Essay On Long Term Care

The Older Americans Act (OAA) funds critical services that keep older adults healthy and independent—services like meals, job training, senior centers, caregiver support, transportation, health promotion, benefits enrollment, and more. The Act is overdue for reauthorization—and Congress needs to seize this opportunity to update and renew its commitment to these programs and those they serve. To ensure America’s aging population is able to maintain and live healthy lives provisions are needed to the current OAA. These provisions include:

With the generation of baby boomers approaching senior age by 2025, it may be difficult for them to adjust to the new technology and implement it in their everyday activities. Baby boomers are commonly known for the rejection of modern conveniences in exchange for traditional technology and for traditional values. So how will this cripple the changing trend of life for the aging population and there to decisions of living at home alone and last but not lease Medicare and the risk factors of making such a life changing decision? These issues create a group who are underserved and vulnerable. Underserved because of the barriers they encounter when caring for themselves by trying to eat healthy and the inadequate health care cost. Vulnerable because of the economic disadvantages and the health conditions they may face while dealing with this financial burden. If these problems are not address we will a heavy burden in our healthcare system.

Current numbers show substantial growth from the eighties, and estimates suggest that the demand for long term care among the elderly will more than double in the next thirty years. (Feder, Komisar, and Niefeld) This growth will exacerbate concerns about balancing institutional and noninstitutional care, assuring quality of care, and most importantly adopting and sustaining financing mechanisms that equitably and adequately protect the elderly who need long-term care.

Medicare has had many legislative changes to modernize the program since it was first signed into law. Medicare has assisted many retirees from a financial disaster by providing benefits during a healthcare crisis. The prescription drug program has ensured seniors have access to the medications they require. Medicare has also provided care to the disabled that are under age 65. This national social healthcare program has also come under fire politically because of the extremely high cost of the program.

President Johnson recognized America’s need of support from the government. As it is said in Doc. A “the nations aged now face another aspect of insecurity.”, which is the high costs of healthcare. Abraham Ribicoff, secretary of health, education, and welfare, testified before the House of Representatives in 1961 “with life spans lengthened, with medical science breaking into undreamed realms of discovery”, this statements makes one wonder if the government will aid the older generation as society progresses? Though Johnson was not in office during this time, his later creation of medicare, which survives to this day, provides the elderly with necessary funds to cover costly pharmaceuticals. Not only does medicare aid the elderly but is a form of federal welfare assistance. As stated before, Johnson recognized the

The rapid growth in the number of seniors in America and around the world is creating a global demographic revolution without precedent. During this century, advances in hygiene and water supply and control of infectious diseases have reduced the risk of premature death much. As a result, the proportion of population over 60 years in the world is growing faster than in any previous era. In 1950 there were approximately 200 million people aged over 60 worldwide. By 2000 there will be over 550 million, and by 2025, the number of people over 60 is expected to reach 1,200 million.

Some elderly, in my opinion, believe that Medicare is an insurance program that they are entitled to. During the Great Society movement in the 40's-60's, various governmental programs were designed to provide citizens entitlements to human services and welfare needs. The Medicare and Medicaid coverage was designed to provide those that do not have any means to pay for health care a way in which they could maintain their health needs - a right that the government and society has deemed every person should be entitled to; their health. So, depending on the culture, upbringing, and personal philosophy of each elderly person, the question whether they feel Medicare is an insurance program or a welfare program is difficult to answer. I would suggest coming at this question from both sides of the argument and state why elderly may view Medicare as an insurance program and why the elderly would view Medicare as a welfare program. Also, a good way to look at this question is to ask for permission to go to a local nursing home or assisted living home and interview a few residents. Ask them

It has been recognized that ever since its passage into law the Affordable Care Act frequently known as Obamacare has and will continue to attract criticism and scrutiny. This is the America`s major and mainly well-liked social indemnity programs. Despite the fact the Affordable Care Act is a highly multifaceted piece of legislation featuring many regulatory and intergovernmental provisions meant to deal with lack of health insurance coverage affecting a variety of diverse groups, Medicare and social security are much more focused programs providing benefits primarily to the aged. Social security and Medicare were in the beginning implemented more without difficulty and with a little of bipartisan support, because in 1935 and 1965 democrats

Medicare and Medicaid has been providing huge benefits for senior citizens and low income families. The one question nobody seems to answer is how are we going to afford this type of insurance? Maya Rockeymoore argues in her article, “Groundless Fears about Medicaid and Medicare,” that we are able to afford this as long as we make good decisions. Rockeymoore claims that we need to keep Medicare and Medicaid or our country will fall apart.

The government shouldn’t have to be involved with providing this type of insurance, or welfare, to the elderly but without the government’s involvement there would be nothing available. Insurance programs with their selfish and strict rules would never willingly accept seniors or have created a program as amazing as the Medicare program. Even though the government is better off not getting involved in certain areas, they are much needed in the health care industry because they have a slight involvement with the improvement of life. Medicare would fail at this point without the government's involvement. Health care is very dependent on insurance now and Medicare provides this in those markets. Paul Krugman, from Seattle Times, reported that many Americans are still not aware of the government's role in health care and while many seniors do not want the government to get involved, it is too late because the government is keeping

The objective of this study is to examine the evolution of programs and services for aging population over the last fifty years. Toward this end, this brief study will conduct a review of literature that addresses these shifts and changes in policy. The timeline of the history of the services and pogroms for the aging population in the United States is shown in the following timeline and an explanation for these develops will next follow the timeline.

Medicare has been the traditional health care insurance for the elderly. Medicare was never designed to pay for long-term care and custodial services. The limited scope of Medicare coverage is a problem now and will be a greater problem in the

Individuals living in Long Term Care facilities are among the most vulnerable of populations during a disaster. Many lessons have been learned from devastations like Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and Wilma that occurred in 2005 in regards to the disaster preparedness levels of Long Term Care Facilities (LTC).

Due to the upcoming presidential election, the two major political parties, and their candidates, have been focusing on the primary problems that the nation will face. Chief among those problems is the future of Medicare, the national health-insurance plan. Medicare was enacted in 1965, under the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, in order to provide health insurance for retired citizens and the disabled (Ryan). The Medicare program covers most people aged 65 or older, as well as handicapped people who enroll in the program, and consists of two health plans: a hospital insurance plan (part A) and a medical insurance plan (part B) (Marmor 22). Before Medicare, many Americans didn't have health

The growing concern regarding the financial security of Medicare is one of particular interest to the nearly 72 million baby boomers that become eligible for this government-assisted, and tax-payer bolstered, program over the next two decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010), there will be a rapid increase in baby-boomers between 2010 and 2030, as the entire baby boomer population move into the 65 years and over category (p.3). Political and financial revisions must be made to ensure the security of Medicare as the numbers of individuals paying into this program are soon to be surpassed by the number of individuals drawing-off this program (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). The elderly are also at a disadvantage with transportation to health care visits, picking up prescriptions, and rehabilitation services. There needs to be an establishment of access not only to primary care providers, hospitals, and rehabilitation services, but access to other aspects of the health care system for the elderly population.