The Benefits Of Assisted Living

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)

Assisted living is a fairly new and unique part of the long term care continuum of services. The goal of assisted living is to maximize the independence of older adults while living in a homelike environment. This paper will provide an overview of assisted living facilities including the number of facilities and residents, costs, services, and growth expectations. Challenges with oversight and regulations will be discussed as well as solutions to the problem. Challenges and solutions for staffing and training issues will also be discussed. The paper will also highlight “In Loving Hands Assisted Living” which is a local assisted living facility that I called and visited to aid in my research. I will give an overview of the

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.

As America continues to be a society of working class people, others retiring and needing help, there will always be the need for elderly care. The trend of the aging drives the facility’s business.

Data from the Census Bureau tell us that in 2015, there are around 47.8 million Americans age 65 and older, up from about 25.5 million just 35 years ago; demographers predict that in another 35 years, there will be nearly 88 million Americans in this age group. The rate of growth of the “oldest old” population—those age 85 and older—is even more dramatic: Their numbers currently stand at approximately 6.3 million, but by 2050, that number will have almost tripled, to 18.7 million Americans. This population explosion is unprecedented in history, and the resulting demographic shift is causing profound social and economic changes.

Caring for the elderly and disabled has always been a relevant issue among American’s; however, not until recently has it become a significant issue within society. Change has occurred in the past couple decade as the workforce dynamics have transitioned from the family based farm living to the inner city, college educated worker who follows opportunity. Decades ago it was common place to have an aging relative live with the family in a multi-generational home; however, that is no longer a practical option in many cases. Although this transitioning of society has created a new issue and that is providing care to those elderly or disabled members of society who cannot rely on the support of family

Disability among older U.S. adults, as measured by limitations in instrumental activities of daily living, has declined since the early 1980s. Disability also is measured by limitations in activities of daily living (ADL), a common factor leading to the need for long-term care. Recent studies using ADL measures have shown varied trends in disability. The world has experienced a gradual demographic transition from patterns of high fertility and high mortality rates to low fertility and delayed mortality. The transition begins with declining infant and childhood mortality, in part because of effective public health measures. Lower childhood mortality contributes initially to a longer life expectancy and a younger population. Declines in fertility rates generally follow, and improvements in adult health lead to an older population. As a result of demographic transitions, the shape of the global age distribution is changing. By 1990, the age distribution in developed countries represented similar proportions of younger and older persons. For developing countries, age distribution is projected to have similar proportions by 2030. By 2030, the number of U.S. adults aged 65 or older will more than double to about 71 million. The rapidly increasing number of older Americans has far-reaching implications for our nation's public health system and will place unprecedented demands on the

Assisted living communities are a becoming a more fiable choice among seniors and the aging population. Many senior

Assisted Living Homes are designed to provide residents with basic everyday assistance. An important aspect is that assisted care facilities provide a safe and comfortable environment for older adults who need assistance with duties such as bathing, dressing, shopping, cooking, grooming, arranging doctor’s appointments, medication administration and laundry services. These facilities have social and recreational activity programs designed to keep the residents active. The recreation groups provide residents with activities for enjoyment, exercise, and interactions with others to build character. Special activities such as luncheon,

Assisted living facilities are one of the fastest growing long-term care options available today. In 2000, there were only about 1,000,000, aged 65 and above living in assisted living or residential care (Munn, Hanson, Zimmerman, Sloane, Mitchell, 2006). Since then assisted living facilities have blossomed to over 36,000 licensed facilities providing for more than 9,000,000 residents (Hernandez, 2005-2006). The boom is due to affordability and the homelike living arrangements offered.

The first baby boomers, generally defined as those Americans born between 1946 and 1964, turn 65 in 2011. The number of older Americans will increase from 35 to 70 million by the year 2030 (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, 2000). The nation’s population will increase 18% during and the population aged 65 and older will increase 78%

There are many benefits for veterans and their families – as well there should be. The problem is, a lot of people don’t know what’s available or where to go to apply for them.

Over the years, there have been major shifts within the United States in regards to its population. Statisticians have estimated that 20% of the population will be 65 years of age and older. There is an even

The population is always growing, but during the next 20-30 years there will be a significant increase in the number of individuals over the age of 65. “Baby boomer is a term referring to a person who was born between 1946 and 1964. The baby boomer generation makes up a substantial portion of the North American population, representing nearly 20% of the American public. Baby boomers have a significant impact on the economy, and as a result, baby boomers are often the focus of marketing campaigns and business plans” (Investopia, 2016). Why should we be concerned about the aging population? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), states that “one of every five Americans—about 72 million people—will be an older adult” (CDC, 2016). Who will take care of all those people? Will cities have to adjust their transportation routes? “Should developers create more mixed-use buildings to make shopping and socializing easier to access?” (Gupta, 2015).