Report on Characteristics and Consequences of an Aging Population

Mrs Ann Smith is a seventy nine year old woman and she has several problems regarding her health and well-being in her elderly age. Many policies and legislation ensure the safety and well-being of the elderly such as Mrs Smith. Legislation and policies safeguard the elderly including Mrs Smith to receive the fair treatment of care and to stop discrimination and exclusion. Discrimination and exclusion is still prevalent today and within contemporary society the ageing population is rising, discrimination and exclusion could increase if it is not appropriately tackled by contemporary society today. There are numerous theories of ageing, some theories are disengagement theory, and the activity theory and these theories have developed key concepts and the effects of ageing on individuals and contemporary society today.

“The term ‘aging out’ refers to children within a state’s foster care system who are still in the system upon reaching the age of majority or when they have graduated from high school” (Craft, 2017, Aging Out). Many of these children “have not found permanency with an adoptive family … or they have not been able to return to their biological parents” (Craft, 2017, Aging Out). A child typically ages out at 18 years, “but some states have extended services beyond this age because so many young adults are just not ready to be thrust out into the world on their own at such a young age” (Craft, 2017, Aging Out). If a foster parent chooses to continue parenting the foster child once they have aged out of the system, they are able to as long as the foster youth is okay with this. If an individual continues fostering a child, they will no longer receive money from the state.

The human organism is a collective structural and functional integrated system. It consists of many components; chemicals, cells, tissues, organs and systems. Atoms being the smallest unit of matter comprise the cell. Cells are the basic structural and functional units that build the body.

According to Statistics Canada, aging population has steadily increased since the mid-1960. The age of 65 and older comprised 15.7% of the country’s population. Promoting health in these aging population is very crucial to minimise the severity of health complications that might occur in the long run. Gerontological Nursing involves the care of aging people and emphasize the promotion of the highest possible quality of life and wellness throughout the lifespan (Eliopoulos, c2014 p73). Aging people need Gerontological Nurses who are knowledgeable and willing to promote health and optimum quality of life with the consideration of their core needs such as physiological balance, connection and gratification (Eliopoulos, c2014 p78).

I found the most recent state plan on aging at http://www.dea.ri.gov/documents/RIDEA%20State%20Plan%20on%20Aging%20October%201%202015%20to%20September%2030%202019.pdf. The Older Americans Act requires states to submit this plan every four years and it provides updates on legislation and activities were done over the past time period to support older adults, as well as give updates on what will be worked on in the future. It is sent to the State of Rhode Island to ensure policies are up-to-date and will provide the best care for this population. This is necessary in order for taxpayers to see where their money is going and how the RI DEA is planning to care for the older adult population. Otherwise, without this document, the department

Growth and development is an essential part of the life cycle, which leads to the occurrence of different phases like childhood, teenage and late adulthood. Aging is the period which is characterized by the onset of personal, cognitive and social changes. They feel hard to adjust the changes. Like rest of the world, the US also falls in the list of countries which have the highest population of elderly people. According to the Population Reference Bureau report, Americans ages 65 and older has projected to increase more than double from 46 million today to over 98 million by 2060, and the 65-and-older age group’s share of the total population will rise to nearly 24 percent from 15 percent (Mark Mather). The

Till I was twelve years old I had to ask my friends to hangout either by calling on our landline or go ride my bike to their house and see if they are home. Moving forward nine years in time with my birth cohort the process of cohort aging took place with new ways to communicate. Cohort aging is the process of a cohort moving from one age category to the next until it is extinguished. Now, I am twenty-one years old and all I have to do is type, “chill?” into my touchscreen mobile device! Then I wait for a notification on my screen to pop up with the word “sure” or “can’t.” As part of a birth cohort I felt a generational consciousness when, cell phones changed the way we communicate with one another on a daily basis. It is an experience that has dyed out in birth cohorts after mine.

Today life expectancy in has been increasing in UK for the past 50 years and by 2050 the expectancy age will be 91 years. In UK as today we have over 15,000 population of senior citizen aged 100 years and above (Crown copyright, 2014). The retirement age has become more active phase in life where citizens are responsible for looking at their pension and health.

Synopsis: The ageing of the population has become on of the major talking points of modern economics and its implications for world growth in the future. This essay examines the causes of the demographic shift by focusing

The demographic transition model is a picture of population change over a period. In 1929 American demographer, Warren Thompson, observes the changes or shifts in birth and death rates in industrialized societies over a 200 year period. There are four stages of the Demographic Transition Model; Stage One (Pre-Modern) or High Flunctuating, up through the 18th Century and mostly agricultural, Crude Birth Rates (CBR) and Crude Birth Rates (CDR) are both high (30-50 per thousand). The population growth is slow and fluctuating. Infectious diseases and poor hygienic behaviors and not having clean drinking water mean few children nor adults can survive if there is little or no access to medicine. In Stage Two, Early Expanding, there is a rising population rate (CBR) increase and a (CDR) decline. High birth rates and low death rates mean life longer expectancy of a population resulting in population growth. It also means better sanitation conditions, better food quality and having the necessary medicine to combat illnesses. Transitioning to Stage Three, Late Expanding there is a decline in CDR and CBR. The population rises and birth rate fall. Living standards and income levels change for the better. Women have fewer children, become players in the workforce and seek higher educational levels along with their male counterparts. In Stage Four or Low Fluctuating , the human population stabilizes due to little CDR but more

diseases replace infectious diseases as the primary cause of mortality7. The first stage is the Age

Next, there is Declining Growth, in which a country’s pyramid is shaped much like a diamond. The middle section bulges the most in terms of population, and youth as well as elderly are in lower numbers. Nations with negative growth population most likely have birth rates that are too low. Nevertheless, these countries are often developed and posses long life expectancy, balanced, secure government systems, and quality health care. Japan is a clear example of being in this state (shown left).

In New Zealand, there is a pattern of increasing population of older people. The population of people over 85 years of age in New Zealand account for 1% of the total population but is estimated to increase to 6% by 2050 (Statistics New Zealand.). This age group has an average yearly per capita expenditure of $13,640 for women and $12,144 for men. This advanced age population will have a large effect on public spending, workforce development, and health care services (Ministry of Health, 2002). This aged population has the most money spent personal health and disability support than any other age group in New Zealand. Thus, it is important to establish the health status of the population and to discover predictors of successful aging that allow independence and living well in advanced age.

We are living in the global society where our families are our major support. Our population is growing. We have already get used that people have few or many siblings or cousins and big families are not rare. However, it is unlikely to last long. The fact is that the number of youth among the global population is decreasing. Moreover, it did not start to decrease recently. As stated in the “Demography Is Not Destiny: The Challenges and Opportunities of Global Population Aging” the proportion between the young people and seniors has started to change since 1950s and is still changing now. It is predicted that in next forty years older people will become “more numerous than children”. (Uhlenberg 1) Those changes in the structure may have a negative impact on both societies and economies. It may be hard for people to adapt to an “updated” society as it changes so fast that they may not be ready to face it. (Lutz, Sanderson, Scherbov 2) It is predicted that by the end of this century people of age 80 will outnumber other age categories. (Geohive) It means that the number of people younger than 80 will either decrease or remain same. It is hard to predict the exact changes, but I feel like this is unlikely to happen. I think governments will somehow find a way to increase fertility. They may provide some benefits to families that raise more than two children, such as free or inexpensive houses and less taxation. It may help to support families, especially families with low

In the beginning of last century, the world population was 1.65 billion while the current population reached 7 billion in 2012 (United Nations, Web). Among this 7 billion people, 810 million are older person. According to the United Nations, person of the age 60 is considered as older person, but many developed countries categorize person of the age 65 as older person. In The Study of Population published in 1959 by Philip Hauser and Otis Dudley Duncan, “aging population” was not appeared in it. At that time, the world did not pay much attention to the aging issue as the world population was still young. But it is a big issue to the world as the number of older person exceed the number of younger person now.