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Assignment 1

Good Essays

THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT ANALYSIS 4 addition, the policy indirectly supports the families of the elderly. It does so by offering services to caregivers that prevent or shorten costly nursing home placements, relieving financial strain, and providing educational programs to give a better understanding of aging. However, due to insufficient funding OAA services have restricted access and cannot reach all the elderly in need. Statistical demographics reveal that 27% of seniors that are receiving services are below the poverty line, recipients are more likely to be female (71% vs 57%), twice as likely to be rural, more likely to live alone, have less income, less educated, and less healthy than the average senior (Herrera 2013). …show more content…

Thus, the purpose of the OAA is to ensure equal opportunity to the fair and free enjoyment of adequate income in retirement, physical and mental health services, opportunity for employment, comprehensive long-term care services, and protection from neglect and abuse. Additionally, senior centers and services are vital in bringing together the elderly and the critical programs that benefit them. Essentially, the covert objectives of the OAA are for seniors to avoid hospitalization and nursing home care, where as a result it will save federal and state funds. The OAA values the hard work that our elders have done their whole lives and believe that in return should not have to struggle in retirement. Every senior citizen has a right to stable medical, nutritional, and social services that allow them the freedom to age in place without having to worry about losing all their savings due to their illnesses.
Effects and Implications of the Policy on Target and Non-Target Segments of the Population
The intended effects of the OAA is to give elderly the luxury to age independently by living at home and receiving benefits through social services. As a result, the individual and his or her family saves money that would otherwise be spent on nursing home care, medical visits, food, etc. Furthermore, the OAA provides useful part-time opportunities in community service and productivity for unemployed low-income individuals who are fifty-five years or

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