisor, Dr. Brown, to receive feedback on my drafts of the literature review and introduction. I will also be reading Healthcare and Policy, a medical-grade textbook on the history and prognosis of healthcare in the U.S.; I will add my findings to my literature review, as well as synthesize them within the broader theme.

Thank you for reading my Week 1 Blog! I am excited to continue sharing my research process and conclusions with you!