Aging Population Issues Paper

This substantial increase in population of those living longer with chronic illness supports that interventions need to be recognized early to decrease loss of independence. The Louisiana Community Choices Waiver provides ancillary support, such as physical, occupational, respiratory and speech therapy to qualifying residents. These services provide functional support while providing socialization in the home environment. This promotion of increased physical mobility and prevention can assist residents to maintain or increase their independence in the home. The expected growth of the elderly population in the next decade demonstrates a critical need for additional measures to support the efforts of individuals desiring to stay in their homes.

Mr. Henry and his wife need medical care coordinated throughout the health care system to receive proper treatment and prevent health complications, encouraging their independence by remaining in the same setting. Marek and Rantz highlight that by providing care coordination and health care services for older adults residing in specially designed senior apartments, older adults will not have to move from one level of care delivery to another as their health care needs increase; and they will have the opportunity to “age in place” (Marek & Rantz, 2000). Care coordination starts with a comprehensive assessment of each of Henry and Ertha individual needs for health and social support, and by developing an individualized plan of care for each of them. “Patients should be evaluated, and care plans should be designed and implemented according to the individual needs of each patient (American Geriatrics Society, 2012, p. 1966). As Mr. Henry and his wife health care needs increase, they can receive periodical physical examinations to monitor their underlying health problems, and for early detection of complications remaining in their apartment. This will prevent negative outcomes associated with relocation, and medications and treatment noncompliance.

Although institutionalized living facilities aim to meet the physical and emotional needs of their residents, the structure of most facilities also marginalize the older adults who live in them (Shentow-Bewsh, 2016). One example of such a living facility is the Terraces of Baycrest, a nonprofit retirement home for older adults aged 80-100+. This paper focuses on a change effort that could be implemented at the Terraces to reduce the marginalization of its residents.

After reading The Age of Dignity by Ai-Jen Poo, I realize that she brings out many good concerns and information about where our country is heading in the upcoming years. Throughout her book we discuss our golden years and the care that we should be able to receive and how crucial it is for our personal wellbeing, independence, and securing our own futures. The 85 plus age group is one of the fastest growing demographics in the US and Poo talks about the possible solutions that need to be created in our infrastructure before we have an even bigger crisis on our hands. It’s a fact that the elderly baby boomers cohort is growing faster than we can care for them, this shows that we need to implement a new system that will be able to care and support our many elders in their life, and how we can do it with financial competency and dignity.

Aging Americans, like other age groups, are feeling the effects of the declining real estate and stock markets, as well as soaring fuel and food prices. Seniors’ economic security will only increase in importance as the U.S. population ages. The nation’s health and social services resources will face unprecedented demand as 75 million people in the baby boomer generation reach retirement age—some with eroded savings and retirement accounts. Aging people of color are more likely than white

Caring for the elderly and disabled has always been a relevant issue among American’s; however, not until recently has it become a significant issue within society. Change has occurred in the past couple decade as the workforce dynamics have transitioned from the family based farm living to the inner city, college educated worker who follows opportunity. Decades ago it was common place to have an aging relative live with the family in a multi-generational home; however, that is no longer a practical option in many cases. Although this transitioning of society has created a new issue and that is providing care to those elderly or disabled members of society who cannot rely on the support of family

Many times, residents are put in the assisted livings or nursing homes because their family can’t take care of them. As a result, they lose much independence, and their health tends to decline faster than if they were

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.

In these services they would usually be offered help with activities of daily life, such as eating or bathing. Some home services also give them other benefits such as residential services, personal care or case management. To give more open details on experiences of Medicaid beneficiaries who need home and communities based services Musumeci and Reaves discuss nine seniors who are disabled and who live in different states. Those include people with different kind of disabilities which can be either developmental, physical or intellectual and issues such as autism, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and their functional limitations that are there because they aged (Musumeci & Reaves, 2014). Based on interview that were given from these people to the Kaiser Commission in 2013 based on Medicaid and uninsured, these peoples’ profiles clearly show us how beneficiaries funds, well-being, status of their employment are affected by the coverage of Medicaid and the role these services play in their daily lives (Musumeci & Reaves, 2014). In the last years states are trying to work on rebalancing long-term care system by dedicating more spending to home and community care rather than institutional care. The reason is this being the efforts that are driven by beneficiaries who are

We live in a day and age where most Canadians do not concern themselves with the odds of them being placed in a long-term care facility due to the presence of our health care system, however, a greater number of individuals should be more cogitative about the possibility of needing to be put in a home and that not being an immediate option. According to the Ontario Long Term Care Association (2015) over 40% of the long-term care homes in Ontario are small, with 96 or fewer beds. With the aging of the baby boomers within the next couple of years, 96 beds are simply not enough. The hardship of leaving the comfort of one’s home is stressful enough, without having to worry whether or not there will be open availability in the local nursing home. This report examines

With the advancements in healthcare and people living longer lives America is facing a caregiver crisis, due to the growth of the aging population. Statistics show that the number of people 65 years and older is expected to rise 101% between 2000 and 2030, yet the number of family members who can provide care for these older adults is only expected to rise 25% (Gupta, 2015). This significant change in the population raises many questions, who will care for this group, how will their safety be ensured, how will the elderly travel, where will they live, will building structures need to change to allow easier access, will the government create a caregiver corps to check on the elderly who are isolated, and ultimately how does the government

First and foremost, despite slight recent increases in the amount of income obtained by members of the older population, their economic status is still quite perilous (Federal Interagency Forum, 2012).1 Men in this category have a median income of $27,707, while women continue to lag behind with a median income of $15,362 (AOA & AOCL, 2012). A vast majority of these individuals cite Social Security as their primary source for this income, amounting to 86-percent of the total older population (AOA & AOCL,

Providing eldercare to sick and aging loved ones increases women’s risk of living in poverty later in life, and specifically at retirement age due to the negative health and financial implications including gaps or decreases in employment, losses in retirement income, and the use of savings to cover out-of-pocket costs (Wakabayashi, Donato, 2006). The elderly population in the United States continues to grow at a significant rate, with estimates that approximately 80 million adults will be over the age of sixty-five by the year 2030 (Bookman, Kimbrel, 2011). Approximately seventy-five percent of elderly persons who require assistance with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living receive that support in the form

Where do the elderly live? The environments and living situations of older Americans are dependent on many factors. Where they live also matters for many reasons including economical, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual factors. As one gets older, the number one concern is “where will I live” according to a Pew research (Kent, Pew Research, 2015). In the United States, approximately a third of the 40 million elderly Americans (as of 2013) lived alone (Kent, Pew Research). Moreover, Geriatric institute states that the majority of elderly Americans (about four out of five) living alone are women. Research has found that men die sooner than women or remarry after being widowed or divorced (Kent, Pew Research). As baby boomers age and

This guide to senior living will talk about the benefits of retirement and living in a senior living community. It will attempt to distinguish between assumptions about retirement and how going into and living in retirement actually is. This guide will also talk about all the great things one can do while living in retirement, how retired people live, and why senior living communities are a great option for people who live in retirement. This guide will also talk about Sunshine Retirement Living, who they are, and what they do.