Eldercare Issues

In the U.S, one in four will be aged 60 years and older by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau). This represents an overwhelming number of people who will either be in the caretaker role or be the ROC. Like today, most of the care will be provided by informal unpaid caregivers. The number of informal unpaid caregivers is expected to rise from 20 million in 2000 to 37 million in 2050 (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation [ASPE], 2003). Because of the burden of care giving, many caregivers will experience depression, poor health and quality of life (Etters, Goodall, & Harrison, 2008). Their well-being is an important public health concern.

In the 2010 census, the United States population of seniors, or those over the age of 65 was 35 million. This number is expected to grow to 70 million by the year 2030. With children moving far away from their parents, providing assistance may be difficult, which is why senior care franchises are one of the best business investment opportunities right now.

Katz, R., Lowenstein, A., Prilutzky, D., & Halperin, D. (2011). Employers' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Organizational Policy Toward Workers Caring for Aging Family Members. Journal Of Aging & Social Policy, 23(2), 159-181. doi:10.1080/08959420.2011.554120

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.

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

We can’t purport to have a national goal to “eliminate health disparities” and continue to accept the social inequities that come from such a major gap in wealth. If we hope to solve the pressing issues of eldercare, these inequities must be addressed head on now and in the future. Otherwise, those who are caregivers now may not have access to the care they will need in the future.

If you've ever thought about senior homecare, you've probably heard or read some home care myths that made you stop and think twice about it. With only a third to a half of seniors receiving homecare going through a professional care agency, many family care providers wonder what the reluctance is. Perhaps some of the myths are true?

According to the U.S Census Bureau, Population Estimates and Projections, the nation’s elderly population aged over 65 is expected to increase from 46.2 million in 2014 to 98.2 million in 2060 (Colby and Ortman, 2015). When the number of elderly persons increases, there will be more long-term care residents (Fox-Rose, 2000). This increase will require many caregivers in long term care facilities (Tak, Sweeney, Alterman, Baron, & Calvert, 2010). Between 2010 and 2020, the employment of nursing aides is expected to grow by 20%. This increase is larger than the average (14%) for all occupations (U.S Department of Labor [USDOL], Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012).

As individual get older they will depend on children or other family member to help take care of their healthcare needs. Caring for the elderly has turned into a national issue that can be identified with by most individuals across the nation. It estimated that one out of every five homes within the United States of America over 22.9 millions home will have someone who is takes care of an elderly relative or friend. They are over an estimated 44.4 million individuals providing care in one form or another who are over the age of 18 as or 2004 per AARP.

The challenge America now faces is the number of people reaching retirement will double in number by 2030, and the U.S. population will increase almost 20 percent ("Our Aging Nation," 2015). The goal is for the elderly to maintain and live with independence and dignity, as well as, provide a wide range of professional health and social service expertise, home care, and residential support and services that will be needed ("Our Aging Nation," 2015). Since the number of caregivers needed for this population will not be able to meet the demands other resolutions are considered necessary.

A human service worker in the aging area needs to recognize that people sixty-five and older are considered to be an older adult. (p. 222)

Experience working in the field of health care lends insight to the growing needs of the older adult population, and the barriers which impede our capacity to meet them. As the Baby Boomer age is approaching older adulthood, the rise for financial,

Assigning elder workers a bigger role in workplace decisions, such as how the workplace is designed, is another measure that may help to reduce ageism. The design of the workplace has been shown to influence the productivity of workers and older workers are rarely consulted on this matter (Erlich & Bechard, 2008). Therefore, incorporating the needs of older workers into management decisions will increase the productivity and motivation of older workers, which will be economically beneficial to companies.

And as it ages, it is dragging into the limelight a host of issues: staffing shortages, mandatory retirement and age discrimination. Business cannot afford to wait 15 years when the first baby boomer reach retirement age before they begin to look at their own internal biases about aging (Capowski, 1994, page.10). Due to the importance of this issue, companies should take an action as soon as

Elderly people are often stereotyped as forgetful, weak, or unable to take care of themselves; keeping this in mind, how can you logically hire an elderly person to do a job that a young, more physically fit employee could undoubtedly perform with less risk and effort. Stereotypes such as these are playing a huge role in the controversy over mandatory retirement. Morgan