Ageism in Healthcare

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.

Some might say that the 1930’s and 1940’s was the greatest generation. The 1930’s started with the Great Depression the greatest economic disaster in modern history. This generation had to deal with great sacrifice. The stock market crashed and people were forced out of their homes, lost businesses, lost their jobs, and had no help from the government. People that had left the farmlands to move to the cities for employment found themselves returning to the farm to feed their families. People that were forced to leave their homes moved into parks and abandoned lands to set-up what was called Hooverville’s (Foner 2014).

Many aging Americans often struggle to pay for home care, assisted living and other forms of long term care. When choosing the right type of care much consideration and research should be given. In determining whether one must self-fund their care can be a process which can leave the door open for many unanswered questions. Questions like, what is the expected cost, will Medicare help to cover any cost, or can one use their property to pay the cost for long term care. Since elder care and senior care can be in a variety of forms, the biggest concern is who takes on the brunt of payments. According to Benjamin (2015), “99% of our services are a private pay product with some assistance for veterans; long-term care insurance does account for part of the remaining 1%, along with some waivers provided by Medicare. “Private Pay can be funded by savings and investments, long term care insurance or annuities, social security or other retirement benefits, Veterans’ benefits, and through the conversion of a life insurance policy into a Life Care Benefit Plan or Long Term Care Benefit Plan” (Orestis, 2013, para 1). Most anyone can pay or arrange their care cost, however cost is usually determined by ones need and where they live.

Women have been marginalized amongst the groups of populations in various areas including social security. Even though senior women are more dependent on social security as a means of livelihood, they receive less benefit as compared to their male counterparts. According to the USA Social Security Administration (SSA) Fact Sheet that was published in 2016, “Senior women depend on social welfare for 90 percent of their earnings. However, they receive a considerably lower amount of benefits than men. The fact sheet states that women over the age of 65 years receives a median of $13,150, compared to $17,106 that men of the same age group receive (U.S. Social Security Administration, N.D)”. SSA blames the disparity on the considerably lower income

census discloses that the county age group is rapidly increasing and the trend will continue grow from a 99,086 to 140,000 by the year 2030 (Maryland Department of Aging, 2014). Research has shown that social inequalities are inter-reliant in the society and the impacts on health are present in all ages, however, it is predominant with the seniors leaving in the community. As it indicates, to reduce these disparities, it requires multi-interventional and collaborative approaches in addressing the various factors of health, it services and it cost. Although the United States has had some effective policies and few good health programs, however, providing a stable and adequate income for most of the seniors and providing a good public health care system goes a long way in improving their health and also increasing life expectancy. Much can and should be done to reduce inequalities that exist among the seniors and public health should take led in addressing the various aspect that affects the seniors. This paper has discussed the barriers to healthcare among the seniors and it has provided innumerable recommendations that would help improve their

The elderly population is working later into what is often designated as the retirement age. Women in particular are working later and later in their life span (Johnson, 2012; Pruncho, 2012). Baby boomers who are just entering the 65 and older age group are experiencing more financial trouble, in part because of the impact of the Great Recession (McFall, 2011; Rix, 2011). The Great Recession impacted retirement savings, but for the elderly the decrease in home values was particularly important because for many it was their best financial asset (Butrica, Richard & Smith, 2011). The new aging population also has seen the greatest increase in women who had participated in the labor market during their prime age. Economically the aging population is also impacted by the increased longevity of the population. As their parents lived longer, those 65 and older experienced increased use of their resources distributed to aging parents and to generations below them in the form of their own children and grandchildren (Frey, 2010; Yabiku, 2000). Thus, for some they enter older age with less resources than generations

Healthcare in the US relies heavily on different population trends that help form and structure our tailor made health care services. Multiple population trends are imperative to the planning, financing and delivery of healthcare. Analyzing the size and age framework of a population has a great impact on the planning of healthcare (Williams & Torrens, 2008). The aging and longevity of the average Americans are of vital concern to future financial stability of the Social Security and Medicare programs. Access trends is also important due to they convey whether care is actually being delivered to the right consumers in response to

According to Hillman (2013), a baby –boomer is a person who was born between 1947 and 1964. This generation is described as a principled generational cohort in the labor force (Lyon, Legg, & Toulson, 2005).). One might argue that this is because a particular member of this generational cohort was nurtured in a period of affluence and enormous opportunities. It is telling that a baby-boomer usually gives significant devotion to changing the status quo and adjusts that which is incorrect. However, not only does a particular member of this generational cohort does one best to change the status quo, this particular generational cohort tends to impact the work force with its retirement succession. This is because on a daily basis, approximately

Quadagno (2014) notes that the twentieth century brought about a new economic status for the aging population. Senior citizens were living with constant fear of poverty and balancing financial stability. Yet, twenty-first century statistics show that poverty rates have declined substantially; today's elderly have benefited from improved living standards in the post-World War II era and are better educated

When explaining the implication based on demographic you really have to understand the meaning when dealing with health care. Demographic is the study of a population the based on race, sex and age. Demographic also is the study of level of education and income level among others. The government uses demographics and other corporations and non-government organizations. When the government uses these demographics to determine the population and characteristics, this includes economic and development trends this is very important as the size of the population will change over the time due to economic circumstances. With the population of elders that have the life expectancy of 65 would most likely need healthcare and other long-term services.

“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life,” a verse found in Proverbs 16:31 in the Bible, associates aging with a wealth far greater than any materialistic fortune. So why does the term ‘elderly,’ now connote a burden? Defined by the Oxford dictionary as “prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of age,” ageism is used to rationalize age-based intolerance and narrow-mindedness. A rapid and unmistakable animosity towards aging has emerged over the years, and combined with this youthful cosmetic fixated society, discrimination toward the elderly won’t be going away anytime soon.

Ageism and stereotypes of older people can have an important impact on their physical health, mental health and overall wellbeing. Negative stereotypes of older people being dependent and decrepit can be internalized and become self-fulfilling. These ageist thoughts and stereotypes can lead to older people not seeking health care in general and to not get treatment appropriate for their illness or medical condition due to their age and not based on any other factor.

The growing concern regarding the financial security of Medicare is one of particular interest to the nearly 72 million baby boomers that become eligible for this government-assisted, and tax-payer bolstered, program over the next two decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010), there will be a rapid increase in baby-boomers between 2010 and 2030, as the entire baby boomer population move into the 65 years and over category (p.3). Political and financial revisions must be made to ensure the security of Medicare as the numbers of individuals paying into this program are soon to be surpassed by the number of individuals drawing-off this program (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). The elderly are also at a disadvantage with transportation to health care visits, picking up prescriptions, and rehabilitation services. There needs to be an establishment of access not only to primary care providers, hospitals, and rehabilitation services, but access to other aspects of the health care system for the elderly population.

The demographics of a population are a fundamental determinant of the need, demand, and use of healthcare services. Factors such as size and age of the population will have a direct bearing on what occurs in the healthcare realm. For instance, the United States population has doubled since 1950; therefore, more people equate to increased utilization of healthcare services. The very young and very old utilize a lot more healthcare services than other age groups. It is anticipated that the number of people that are age 65 or older will grow from 35.2 million in 2000 to 60.2 million by 2025 which will result in substantially drastic increase in the amount of healthcare services that are utilized (Williams & Torrens, 2008). Because of the baby boomer population the increasing number of people in that age category is also expected to stress the Social Security

The ending of World War II led to one of the most influential generations today. Young males upon returning to the United States, Canada, and Australia following tours of duty overseas during World War II began families. This brought about a significant number of new children into the world. “In 1946, the first year of the Baby Boom, new births in the U.S. skyrocketed to 3.47 million births” (Rosenburg). This led to many events such as an increase in housing and the development of the suburb, consumerism multiplying, health care system, issues and a more recent topic: retirement.