The Aging Of The United States

In Josh Barro’s article, he mainly discusses the theme of Social Security. He explains how if we raise the age for people to access Social Security, that will harm poorer Americans who have a lower life expectancy due to the type of work they do or because of lack of other proper benefits. In the video, Coming of Age in and Aging America, they discuss the main theme of aging in America and the difficulties and obstacles these individuals face on a daily basis, especially in terms of Social Security. The video covers a variety of situations that the elderly face and how America can work to make the lives easier especially in a world where our elderly population in growing. One example was in a hospital where they were able to integrate new techniques and systems to make it easier for people to work longer into their lives. The main themes of Sharon Kaufman’s journal article were health care and the reform of current plans, and discussion of life-prolonging procedures. She discusses the three main procedures used in the U.S. which are organ transplantation, cardiac procedures, and cancer treatments. Finally, Segal’s text covers the themes and policies related to aging and elderly population. She discusses the acts and programs that have been put into place such as the Older Americans Act of 1965, social security, pensions, and Medicare/Medicaid, along with a variety of others.

doctor, then what are they to do? They can not just sit at home and

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)

Demography is the science of human populations and their change over time, and the United States Census reveals important demographic changes decade-by-decade that affect politics, government and public policy. One of the most important demographic trends is that the U.S. has become a far more multicultural and multilingual society than it was in 1960, due in part from changes in the immigration laws in 1965 that abolished the quota system of the National Origins Act that favored European immigrants. As a result, Asians and Hispanics have been the majority of new immigrants over the past forty years and states like California and Texas already have majority-minority populations or soon will have. At some point in the 21st Century, the U.S. as a whole is going to become a majority-minority society for the first time in its history. Another major demographic trend is the rapid growth of the over-65 population as the Baby Boom generation begins to retire, which will mean heavier expenditures on federal entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security. Elderly voters are also the most politically active group, especially when protecting these key safety net programs, and this has become a major political and public policy issue in recent years.

Relocating into a senior care facilities can be a frightening experience for the aging population. Getting familiar with new surroundings, new organization structure, and new people that can cause anxiety to rise. For a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer individual, this experience can be traumatic. The fear of harassment, hostility, and neglect by healthcare providers and caretakers can keep LGBTQ people from seeking care until their health begins to critically decline. LGBTQ cultural competency training is highly recommended for healthcare professionals and social service organizations. The greatest barrier that prevents quality health care for LGBTQ people is the lack of competence among the healthcare professionals.

In addition to the economic vulnerability of older adults, being a part of the LGBT community makes dealing with disparities connected to aging even more difficult because many LGBT elderly experience increased isolation due to a lifetime of stigma. Karen I. Fredriksen-Goldsen a Ph.D. professor and the director of Healthy Generations cited a study called Caring and Aging with Pride. In this study 2,560 demographically diverse LGBT older adults across the nation mention similar concerns related to Isolation, finding friend support, caregiving and health. Fredriksen-Goldsen mentions how LGBT older adults are

.“As medical technology continues to advance and health care choices become more complicated, the preservation of end-of-life autonomy is an increasingly important issue faced by various client populations.” (Galambos, 1998).

Delay of seeing a healthcare provider on the basis of fear increases the development of severe illnesses in older LGBT populations. It exacerbates healthcare costs, can put a strain on mental health, and overall decreases wellbeing (Fredriksen-Goldsen & Kim, 2014). Although there is not a calculated cost to be found within the older LGBT community, the delaying of necessary preventative tests, medical treatment, or mental health can worsen current symptoms. This can increase emergency room visits, an already expensive system, thus increasing healthcare costs (Meyer, 2011). In addition to declining physical wellbeing, these adults lack social support systems as they are “twice as likely to live alone, and more than four times as likely to have no children, as compared to heterosexual adults (Gendron et

John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” America has always had its challenges when facing economic issues; however, the government has the tendency to avoid the reality of what approaches in the future. There have been several attempts of reform for these types of economic problems. Nevertheless, most have not been successful, and time is running out. One of those issues is the graying of America. What is the graying of America? It is the demographic trend consisting of all the baby boomers that are aging and getting closer to retirement. Even though it does not seem like an area of concern, there are many

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:

There is diversity among all Canadian, hence there is differences among the aging population. Not all seniors are aging well and have the appropriate programs and services to meet their needs. Some seniors are victims of abuse and some are living in isolation and poverty. Some seniors suffer from chronic illness and other socio-economic factors limit the amount of money they can put away for retirement. Hence these middle and low income elderly retirees will have to depend mainly on the pension plan that is offered between the age of 60- 65. The age of 60-65 is regarded in Canada as the age of retirement. This paper will focus mainly on the disadvantaged older populations. The disadvantaged older populations are those who are currently

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).

The term "ageism" was coined in 1969 by Robert Butler, the first director of the National Institute on Aging. He used the word to describe the process of systematic stereotyping of people because they are old. Ageism is a term that is similar to other ‘isms ' in society, such as racism and sexism. "Ageism allows other generations to see older people as different from themselves; thus they subtly cease to identify with their elders as human beings" (Butler, 1975). All people, including the young as well as the old, can be discriminated against based on age. Today ageism is more broadly defined as any prejudice or discrimination against or in favor of an age group (Palmore, 1990).

Only 4% of the population was over the age of 65 year old in the beginning of the 20th century. Aging was very rare from this time and before.

Social aging is referring to the changes in individual’s roles and relationship in the society as they age. There are many different theories concerning sociological aging. Social theories on aging examine the relationship between individual experiences and social institutions e.g., aging and retirement; aging and institutional care; aging and government policy etc (Barkan 2012). All have limitations, and some can be considered more than others when attempting to understand social changes in aging. Also individuals move through life surrounded by social support system. Some theories of aging such as, role theory, activity theory, modernization, etc. consist of different ways older adults transition through life such as, networks of relatives, friends, and organization that help provide emotional support and help in managing activities in daily living.