Challenges of Health Care and the Aging Population

1317 Words3 Pages

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.
One of the issues involving health care and the aging population is majority of health profession employees being a percentage of the aging population. With the knowledge of health profession employees being a factor in the aging population puts a strain on doctors and nurses that come into the workforce after ones have retired. The fewer employees there are, the greater the work load will become on one person. It is imperative for each nurse in a unit to have four patients maximum. Giving more responsibility to one employee does not make the situation less of a challenge, it more so puts people’s lives at a greater risk of danger. The new demands placed on the health care system for health services will not only include a need for more workers, but also require changes in the way services are provided.
The average age of the registered nurse population is forty-six years, and for doctors it is fifty-five years of age. There are a grea...

... middle of paper ...

.... Economy." Health Day News for Healthier Living. N.p., 25 Sept. 2012. Web.
• Kick, Ella. "Overview: Health Care and the Aging Population: What Are Today's Challenges?" The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. N.p., n.d. Web.
• Bowerman, Mary. "Americans Shrug off Worries over Aging Population." USA Today. N.p., 30 Jan. 2014. Web.
• "Facing the Challenge of an Ageing Population." The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web.
• Herman, Catherine. "U.S. Unprepared for Impact of Aging Population on Health Workforce According to UAlbany Center for Health Workforce Studies." University at Albany. N.p., 5 Apr. 2006. Web.
• Czaja, Sara J., and Joeseph Sharit. "The Aging of the Population: Opportunities and Challenges for Human Factors Engineering." National Academy of Engineering. N.p., Spring 2009. Web.
• Today's Major Domestic Challenges." A Roadmap for America's Future. N.p., n.d. Web.

Show More
Related

  • Trends in Long-Term Care and Associated Implications

    1651 Words  | 4 Pages

    University of California (2006). An Aging U.S. Population and the Health Care Workforce: Factors Affecting the Need for Geriatric Care Workers. University of California, San Francisco, Center for California Health Workforce Studies.

    Read More

  • The Older Americans Act in 2013

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jacobsen, L. A., Kent, M., Lee, M., & Mather, M. (2001). America's aging population. Population Bulletin, 66(1).

    Read More

  • Sexuality in the Elderly

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    Medcohealth. Women and Aging: Our lives due change (2002). Retrieved November 18, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.medcohealth.com

    Read More

  • A Report on Canada's Aging Population

    2340 Words  | 5 Pages

    To deal with the issue of an aging population, an awareness campaign about the health issues that commonly affect aged people should be run by the government and non-governmental agencies. In addition, awareness should be created among the young to accommodate the elderly; at home as well as at work places...

    Read More

  • The Nursing Shortage

    2492 Words  | 5 Pages

    Current literature continues to reiterate the indicators of a major shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The total RN population has been increasing since 1980, which means that we have more RNs in this country than ever before (Nursing Shortage). Even though the RN population is increasing, it is growing at a much slower rate then when compared to the rate of growth of the U.S. population (Nursing Shortage). We are seeing less skilled nurses “at a time of an increasingly aging population with complex care needs and an increasingly complex technological care environment” (Mion). According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Health and Human Services, it is estimated that “more than a million new and replacement nurses will be needed over the next decade” (Diagnosis: Critical).

    Read More

  • Perspective of Aging: A Phenomenological Approach

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hiller, S. M., & Barrow, G. M. (2011). Aging, the individual, and society. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

    Read More

  • Missouri's Mandated Reporting of Elder Abuse

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Touhy, T. A., & Jett, K. (2012). Toward healthy aging: Human needs & nursing response (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Mosby.

    Read More

  • America's Nursing Shortage Analysis

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    Houde, S., & Melillo, K. (2009). Caring for an aging population. Journal Of Gerontological Nursing, 35(12), 9-13. doi:10.3928/00989134-20091103-04

    Read More

  • African Americans and Healthcare

    930 Words  | 2 Pages

    African American senior citizens face a health care crisis too. They have worked all of their lives to secure retirement, but their retirement has been threatened because of the rising cost of long-term medical care. Insurance companies have failed to provide affordable long-term care, protection that most senior citizens need. This lack of long term care and affordability has been a serious problem for the health care system. In some cities, the shortage of hospital beds is so serious that it is common for patients to stay in emergency rooms before they can be admitted to an inpatient room (Drake 109). More than one thousand hospital beds are occupied by people who could be better care for in nursing homes or through home health care (Drake 110). Of the disabled elderly 1.3 million reside in nursing homes (Drake 10). These patients are unable to perform two or more of the basic activities of daily living without assistance.

    Read More

  • Physician Shortage

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    The U.S. population is getting older: the Census Bureau reported the population of people less than 45 years old dropped from 65.6% in 2000 to 60.5% in 2010. While the percent of people 65 years and over increased by 15% between 2000 and 2010 (US Census, 2011, p.2). Age is associated with increased health care demand. Over 56% of people 65+ and 65% of people 75+ make four or more visits to health care professionals. While only 31% of people 18-44 years old make four or more visits (US Census, 2012, table 166). In 2000, people over 65 years old visited the hospitals three times more than the general population, and people over 75 years old visited the hospitals four times more than the general population (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003, p.8). Therefore, due to the fact that ageing population brings about an increasing demand for health care, With the population getting older and thus increasing demand for health care, the US needs to increase the supply of health care professionals.

    Read More

  • Essay On Nursing Shortage

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    The prolonged shortage of skilled nursing personnel has been a serious concern to the healthcare industry, and this shortage has impacted the quality of care delivery. In addition, nursing turnover has also exacerbated the problem of nursing shortage. Nursing shortage has been blamed on many nurses retiring and less younger nurses joining the occupation. There is also an increase in life expectancy (baby boomers) leading an increase in both physical and mental ailment with subsequent demand in nursing care. Nurses are also leaving nursing profession because of inadequate staffing, tense work environment, negative press about the profession, and inflexible work schedules. Even though nursing is a promising career and offers job security, the

    Read More

  • Staffing In Nursing Essay

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thousands of nurses throughout the nation are exhausted and overwhelmed due to their heavy workload. The administrators do not staff the units properly; therefore, they give each nurse more patients to care for to compensate for the lack of staff. There are several reasons to why

    Read More

  • Long-Term Care System Analysis

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    The long-term care system consists of an integrated continuum of many institutional and non-institutional providers who deliver extended care when needed. Long-term care providers deliver a variety of care to individuals with chronic, mobility and/or cognitive impairments/limitations. These providers include: nursing facilities, sub acute care, assisted living, residential care, elderly housing options and community based adult services (Pratt, 2010). A great majority of these providers are already taking care of the many baby boomers that are present today and will be present in the future. “Baby boomers” are individuals who were born between the years 1946-1964. Since 2011, every day 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 years old (Pratt, 2010). This

    Read More

  • Nursing: The Development Of Professional Identity In Nursing

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    From over-crowding and long waiting lists to staff shortages which have knock on effects resulting in inadequate skills mix and unacceptable nurse-patient ratios. An aging population, high birth rates and an increase in chronic diseases also puts pressure on the healthcare system. The nursing role has had to evolve in response to changing societal needs and the challenges in the healthcare system today. (McCurry et al. 2009). This can bring additional challenges to nurses’ professional identity. ??

    Read More

  • Long Term Care Insurance

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today, the world’s population is aging at a very fast pace and the United States is no exception to this demographic change. According to the U.S Census Bureau, senior citizens will account for 21% of the American population in 2050 (Older Americans, 2012). Although living longer lives may not seem like a negative sign, living longer does not necessarily mean living healthier. Older adults of today are in need of long-term health care services more than any generation before them (Older Americans, 2012). Because of the growing need for senior care, millions of families are facing critical decisions on how to provide care for their parents.

    Read More

More about Challenges of Health Care and the Aging Population

Open Document