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) I personally have several colleagues who are over 70 and still working. My former branch chief retired last December at the age of 74. He and I golf together from time to time, and at 74 ½ years old, he prefers to walk the course as opposed to riding in a cart. I think people have different expectations
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
Many people in the "baby boomer" generation are staying active as they age. By either jogging, swimming or becoming part of a sports team. They strive to remain youthful and mentally young and view retirement as an active period of their life. Theirinterest in health , fitness, looking young and attractive and longevity is quite phenomenal. They can expect to live longer due to medical advances however stress and burnout could impact on this expectation of longevity. They are well educated, thirsty for information interested in travel and will want to stay involved in the political processes. In addition they are optimistic, forward thinking and undoubtedly redefine old age. As the oldest of the nation's 75 million baby boomers approach the age of 60, a Pew Research Center survey finds many are looking ahead to their own retirement while balancing a full plate of family responsibilities either raising children or providing financial and other
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:
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.
In this video, we learn that the aging baby-boomer population is over 5 million people age 80 years and older living in the United States. By the year 2050, there will be an estimated 19.5 million seniors in the United States. We also learn that a nursing home’s average cost is $219 per day. Today’s life expectancy is 78 years compared to the year 1900 when the life expectancy was just 45 years. I believe life expectancy increased today compared to a hundred years ago because of scientist being able to improve medicines and find cures for diseases, and the fact that medical technology has
Being a racial minority and of a lower social class definitely influences your health and longevity. In Chapter 11, it states “white hold a significant advantage in health and longevity, having a life expectancy at birth of 79.0 years compared to African Americans at 75.3 years (Conley, pg 423). They mainly focus on the differences between whites and African Americans because they are the most prevalent. African Americans also have the highest infant mortality rate then any other race mentioned in the book. They say that it’s because of “day-to-day” life that contributes to their health because they are disproportionately poor, and being poor is very stressful (Conley, pg 424).
“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
Cultural patterns are likely to change, as the average of age of the population rises and the share ever age sixty-five climbs higher. Younger will see more seniors everywhere like shopping malls, sporting events and walking around outside if they can. Older people and seniors are now welcome to continue school if they want to because colleges now are opening their doors for them. Some elder people actually try to complete their degrees so they could get a new career so they don’t have to retire. Between the ages of sixty-five and seventy-five are more likely to live independently with good health and financial security, they are called the “young old.” Past the age of seventy-five, are more likely to have money and health problems and tend to
America 's elder population is living longer. Current data trends show that 46.2 million people living in America are age 65 and older (Millennials Outnumber Baby Boomers ",2015). Research shows the life expectancy of the average American woman is 81.2 years of age. Although advancements in medicine continue to evolve there remains one condition which impedes the quality of life for this growing population. Dementia, an Alzheimer 's related condition which hinders the quality of life for 3.2 million woman in the United States ("Latest Alzheimer 's Facts",2013). To date, there are no effective treatments available to cure dementia, however efforts are being made to alleviate aggression, depression and sleep disturbances associated with the disease. Current treatment options for the symptoms of dementia often leave those affected with serious side effects. In an effort to reduce the side effect of antipsychotic and anxiolytics medications, families are beginning to look at other controversial treatment options. One such treatment being researched is the use of medical marijuana.
I don’t mind typing in my information or filling out paperwork while I am at a doctor’s appointment. I am okay with either way, but others may not feel this way. I do feel like some people would type more into a computer instead of writing it all down or speaking with the medical professionals. In the article, The American Perspective on Aging and Health, a lot of elderly people feel frightened by new ideas or technology such as computers, Internet, social media, etc. It’s not because they are incompetent it’s because of their way of thinking. In my opinion, a doctor’s office should have an assistant that is kind, patient, and passionate about working with all populations. This assistant should assist the patients when they need help or become
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.
Aging! We all do it every day, but have you ever thought how it is going to affect the rest of your life or more importantly your career? Aging isn’t something that we get to choose if we participate in, however working is, and aging may affect that choice. Right now, I want you to think about the age of sixty-five. What words pop into your head when you think of someone sixty-five? I’d imagine some of the words you thought of were retired, old, fragile, slow, as well as many others. Those words right there all help to explain the many concerns that one’s employer may have when hiring someone that is of the older population. When we think of the older population in the work force we don’t necessarily think of positive things, instead we think of things. When we think of this population in the workforce we generally think of lower production rates and higher costs. These can create issues among the older population, as employers must consider all the possibilities when hiring someone. We know that more people in the older population are continuing to try to continue their careers, but why? How hard is it for them to continue? What changes have made it easier? How are the younger and middle aged populations perceiving them in the work place? This are only some of the many question surrounding the increase of aged workers.
I feel like its speaking on the meaning to your life, providing both structure and a reason for your day-to-day existence. Basically stating principles. Once you get your priorities straight, it sets you on a one-way track, you can't just stop caring about the right things. Where for our culture's perception on aging they want to stay young and never grow old. Its such a big thing to people on aging where they do all these things to stay and appear young. But their so wrapped up on aging and not living in the moment. Where you miss all the little things that's going on around you. Where a lot of people don't realize that until they hit that age. So instead, you should embrace your age and live your life to the fullest. Then caring so much on
The increase in life expectancy is partially to blame for the increase in elderly citizens, as there are now better medicines and medical procedures to cure ailments which could have easily killed a person 10 or 20 years ago. As Levine said, "There are more elderly and a larger proportion of elderly in the population now than ever before in the history of the world, and individuals live longer and have a longer span of healthy, vigorous life than ever before" . We have to prepare, not only to have more aged people in the work force, but also to have adequate pensions and supplements to aid these people when they do retire.