Help Aging Adults Cope with the Process Concept of Death

In America, people are changing their views on aging and the elderly. Some of the reasons that the attitudes are changing could be due to more elderly people are remaining in the work place longer, as opposed to retiring early. Riffkin (2014). And there is the fact that we baby boomers are living longer. Even though the U.S. only ranks 53rd with a life expectancy of 79. That’s an increase of one year since 2010. (“The World: Life Expectancy” 2016)

We all will one day face the reality of growing older. There are many aspects of this change that will affect us in a large way. According to the Merck Manual of Health and Aging, 1.5% of Americans are 85 or older. This research states that the number of people 100 years or older could rise from 1 out of 5,578 in the year 2000, to 1 out of 472 in the year 2050. It brings out that women have a longer life expectancy than men, among people aged 65 and older in the year 2000, there were 70 men for every 100 women. For people aged 85 and older the figure was 41 men for every 100 women. The site goes on to say that approximately 11% of Americans aged 65 and older are below the poverty line. (The Merck Manual of Health and Aging:

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.

According to the Administration on Aging, people age 65 and older currently represent 12.9% of the population of the United States as of 2009, with that number expected to double in the next 15 years (Administration on Aging, 2014). Along with the continued rise in the population of older adults comes an increased need for services specifically addressing the needs of this population. Despite the increasing needs for services for older adults, seniors are among the most overlooked and underserved populations in the United States.

The fact that the American population is aging has raised concerns. In 2011, the number of adults over the age of 65 reached 41.4 million, which account for 13.3% of the population ("A Profile of Older Americans: 2012," 2012). It is estimated that there will be about 71 million older adults by 2030 ("Healthy Aging-Improving and Extending Quality of Life among Older Americans," 2009). Approximately 2.1 million elderly are currently living in

The recent growth in the number of older adults in the United States is unusual in the history of America. The anticipation of the elderly population (65+) by the year 2050 will be almost 89million people, or greater than the population of the elderly in the year 2010 (CDC 2013).

Back in the 1965 when Medicare was passed, the average life expectancy of a man in the United States was 66 and 73 for women. Few people at the time stayed on Medicare for longer than a decade. Life expectancy has increased seven years in the past four decades. The growth in Medicare has also escalated because the Baby Boomer generation is

According to a 2014 census report, 40.3 million Americans were 65 or over, making up 13 percent of the country's population. That's 12 times the number of 1900, and it shows little sign of slowing down. In fact, the same report projects that by 2050 America's senior population will comprise nearly 21 percent of whole United States. More so, the report found that in 2010 seniors were paying three times more on personal health care in a year than a non-senior. On average, seniors were spending just under $18,500 on their own health care each year.

To someone in their 20s, all the elderly might seem the same. However, there are differences between the young old, middle old, old-old, centenarians, and super-centenarians that I feel are important. For example, the young old are still relatively young at 65 and are healthy enough to be employed and involved in their community. The article, “Old Age Does Not Begin Until 74” by Sarah Knapton says, “…65-year-olds today are healthier, less dependent on others and more mentally agile than ever before…”, conceptions of age are changing due to the change in life expectancy. The article mentions that old age should not be measured by age, instead by how much longer the person has to live. Old age was completely different before, such as when life expectancy in the 1900s was 47 years old. Life expectancy in 2016 is 78 years old, so it makes sense to change old age as life expectancy

The average life expectancy in the United States is close to 80 years old, does this mean everyone lives to be 80, no. This number comprises of the people who lived well beyond it and those who pass away unexpectedly and have shorter lives. People of different races can have different life expectancies, because they could be more susceptible, or immune to certain illnesses. The region you live in also plays a big role in your life expectancy, since it can define if you are more likely to contract illnesses, be hit with more disasters like hurricanes or floods, or even harsher weather which can take its toll on the body. Typically people of racial minority, or a lower social status, you would have lower life expectancy which can be due in-part

However, Life expectancy, measured by total population at birth for U.S., is at 78.8 years vs. OECD average 80.6 years according to the latest 2014 OECD official data.

We come face to face with the fact of death after reading this play. How will you respond? Some may be fearful or try to extend their lives just a few more years with things such as : exercise, eating right, avoiding the worldly functions, and even people that may draw them into a premature death. From a biblical perspective we have to face the fact that a person will spend eternity in one of two places without favoritism. The Bible is clear that it is know to man to die one time and after this we are to be judged. Scary? It does not have to be. All evangelicals agree that sin will cause an eternal separation from God while put under the attribute of His wrath for eternity. However, they also agree that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all those who will repent and trust in Him for the forgiveness of sin. Not just good news but the best news a person could hold onto with hope to one day meet the one who paid their sin debt. Most believers would agree that spending eternity with God outweighs anything this world can offer. It is obvious that this is seen through the eyes of a born again believer of Jesus Christ who has at one time

In 2012, the CDC estimated that 43.1 million Americans are aged 65 and older. Of that number, the life expectancy of a sixty five year old male is nearly eighteen years and of a sixty five year old woman is just over twenty years (CDC, 2011). Health in the aged individual does not only include physical and mental aspects but social and spiritual as well.

Aging is a controversial and multifaceted subject of which we know relatively little. However, our perception of aging and eventual death is a subtopic that has been addressed for many millennia past. Following, we endeavored to dig deeper into the perception of death and how that perception changes with age. To do this, we designed an observational study performed with a survey which was intended to capture a complete and detailed sample so that we may draw a useful and reliable conclusion from the collected data. These conclusions will hopefully contribute to the subject of perception of aging over a lifetime.

The American population is getting older which presents us with many challenges but also present us with potential opportunities. With the length of life and quantity and fraction of older persons rise in most industrialized and many evolving nations, a crucial question is whether this population will be accompanied by continued or better-quality health, an improving quality of life, and adequate social and cost-effective resources. This answer lies in the ability of peoples and societies, as well as modern social, governmental, financial, and health service delivery systems, to provide optimum assistance to older persons.