In the USA, those who have attained the age of 65 years and above are considered to be the elderly and the senior citizens. It is the age that the individual has contributed the maximum to the building of the nation and generally retires to their retirement homes in the country side, some even choose to leave the country and spend the rest of their lives outside the USA. It is apparent that in the present generation and century, the older Americans’ population is growing faster than ever before and it is also proven that they are living longer than there before according to The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (2010: 17). The report further says that the 65 years old Americans can now look forward to live an average of 18.5 more years which accrues to four years more than the previous indications in 1960s. Further, for those who live to the age of 85 years women have 6.8 years on average to live while men have 5.7 years. The longer life for this generation does not come easier and neither is it cheaper. The inflation, the annual health care cost keep making it harder for the senior citizens to earn a robust life style. It is estimated that in 1992 the annual healthcare cost was $9,224 and it rose to $15,081 in 2006, and this trend is meant to keep rising each year as National Institute of Aging (2008) puts it. There are therefore several challenges that the elderly face in the society today. The two main sociological issues that the frail elderly face today are Poor Nutrition leading to medical conditions and Poor nursing home facilities leading to social isolation. These two at times go hand in hand and at times they are manifest independently. Definition of concept Most of the Americans are too b... ... middle of paper ... ...e halls and toilets, have a look at all the floors and if they could portend any hazards like slipperiness, the bathing devices must be available and fitted with handle rails and the spaces between tables in the dining must be enough (Robert F. Carr, 2010). These are the major considerations that a family should make while selecting a nursing home. However there are other secondary considerations which are as well significant like the type of amenities and comfort the nursing home offers. These may include good grooming of the residents, friendly communication, laundry facility, salons, banks as well as air conditioning and heat facilities fitted with emergency response system. A good nursing home will as well provide various recreations and socialization platforms like gyms with a fitness instructor, computer room religious provisions and nature walk areas.
There are many complications that can arise as one ages. As stated in the Aging Concepts and Controversies (2012) book, there are basically two worlds of aging; the ill-derly and the well-derly. While those that are well are able to take care of themselves or need very little help to perform their daily activities; those that are ill most likely we need to have some form of long-term care. As stated earlier, when looking at care options for older adults, there are two forms of care that many people try to decide between. The first option is home care. In this form of long-term care, the elder person is looked after by a spouse, family member such as a child or grandchild, or a close family friend. The other type of long-term care is nursing home or institutionalized care, where the elderly person is taking care of by professionals and lives in the facility where they are being taken care of. Many times it is not easy to decide which type of care will be best, it depends on many factors, such as the cost, level of care needed, and many other factors. Using this paper, I like to briefly look a...
This essay will consist of different sources that explain the inappropriate behaviour an emergency Nurse’s response at handover due to a male patient who has been admitted into the Emergency Department in a dishevelled state. As a Registered Nurse assigned to care for this patient when handing over the patient’s care to another Registered Nurse, the nurse responds in an inappropriate manner; stating, ‘I really hate looking after old people – they’re all senile and they smell’. This essay will analyse the attitudes of the nurse and the beliefs that support such comments are improper thus leaving a significant impact on the performance and the nursing care for this patient.
The elderly population has been steadily rising as the generation known as the “Baby Boomers” matures. In 2010 the United States census reported the proportion of people age 65 and older to be approximately 40.3 million, or thirteen percent (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2011). This trend is predicted to continue and by 2050 it is estimated that over twenty percent of the United States population will be over the age of 65. In addition, the fastest growing segment of this population will consist of those over the age of 85, or approximately 19 million people (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2010).
Nursing home care is expensive. Although prices vary, the basic charge for a double-bed room in a typical nursing home is in the range of $20,000 to $50,000 a year. Homes in rural areas tend to be slightly less expensive than those in cities. The costs of medications and physician visits are not included in the basic charge. Also, special treatments such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy often add to the cost. There are also possible additional charges for drugs, laundry, haircuts, and extra services. Some nursing homes are operated as nonprofit corporations. They are sponsored by religious, charitable, fraternal and other groups or ran by government agencies at the federal, state, or local levels. But many nursing homes are businesses operated for profit. Individuals or corporations may own them. Sometimes they are part of a chain of nursing homes.
In his article entitled, The Centenarian, author Henry J. Aaron notes that by the middle of this century, there will be more than one-million people living in the United States who are over 100 years-of-age. In 1960, there were one-million 85 year-olds. At the beginning of the twentieth-cen...
Many people would argue that there is not a certain age where people are considered to be old. Although there is not a specified age where one can be labeled “elderly”, 70 is the common age to be perceived as a person of old age. By this age most people are retired and collecting full social security benefits. At this age most adults are beginning to notice declines in their former capabilities. They do not go out as much as they used to mostly because their age has began to limit the things they were once able to accomplish.
The existing U.S. population is over 315 million and rising. In the year 2030, 72 million Americans will be 65 or older, a 50 percent change in age demographics since the year 2000. The change is primarily due to the aging baby boomers, who were born at the end of World War II. Americans are living longer than ever befo...
Most of them do not have any other income other than their social security, and that money goes to helping them keep a roof over their heads. It is said that, “lower income adults become economically insecure older adults who do not have the resources to pay for a decent quality of life in their remaining years”(William, Wallace, 2016). If living expenses are added to their health care plans, they could move into a senior citizen affordable housing community and use their Medicare to reduce the expenses so they will have money to do other objectives. The senior citizens would have more to work with when it comes to their already reduced
This details a living room/social area, a kitchen or family style eating area, laundry accessible to the residents, a bathroom within the resident's room and they are to have an outdoor activity area.
As the life expectancy in the United States rises, the number of elderly in the population has also expanded. These increases have led to the oldest-old (people aged 90 and older) to become the fastest growing age group in the country. The oldest-old face many unique challenges because of their age, one of which is disability. Disability in the elderly has major impact upon society 1 and will continue will be a growing burden in years to come.
In today’s society, what was once said to be true and taken as fact regarding older people is no longer the whole story. As Laslett states, “At all times before the middle of the twentieth century and all over the globe the greater part of human life potential has been wasted, by people dying before their allotted time was up.” (1989a), and to a great extent a lot
What do you really know about the lifestyles of aging population? What do you know about aging and its effects? There are more myths about older people than they are of any other stage of people’s lives. Aging in America is a success story for public health policies and socioeconomic development, and as a society it forces us to maximize the health and functional capacity of the ageing American. A portion of Americans 65 years and over will make 13 percent of the U.S. population and is expected to rise in fewer than 25 years, which will increase, to 20 percent by the year 2050. A number of ageing Americans are living longer and staying increasingly active and for older adult’s good health ensures independence. With millions of Americans aging they struggle daily with health challenges, physical changes, psychological problems which all can impact their quality of life.
The average life span of an American is 77.6 years (Than, 2006). If an elderly person life is extended, they will be forced not to live years but decades or centuries of torment on the Earth. That is why elder
Americans are living longer lives than they used to hundreds of years ago. The average life expectancy of an American increased from 47 years old in 1900 to 79 years old in 2011. There are several explanations for this phenomenon. The life expectancy of the average person is increasing because of the advancements in technology, healthy diets, and the progression of medical science. With these advancements, Americans are now able to live past one hundred years of age. Everyone dreams of living forever. It seems so appealing to be able to live life for a very long time, happily and healthily, and going out and enjoying everything that life has to offer. Although living past one hundred can be a fortune the desire for life extension comes with an abundance of expenses, illnesses and lack of social support.
Technology in terms of medicine has also increased the life expectancy of the average person. With new technological advancements in surgeries, medicines and treatments the average life expectancy is still on the increase. A recent study shows that the average life span for 2004 of a United States Citizen is 77.4 years old. This has increased significantly from 1900 where the average lifespan for a male was 48.2 and for the female 51.5. Thanks to technology we can now live longer.