After spending an afternoon interviewing my elderly father-in-law, I gained insight into how he perceives the aging process and the impact on the quality of his life. First, and foremost he viewed aging in a very positive and healthy manner. He believes that a positive attitude assists in accepting physical and psychosocial changes and enjoyed the fact that he and his wife are both physically fit and cognitively alert. He felt confident that advances made in health care and the quality of their lives would continue to be empowering. He enjoys the benefits of being a senior citizen including discounted travel, free education, and other incentives marketed towards seniors. He expressed a sense of well-being with respect to the numerous housing options geared towards the graying population, such as Retirement Villages, and assisted living. However, the subjects of Long Term Care, Social security reform and government involvement in health care reform were subjects he regarded with very strong negative emotions. During the interview these issues as related to his experiences with health care were discussed with zeal and frustration.
Ron is my father-in-law; he is seventy-seven years young and lives in Smallville with his wife. They live independently in a sprawling 4,500 foot custom built cape style home. Ron was the oldest of three siblings and was raised in a farming town by his father who was a disabled war veteran in poor health and a feisty Italian mother. Ron had the opportunity to complete high school and receive the gift of learning to work with his hands as a master finish carpenter. He worked on many farms as a young boy during the summers of high school to help support his family; he is no stranger to working very ...
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... a better understanding of what everyone needs especially the elders over the age of 65 living in the United States. As a nation we know it is time for reform, we will get involved and make our opinions count and cry out for access and affordable health care for all.
References
Chait, Jonathan. (April, 1999). Countdown to Reform: The Great Social Security Debate. Washington Monthly. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_4_31/ai_54367642/print
Marshall, Will and Martin Schram. (1993) , Mandate for Change. New York: Berkley Books.
Reynolds, Sean.(2004). Privatization of Social Security. National Parliamentary Debate Workshop. Retrieved from http://www.willamette.edu/cla/rhetoric/workshop/DebateResearch/shaunreed.doc
Spitzer-Resnick, Jeffrey.(1987), Your Real Medicare Handbook. Madison, Wisconsin: Center for Public Representation.
The Canadian population is graying at a steady pace, adding thousands of seniors above the age of 65 in the population charts year after year. This segment of the population needs special attention due to its social, emotional, health, and dwelling needs. Continued growth in the size of aging population is putting pressure on the economy, health care system, and living space for seniors. Planners and policy makers need to pay immediate attention to the issue as it is going to affect all Canadians in the years to come.
22. Kennith Davis, "The Birth of Social Security," in Visions of America's Past, ed. William Bryans et al. (Plymouth: Hayden-McNeil Publishing, 2011), 327.
The thought of aging is not void of hesitance given it produces questions deprived of answers in the absence of a crystal ball. Subsequently, aging parallels the unknown; thus, faced with uncertainty adopting a positive perspective remains elusive. Although, it’s preferred to view aging optimistically one cannot escape its negative connotations. Will I be an active agent or isolated burden remains a noteworthy unknown that enervates my optimism. Another consideration leading to my vacillating view on aging is, not knowing to what degree personal competencies and capacities will carry forward, thereby affording autonomy in the elder years. However, as research suggest, the aging process transforms healthy adults into frail ones; thus, dashing one’s hope that such traits will endure (Friis, 2010). Incidentally, at age 48, these lingering questions will soon be answered. In the interim, there is an inherent responsibility to prepare physically, psychologically, and financially for entry into the aging population. Ideally, the goal is to
As a person reaches retirement age, they are faced with many things to deal with. Retirement from work is one of the many realities they face. If they are not financially stable enough to retire, many continue to work rather than face the uncertainty of their financial future. Retirees do not get enough from Social Security that many are forced to live in low cost housing or become homeless, especially our veterans. Applying for Medicare Insurance is another obstacle an elderly person will have to face. Many are afraid that they may not be able to han...
“Have patients and resistance, mija” my 90 year old great grandmother Elizabeth said. She has been one of my motivational supporters pushing me towards my goals, continuation of my education, and living life. Just one phone call, can’t explain how much I dearly miss her. As part of my gerontology interview assignment I had to ask her a couple of questions. One question was: “what is the most significant world event you have experienced and why?”, but my great-grandmother didn’t mention a world event but her own. She explained that she doesn’t know how to read, nor write. She self-taught herself to write her own name and to this day she still does. In the small town in Mexico in which she resides in long ago, lacked education badly. There were no instructors whom taught in schools in town or her surroundings. Few schools were hours away, but with the lack of sufficient resources such as transportation and in town schools those opportunities were never granted to
Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence most people over the age of 65 are not Senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994). This change in perspective led the investigation of the other side of the coin. Ageing is seen as health, maturity and personal Royal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generatively, coping and acceptance of age-related constraints (Birren & Fisher, 1995). Psychological und...
(Touhy, Jet, Boscart, & McLearly, 2012).However, elderly immigrants have difficulties in achieving those balances due to various external circumstances as mentioned above. Furthermore, I did not find any concerns and opinions written about the healthy aging of immigrant seniors in the course book. Despite decades of human rights enlightenments, immigrant elderly continue to experience among the most poorly understood adult group lacking the equivalent rights of healthy aging. They have relatively less opportunities of getting benefits, preferences, and support system to get equal inclusion in Canadian aging
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
Today I interviewed an elderly woman who is a resident in the County Nursing Home. As I entered her room, she was sitting up awake and alert. As we talked, I explained to her that as a nursing student, I'm required to complete a paper on any person over the age of sixty-five. I asked her if it would be okay to interview her. She enthusiastically agreed, therefore, I proceeded with the interview.
As the population of the United States ages and lifespan increases, the U.S. is being faced with challenges that could either hurt the country or benefit it if plans are executed correctly. By the year 2050, more than thirty-two million Americans will be over the age eighty and the share of the 80-plus generation will have doubled to 7.4 percent. Health care and aging population has become a great deal considering the impact it is having on the U.S. The United States is heading into another century with an outstanding percentage of people within the aging population. Today’s challenges involving health care and the aging populations are the employees of health professions being a major percentage of the aging population, the drive into debt, and prevention and postponement of disease and disability.
This psychosocial theory is one of the main reasons why ‘changing the way America ages’ is what American Senior Assistances Programs is all about. Many elders want to look back on their life and enjoy what they have done. However, not everyone is as fortunate to grow old and healthy. This could mean that many elders begin to see signs in decreasing health and become incompetent. Therefore, caregivers, care managers, or even guardians have to be appointed in order to take care of the elders
Aging and being old was dominated by negative characteristics and conditions such as illness, depression, and isolation for a long time (Eibach, Mock, & Courtney, 2010). At first glance the terms “success” and “aging” seem to be in conflict to each other. When asking people about aging, their answers have many facets that are also found in psychological definitions: successful aging is seen as health, maturity and personal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generativity, coping, and acceptance of age-related limitations. In the psychological sense successful aging is also often seen as the absence of age-associated characteristics (Strawbridge, Wallhagen, & Cohen, 2002). It seems that successful aging means is not aging.
...er as they dread the aftermath of joining the care centers more so when they consider autonomy. Nonetheless, with changing times and administration of the checkpoints above, the feeling and approach of geriatrics is bound to change and individuals will henceforth look forward to old age.
The lifespan stage I would find most difficult to work with in a health and human services setting would be older adulthood. Older adults have been born and developed within a different generation which means it can be hard for someone like me to connect with their beliefs, language and culture. Older adults often have a lot of experience which can be intimidating. Their levels of experience could then lead to them not valuing my opinion and service that I am providing. Most times that I talk to older adults I am listening as I attempt to absorb as much of their wealth of knowledge on life that I can. Older people often have stereotypes of being ‘the angry old man’ or ‘the angry old woman’ who continues to be angry no matter the situation. Older people are often vulnerable to memory loss but also behaviour changes which could impact my
The phases that elderly people go through in their life leave them exposed to physical and emotional vulnerability. The elderly face many challenges in day to day life, from physical and emotional difficulties to stereotypes propagated in the media. In the face of such stereotypes, the elderly population often behaves in a way expected of them. The elderly are forced to devise methods to cope with these challenges if they are to fulfil the last stage of their life journey in a positive manner. Either by putting a positive spin on situations or by receiving support of family and healthcare professionals, the elderly must learn to live with the unique challenges that face them at this critical stage of their life.