Old Age Crisis

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)

The Social Security system is perhaps the most successful government social insurance program in the nation 's history; and began with the Social Security Act in 1935. Social Security is a needed federal system that encourages income stability to millions of people across the United States. This is accomplished by giving a stable flow of income to replenish lost wages that occur as a result of disability, retirement, or death of a family member. There are about 59 million people in the U.S. that receive Social Security. Most of them are the required 65 years of age or older. Sadly about half of the 59 million people rely solely on Social Security to pay their bills and everyday necessities.

Under the provisions of the Act law of 1935.Which President Roosevelt appoints three-members to run the Social Security Board. Over several years Social Security would be modified on retirement, disability and other aid programs. The government would take on the responsibility of taxing the income of all working Americans and returning the money through numerous public benefits and programs. Social Security benefits refer to all those measures established by the government through legislation that help an individual or household to maintain an income of a certain level, insure income if one 's employment is lost, provide other assistance for disability, old age,

A landmark change in providing for the elderly came in 1935 with Franklin D. Roosevelt 's Social Security Act. While this provided aid to people with disabilities and mothers with children, aid was also mainly intended for the elderly. The premise of the act was that an individual would pay into the government through the years that they worked and upon retiring that person would receive benefits. Elderly Americans relied on this system to help pay for expenses that they might incur after they reached an age where they could no

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 Social Security Act was implemented in 1935, after the stock market crash had wiped out the savings of millions of Americans, the nation reached out to their president to guarantee the elderly a decent income. The original Act provides retirement benefits payable to a person 65 years and older who were no longer working. There were very few people that had access to pension from their employers and through government pension programs. Most of the elderly lacked enough income to be living on their own without working. The Social Security Act was enacted at the urging or President Franklin D. Roosevelt to create a social insurance program that ensures workers

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.

The social security system, established by the federal government in 1935; is currently one of the most costly items in the federal budget. The purpose of the system is to provide for Federal old-age benefits, and to enable social insurance and public assistance. The proposal of moving to an entirely new system would give the people living in the United States their own individual authority of controlling their own investments. If social security does not become privatized; the system itself will turn unsustainable, the retired and disabled will not fully receive their earnings; and the people of the United States will continue to have no control over their investments.

The Social Security act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 14, 1935 (Traditional Sources of Economic Security, n.d.). The Social Security Act was put in place to not only help with general welfare, but also created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers that were age 65 or older continued income after retirement (Traditional Sources of Economic Security, n.d.). The Social Security program is a program that so many people depend on not only after they retire, but also if they become disabled and are not able to work. The Social Security Act and laws that are related to it were established for the following purposes: to provide for the material needs of individuals and families, to protect aged and disabled persons against the expenses of illnesses that may use up their savings, to keep families together, and to give children the chance to grow up healthy and secure (Intro to Social Security, n.d.). All of the purposes listed allow individuals to be able to live their lives and not be a poverty level, while still having access to other benefits that will help them. Under the Social Security Act there are many different programs available to assist those that qualify for social security, which is what I will discuss next.

Social Security is a system that is prevailing in several nations for their citizens’ welfare, which was initiated in the US in 1930’s. It is interesting to see how it has transformed in the hands of some of the US presidents. Ever since it was originated, it has been on the ramp getting modified constantly in such a way that it meets the needs of the Americans.

Legislation created an act for retiring workers 65 or older because of the serious poverty situation. The Social Security Act covered elderly from poverty and they would receive payments so they could be covered when they retire. This was due to all the elders in the Great Depression in poverty; this now helps our modern society by helping elders when they retire. For the first time Americans were provided with unemployment, disability, and pensions for old age because of the Social Security Act in 1935 (History.com Staff). “By passing this act it helped all the people that were unemployed during the Great Depression, which will help benefit modern society to help get the people and us out of debt like not being able to pay for bills or needs.

In 1935, the Social Security Act became an actual law and with several amendments through the years it paid benefits to the retired, disabled, and Medicare. Any one can begin claiming benefits at the age 62, however to receive full benefits the beneficiary should wait until the recognized retirement age with flexes depended upon the year of birth and to point out that anyone born after 1960 will have a retirement age sixty-seven. Other ways to receive social security compensation is to claim a deceased spouse’s benefits, a child under eighteen that survived their parents or disabled is entitled to benefits any may also receive compensation, and disabled worker between the ages of 50-64 and disabled adult children. Medicare which provides healthcare coverage to many Americans that are 65 or older. Almost twenty million signed up for Medicare within the first three years of the medicare program. With all the changing within the time the cost of living will occasionally rise so important provision for the increase in Social Security benefits creating the automatic cost of living

The Department of Labor estimates that by the year 2012, the Labor Force will be over age 55 (Harvey 184). In a time when issues such as Age and Ability are at the far front for a lot of employers, understanding how to deal with an aging workforce is essential. The debate on how to address this issue is only beginning.

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 Social Security System is in need of a new reform; our current system was not designed for the age stratification we have at this time. The U.S. Social Security Administration Office of Policy states, “The original Social Security Act, signed into law on August 14, 1935, grew out of the work of the Committee on Economic Security, a cabinet-level group appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt just one year earlier. The Act created several programs that, even today, form the basis for the government's role in providing income security, specifically, the old-age insurance, unemployment insurance, and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) programs.” Social Security was modeled to aid the elderly citizens, however during the