Ageism In Canada

It is apparent that age discrimination is prevalent in today’s society within health care. This section will further explore ageism and provide ways to overcome it. According to Potter and Perry (2014) ageism is defined as “discrimination against people because of increasing age” (p. 376). Ageism has the ability to undermine self-confidence in older adults, limit their access to care, and even distort health care providers’ understanding of the uniqueness of each older adult. The Canadian Special Senate Committee on Aging has concluded that ageism in Canada is delicate and pervasive and immediate action is required (Potter & Perry, 2014). Ageism can result in over- treatment or under-treatment. For example, over-treatment can include “overuse

Elder abuse happens more often than we think. It comes in the forms of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, exploitation and abandonment. I will give you the Elder Justice Act facts on policies, demographics, and how it affects the population. Following the facts, will be the issues of the Elder Justice Act. After discussing the issues, there will be possible alternatives/solutions, recommendations and possible outcomes of the recommendations. Then there will be a detailed discussion about future implications and long term outlook.

I have identified the aging population (greater than 55 years of age) in Chatham/Kent, Ontario (in a community I am familiar and work within); a population on the rise and with minimal government and Ministry of Health support that enables seniors to maintain quality of life,

A new culture of ageism is now in the medical world. So many Canadians look down on seniors that ageism has become the most tolerated form of social discrimination in Canada. Health care professionals like Nathan Stall, a future geriatrics specialist and Carrie Willkies, a registered nurse are both against this new norm. In both pieces, the central idea is clear, “The Eradication of Ageism in health care”.

The Ageing population in comparison to labor productivity and developments within Canada is reaching crisis level. Population analysts have explained that Canada needs an immediate overhaul of its migration policy to be able to contain the looming crisis caused by the ageing generations (Gazer, 2016). Currently it is estimated by 2021; approximately more than 17% of the total Canadian population will be over 65 years of age. Gazer (2016) explains that this represents an approximate 7 million people with the number projected to increases to almost 20 million representing 22.6% of the entire Canadian population. Government departments, state corporations, institutions and private organization require adequate professional

The aging population is growing in Canada with an all-time high of over 4 million in 2010. The elderly population alone requires care for treating chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, which require expensive treatments. The number of hospitalizations for such diseases has gone up substantially and is expected to increase. Thus, an increasing aging population will require more and more money from the publicly funded health care budget in the decades to come.

Nathan Stall, a geriatrician from Western University in London, Ontario, sad that the process should begin with the eradication of ageism with no tolerance for those who treat elders with discrimination as they would be reprimanded for prejudicing based on gender, race, religion or sexuality. The doctor laments how elders are treated as a second rate patients (Nathan Stall, 2012). As said by Samir Sinha, head of geriatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada needs more geriatricians

This aspect of discrimination is one of many forms of abuse, but it is not the only one. Through physical, financial, psychological and emotional abuse, and through the acts of neglect and abandonment, seniors feel the insufferable pain everyday of their lives. To remedy the problem there are simple and ideological principles that need to be examined; dignity, independence, fairness, participation and security. If these standards can be utilized by society, we can rid ourselves of the terrible mistreatment of seniors.

Chapter 13 of the text: The Elderly and Retired, addresses the foundation of Canada’s social policies for seniors (those aged 65 and above in most circumstances), and the underlying issues and ideas that continue to pervade its framework. Effective and fair social policy regarding Canada’s seniors is of paramount importance now and in the immediate years to come, seeing as with the baby-boomer generation in the process of retiring, it is

Ever Since World War II, Earth’s population has increased by over 250 percent. As of now, Earth’s population is the highest it has ever been. A low fertility rate and an aging population can be the major cause for a dilemma relating to population, with negative social and economic effects. An aging population will be very hard to support financially from the working class, which is ever-declining. If Canada’s population continues to age, the working class will not be able to economically support seniors. The most rapidly growing demographic class in Canada happens to be seniors, and we have been seeing and predicting results of this growth. Since 1921, the population of older adults has more than doubled, and by 1926, it is predicted that one in five Canadians will be over sixty five. One in three Canadians will be older than the age fifty five in only four short years. Moreover, Canada spends billions of dollars helping older adults which includes providing old-age homes, healthcare…etc. Canada’s cost of healthcare is estimated to increase by 35 percent. Taxes in Canada will have to be raised if our publicly supported healthcare is to be secured. Still more, there are plenty more drawbacks to an aging population such as a decreasing working class and tax base. The demographic future puts the government sustainability in danger as taxes will not be coming in as freely as they would with a larger working class. Not only is Canada

The issue associated with work-life conflict has been growing due to the rapid increase of eldercare among majority of Canadian workers. The degree of attention to this issue has been raising and it poses challenges and requires solutions to both employers and human resources professionals. Statistics Canada estimates that by the end of the first quarter of the next century, about 18 per cent of the Canadians will be over 65 years of age. With today’s well-established medical care and advanced technology, elderly are living longer particularly those in the age group 85 plus. Data shows that 1 percent of Canada’s population which estimated to about 140,000 people were the age of 85 and above in 1971 and continued to grow with 380,000 in 1998.

Ageism incorporates prejudice against people based on age rather than due to their personal merits, color of their skin, their religious preference, or their socio-economic status, however it is one of the least contested oppressions in modern society Studies show that the aging population is subject to oppression and inequalities. These may arise in different ways such as; physical oppression; psychological/mental abuse; material/financial oppression; sexual abuse; and neglect (WHO, 2002) Other factors that can trigger inequalities and oppression of the aging population include the differences in socioeconomic statuses, and studies have shown a correlation between the aging population in the lower socioeconomic bracket and higher mortality rates in the old age (Nursing Times, 2015). Capitalism is also seen to relate to inequalities with the aging population, through aspects such as rates of savings, pension rights, unequal incomes, and access to property. Community and societal factors also result in oppression of the aged where they are set aside and denied access to opportunities and resources based on their age.

Seniors in Canada present with diverse needs because of the uniqueness of their circumstances hence, they require special care from all. Their needs include remaining active members of the society, respect from all and inclusion in decision making. To meet

4. Older adults face a lot of change due to the fact that some are unable to do a lot of things they are used to. Due to this loss of ability and freedom, ethical and legal issues arise. One problem the elderly population face is Ageism. In the book Global Health Care: Issues and Policies, by Carol Holtz, ageism is defined as “a process of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old (Holtz, 2013).” Ageism can cause abuse, neglect, isolation, and a lack of listening or respect towards the elderly population. Elder abuse is a tremendous problem that is seen throughout many area of the world. In fact, in the U.S. 550,000 elderly individuals experience abuse in a variety of settings. Although there are many laws

Many elder people in Canada live alone and with chronic illness. When illness and limitation affects the daily living of older adults, society’s image of these person may change considerably. Even the active and healthy older adults when they become retiree may be seen as helpless and unproductive people; they may be leveled as poorly aged and who are losing their independence.