Social Inequality in Elderly Americans

Medicare is not the only benefit seniors receive from their government. Taxes can be greatly affected by age. For instance, many elderly receive tax breaks and extensions based on their social security benefits as well as reductions and tax-cuts on certain holdings and investments. So with Roth IRAs, 401k the elderly is only taxed upon withdrawal. Discounts are available everywhere for the elderly from restaurants to cruise ships. Normally, with higher prices bring bigger discounts. Ageing workers are more skilled, knowledgeable, and more proficient than their younger counterparts. Often times it can be said that the “older people” are more intelligent, practical, intuitive, extremely flexible and very strategic in their work ethic, planning and can be considered “intelligent” in life’s well learned lessons that come with age and wisdom. Being positive and using an example in this way between aging and greater wisdom, one tends to have a greater degree of patience, greater understanding and wisdom that parallels life’s pathway. “Many elders in foreign countries are considered to be esteemed and held in high regard,” (Applebaum, Bardo, Robbins (2103). Some studies show that interests, motivation and skill does not decline with age, nor does a person’s work performance suffer due to aging. Aging workers also receive higher salaries due to their tenure. Finally, there is no data to show that older workers cost more to insure than younger

Is it worth putting your loved ones in a nursing home facility? According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Each year, hundreds of thousands of adults over the age of 60 are abused, neglected, or financially exploited.” Family members of an elderly person might assume that because they are paying such a large amount of money for assistance and a room in the facility, that they’re getting the best treatment and care for their relative. Although one might believe their loved ones would be better off in a nursing home, they might be putting them at a greater risk of abuse due to understaffing, lack of training within the staff, neglect, nurse burnout, and low wages. 2,150,000 cases

Over all, there are many types of abuse, from physical abuse to rough living conditions, that elderly and nursing home residents experience quite often.

The third study provided a synthesis of previous literature on elder abuse in long-term care facilities within the last decade (Castle et al., 2015). Therefore, this study covers the years 2003 through 2012 (Castle et al., 2015). The study included analysis of 88 articles pertaining to elder abuse. This review study searched MEDLINE and the CINAHL databases for information pertaining to elder abuse in nursing homes (Castle et al., 2015).

Elder abuse is a growing problem that can be a challenge to address. Physical, emotional, and financial abuse is associated with increased mortality rates, especially in those that are alone. The National center on Elder Abuse (as cited in Hoover & Polson, 2014) defines elder abuse as “intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or ‘trusted’ individual that lead to or may lead to, harm of a vulnerable elder”. Mistreatment of older adults will incline as the number of adults that need caregivers increase. The elder adult that is the most susceptible to abuse is most likely frail, defenseless, and cognitively impaired. Amidst all other problems, the older adult has encountered at least one type of abuse in their later years. Many cases of older adult abuse are not reported and the abuse continues until mortality.

With so many elderly people in nursing homes combined with the lack of nursing care available, abuse within nursing homes is more common than anyone would like to face. According to the CDC, as of 2014, there were only 15,600 nursing homes with the number of residents exceeding 1.4 million. They also report that for every case of elder abuse there are 23 cases that are not reported or that remain hidden from authorities. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/elderabuse/consequences.html

According to a 2012 report by Statistic Brain (based on NCEA, Bureau of Justice Statistics), the number of elder abuse cases in 2010 was 9.5% of the elderly population. The percentages of elder abuse cases by types reported in (Watson, 2013). 2010 include: neglect (58.5%), physical abuse (15.7%), financial abuse (12.3%), psychological abuse (7.3%), sexual abuse (0.04%), all other types (5.1%), and unknown (0.06%) (Statistic Brain, 2012). Elder abuse occurs in private homes, long-term care facilities (nursing homes, assisted living facilities), and hospitals (Watson,

There comes a time when the hands that supported you when you stumbled, shiver. The ones who taught you right from wrong depend on you to make the correct choice for them, a choice that can alter their entire being. One bad judgment call and your loved ones could end up as being victims of nursing home abuse. Thus, when you’re deciding a health-care facility for them, don’t settle for anything but the best because many lose their loved ones every year as a result of the abuse.

Most of us know someone who were past or are current patients in a long-term care facility. Whether it be a nursing home or assisted living establishment, a relative or a loved one is provided extensive care at these long-term care facilities. Now imagine if your grandparent or someone close to you was being abused or neglected while residing in one of the many facilities across the globe.

Race and poverty factor into the aging process in several ways. First, there is a growing number of minority older population in America (158). This growth will continue to rise in the future. As a result, the United States of America will have a diverse older population. Secondly, many older minority groups face disadvantages. These disadvantages are due to discrimination they have faced throughout their life. Furthermore, cultural and economic barriers can keep older minority people from a satisfying old age. Novak also stated, “Minority older people have lower incomes, poorer health, and shorter lives than other older people (160). Also, the people who are classified in the minority groups, experience aging different than the dominant white people do, due to their past. Lastly, the minority group members can teach us other ways of growing old. This means that they will show us how they grow old in their societies and communities. These minority groups have demonstrated strength and stability in an ever changing world, even when they felt prejudice and discrimination from others.

An estimated 700,000 to 1.2 million elders in the United States (U.S.) annually suffer mistreatment at the hands of others or self; 450,000 new cases are identified each year (C, F. N. 2012). Though these numbers are alarmingly high, there really is not much elder abuse awareness. Available information tends to come from small, non-representative samples; agency and caregiver reports; and the criminal justice system (C, F.N. 2012). I actually think that people outside of family members tend to forget about elderly folks that are in these homes and put into such situations. Each year numerous numbers of older adults experience abuse, neglect, and exploitation by those who are expected to safeguard them and protect their interests.

All too often, people in nursing homes are abused by those who are entrusted with their care. In fact, 44 percent of the 2,000 nursing home residents interviewed in one study said that they had been abused, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse. While not all elder mistreatment in nursing homes can be prevented, there are things that people can do to help

The hard part about elder abuse in a nursing home is most of them can barely talk clearly and alzheimer's. “People with Alzheimer’s have a higher risk of being abused than other nursing home residents. Because of their condition, these patients are more vulnerable, and so they are more often targeted for abuse”(“Management”). As people get older there memory slowly starts to fade. Meaning that they have a easy time forgetting things so if they get abused no one will know.

Healthy older Americans are often viewed and perceived as less capable compared to younger Americans in the workplace. Older Americans often encounter exclusionary treatment in the workplace despite being fully capable.

Age Discrimination. Most of the elderlies shared that they have lost their job or cannot find work because of their age-related limitations. As a result, they tend to experience financial difficulty which can significantly impact their overall well-being specifically the inability to sustain their basic needs like food, home and medicine and inclination to the development of mental health concerns. Elderlies who