The Treatment Of The Elderly

Like sexism and racism, ageism is discrimination, a deep and profound prejudice against the elderly. Elderly individuals constantly face negligence because of Ageism. In this society of isms, racism, sexism, and ageism; these things create labels, stereotypes, and categorizes people, by shape, size, color, and age. The elderly in their later years should be able to have a peaceable life and be treated with dignity and respect. However, pretty much anyone over the age of 50 is a target for an attack of an attitude of ageism at some point. The Greek, the Native indigenous group and Koreans are few of the cultures that adore, admires and respects the elderly in their community. As baby boomers are growing old and ageing out of the workforce,

P3: Explain ways in which health and social care workers support the independence and wellbeing of older people. M2: Assess ways in which health and social care workers support the independence and wellbeing of older people. D1: Evaluate ways in which the sectors work together to support the independence and wellbeing of older people. Doris has stayed connected with her friend Frieda who lives on her own independently but recently she has had a fall and she has been referred to the local authorities. P1& M2 When promoting independence and wellbeing in older people it has to be done in a way where the person feels that they are able to do what they are being asked to do and if they say that they don’t

The cross-cultural differences in attitudes towards the aged may in part be due to different societal perspectives. In most western cultures the elderly today are hardly regarded with religious awe or reverence. They have become virtual outcasts of society, many living on the fringe, often in retirement communities or in nursing homes. William Withers states that “modern cultures have coped with the death of the aged, minimizing its disruptiveness, by disengaging the elderly from the vital functions of society” (518).

After the Great Depression the United States implemented several programs to assist the American people with low income and disabilities (Dingell, 2015). Within these programs included Medicaid and Medicare, which were not set up to serve for the purpose of long-term care for seniors. Today we find that due to the set up of the programs there is a void in the assistance of long term care of seniors in our country (Dingell, 2015).

“The national attitude toward old people has made a 180-degree turn” in recent years (p. 86). This is an indicator that society now recognizes their value. Additionally, society now has ample data to support that with improved technology and pharmaceuticals

In Chapter 15: Aging and the Elderly, the U.S. birth rate has been falling for more than a century. It happens because children are more likely to survive into adulthood, and so couple have fewer children. As more women work outside the home, they choose to have fewer children. Greater material wealth and advances in medicine have raised living standards so that people benefit from better housing and more nutrition. The oldest segment of the U.S. population, is increasing rapidly and is already forty times greater than in 1900.

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.

To advance my current knowledge of how ageism affects older adults in relation to healthcare, I will review professional literature and interview two elders for their accounts of how they feel they are treated by their physicians, social workers, and other healthcare professionals. The individuals will be from different socioeconomic standings to find commonalities and differences of their experiences. Ageism is a significant topic for all social workers to understand and recognize when working with the older adult population for many reasons. Fist, as a social worker, one of the codes of ethics we are expected to live up to in our profession is to promote the dignity and worth of a person( NASW, 2017). By doing this, social workers recognize that older adults have the right to self –determination and decision-making ability for his/her life. An older adult who is not offered the same form of treatment for surgery based on age alone, is a form of ageism social workers

When presented with the word “elderly,” a twenty-year-old might begin to think of the joys of retirement when an older person has spent their life building a comfortable bank account; they then get to reward themselves by journeying around the world with their near and most dear companion. When reality sets in, that person may realize that a lot of today’s elderly are living in nursing homes or living week-by-week not knowing if they are going to be able to leave their hospital bed just to go relax in their recliner at home. While it is true that some elderly enjoy their last twenty or thirty years on earth, a lot of the elderly in America are struggling to hang on to life while being abused every day by healthcare workers or even loved ones. While many people have been working endlessly to put a stop to elder abuse, not everyone can say the same.

What the article may have insinuated was that of the importance of care for the elderly, but also may have enforced elderly stereotypes. The articled talked about getting intensive geriatric service workers for those in need. An intensive geriatric service work would be someone who comes by to help a person who cannot do so on their own, such as visiting to make sure their eating and being taken care of, without them having to be in a home (The Record, 2010, B3). As the article portrays the elderly in a stereotypical way, we must move past it and realise that stereotype is not something we should follow. The reason for not following the stereotype of elderly, being portrayed as weak and always in need of help is the difference between chronological age and physical age (Lesson 8, 2016, p.2). The difference between the two is how one is compared to how old they may feel, some elderly feel as though they are younger than they are and that they do not require help or assistance. What research offers us is those who exercise regularly, eat healthier, and stimulate the brain with cognitive tasks as they get older, are at less chance of cognitive depletion, as in decrease in proper brain functioning as they age, such as memory loss, and even physical deterioration

And these countries expecting from China, they are poor countries. On the top of all the discrimination against the elderlies are high than before, by their families and nurse homes in the United States, this spite of this rate, we shouldn’t never generalize a group, a society regard where they are from, what level of class they are or came from.

If people are not addressing the abuse and neglect of the elderly in society then what kind of care does the future generation expect to receive? The results of elder abuse are devastating and can include

Our aging population is the fastest growing proportion of the population in the United States. They are also the highest consumers in need of long-term services

There are many physical needs for the elderly that have to be taken care of.

Chronic disease and conditions are usually defined as those diseases which last for more than six months and which have a severe effect on the life of the individuals (Chronic Conditions and Injury, para.1). While chronic diseases can affect people of all ages and demographics, these types of diseases are very often found in the elderly. Chronic disease are also characterized by "…multiple risk factors, long latency periods, a prolonged course of illness and functional impairment or disability" (Key indicators of progress for chronic disease and associated determinants, 2011, p. 1). Chronic disease is also found to be more prevalent in the ageing demographic of most countries.