The article, “Aging with Disabilities” by Debra J. Sheets discusses the issue of aging with disabilities in the society. The author continues to expound on some of the problems the people in this category are facing including the difficulties in accessing the relevant healthcare and social services as well as prejudice and discrimination. The author presents the issue in a simple, yet the insightful manner in the sense that she provides facts and statistics on the number of people affected by disability, and those are in the aging bracket, 65yers and older. According to Sheets, while the aging of the population has received considerable attention, most of the attention has shifted away from the people aging with disabilities. Even though the …show more content…
data and statistics show that people with disabilities have a better average life expectancy than in the past, there are problems that need to be addressed. This article spoke to me I that it presented the truth about the issue of aging and how it affects the individual struggling with disabilities. I agree with the author’s assertion that most of the people with long-term disabilities are experiencing unanticipated health issues and function declines as they reach their midlife. Based on these facts, I believe there is a need to shift the attention to this problem in an effort to assist these individuals. These premature aging issues will force these either people to quit or entire as they become physically unable to continue working. I also find this article particularly moving because it presents the reader with the issue and provides some of the recommendations that need to be implemented in order to address the situation. I agree with the author’s assertion that the resulting gap in services for these individual pose a threat to the quality of life and independence for people aging with disability. Before reading this article, I was aware of the increasing size of the population of aging people due to a large number of baby boomers. However, I had little knowledge about the increasing prevalence of disability accompanying age implied that the size of the population with a disability would grow significantly in the coming years. The reading changed my ideas about the issue of aging with disability in that it presented the facts and statistics about the issue. Even though trends show that disability is declining, it is the combination of the aging population and the prevalence of disability accompanying age that raises the population of people with disability. The article presents insightful information about the issue by explaining the social issues and health issues people with disabilities face and ways it would influence their lives. I now know that the issue of aging with a disability will affect almost everyone or family in the coming years and there is need to be prepared to assist these individuals without discrimination or prejudice. I now believe that age or disability should not be viewed as a special concern since they are issues that are in the interest of the society as a whole. After reading the voices section of the article, I agree with Curry on the point that aging has less humiliation in communities of color since older people are loved and respected by their families.
The problem comes from the treatment older adults receive from the society especially due to the tradition of reduced access to opportunities and segregation. After reading the article, it is evident that the society is leading in influencing the issues and problems most aging people are facing in the modern age. For instance, the elderly have a poor quality of life because of the violence and poverty in the inner cities. Older women are carrying the burden of the society such as taking care of their grandchildren left by the death of a young person. The resources to take care of such families are limited since they only have access to the public assistance. The voices section also assisted in understanding the topic because it also explains the reasons aging has become prevalent in the society. According to Curry, a few people understand the problems the aged people are facing. In most cities in the US, older adults especially the people of color are denied some jobs, which places most of them in poor conditions since they do not have the resources to meet their physical and medical needs. It is important to understand that older adults have a lot to offer in the place of work or the society since they have the experience and the knowledge they have amassed over the
years. The next steps section presents the reader with insightful information on some of the steps one can take to assist the elderly. One of these steps that appeal most to me is to assume that everyone can learn something from the experience of an elderly individual. I will, therefore, participate in this step by taking the initiative of visiting older adults within the society and offering them an opportunity to share their Esperance and knowledge on the diverse issues of life. This would be an initial step of making them feel appreciated, and most importantly, breaking the cycle of abandonment.
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
The positive and negative aspects of aging shape the world for how we perceive the elderly. This great “ism” should be dealt with and put to rest for once and for all. In order to defeat this stereotypical prejudice the population must take action. It can be as simple as insuring the elderly receive the proper services or the support of research on aging to better the understanding of the limitations and abilities that we may all be faced with one day. Individuals should make an effort to respect and acknowledge that these people have a vital impact and role in society. People should take a step back and remember that they could be their sister, mother, brother, and one day it could be them on the receiving side of this prejudice.
While there are numerous facets of social care in the contemporary society, the working age disabled adults still form a major group that has to be considered. With a continued widening in the scope of disability, it is continually becoming a problem in healthcare management and settings. This, then, leads to the need for reform in the way that the issue is viewed in the society. Additionally, the various reforms that have been put in place for this program show progress towards improving the welfare of the target group even further. Though challenges are constantly met in the course of catering for this group, the right strategy can easily counter these to ensure the best service. Hence, this will lead to the realization of an elaborate health and social care system able to deliver, particularly in the diverse contemporary
The older population has always been the generation that receives the least attention, but they are also the generations that needs a bit more regard from the public. Elders have been looked over in many aspects of their life and this article focuses on ways to change the mindset of our society about ageing. The authors of this article focuses on the different types of myth and stereotypes that older people are subjected to in the society. Its focuses on the reason behind the stereotypes and provide the audience with facts that contradicts the myths. The other part of the article focuses on repercussion that the aging population faces because of the stereotypes against them. They depicts how negative stereotypes are destructive to the well-being
There must be no discrimination of care; no matter the age, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic standing every person deserves to be treated justly when it comes to their health. The term ageism is often thrown around due to the increasing population of elderly people that have a need for employment or life-saving care. Ageism is discrimination of a person based on their age. This is not appropriate in any setting, but in healthcare it needs to be removed for the psyche of all health professionals. Although some elderly may be ailing to complex conditions, other m...
The World Health Organisation, WHO, (1980) defines disability in the medical model as a physical or mental impairment that restricts participation in an activity that a ‘normal’ human being would partake, due to a lack of ability to perform the task . Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (n.d.) states that the medical model emphasizes that there is a problem regarding the abilities of the individual. They argue that the condition of the disabled persons is solely ‘medical’ and as a result the focus is to cure and provide treatment to disabled people (Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, 2014). In the medical model, issues of disability are dealt with according to defined government structures and policies and are seen as a separate issue from ordinary communal concerns (Emmet, 2005: 69). According to Enabling Teachers and Trainers to Improve the Accessibility of Adult Education (2008) people with disabilities largely disa...
America is a country where everyone is free to live however they like, but it is possible for some people to live a happy life, if no one is around to take care of them. Nearly three hundred million people reside in the America, and out of those three hundred million populations, senior citizens make a 12 percent of the entire population. A senior citizen is commonly known as a person who is over the age of 65 and living on retirement, or known as social security benefits (Census Bureau). Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt implied the act of Social Security in 1935, seniors are regularly provided a financial help, but seniors, along with financial help, seeks also accompany of someone who can look after them. Because of constantly growing needs of senior citizens, government as well as many non-profit organizations is working on helping seniors. Therefore I decided to research on this particular issue in my community, and I found that 64.5% of seniors are living alone in metropolitan area of Atlanta.
They claim that older people play many important roles in society, such as mediators, teachers, employees, volunteers, housewife, caretakers, culture keepers, and someone who is knowledgeable and remembers histories. There are some organizations owned by old people in order to let them participate in politics. In addition, most rural areas usually face the problem of lack of food. When it occurs, the elderly are full of agricultural knowledge can decide the survival of their land (2012, 35). Indeed, old people have a certain position in the community, but too many elderly can result overflow. In fact, this has already happened in most developed countries. For example, the speed of aging in Japan is the fastest, and 65 or older Japanese account 22% of the total. There will be almost 40% of Japanese are 65 or older when Japanese population will have decreased from 127 million to 87 million by 2060. It is also said that by 2110 the Japanese population can fall to 42.9 million, which is only a third of the current population. As a result, it will seriously affect Japan’s economic and political status in the world (D.M.). Aging population does cause a series of problem to society, although there are still advantages.
In the essay “Disability,” Nancy Mairs discusses the lack of media attention for the disabled, writing: “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anyone’s life.” An ordinary person has very little exposure to the disabled, and therefore can only draw conclusions from what is seen in the media. As soon as people can picture the disabled as regular people with a debilitating condition, they can begin to respect them and see to their needs without it seeming like an afterthought or a burden. As Mairs wrote: “The fact is that ours is the only minority you can join involuntarily, without warning, at any time.” Looking at the issue from this angle, it is easy to see that many disabled people were ordinary people prior to some sort of accident. Mairs develops this po...
Aging has radically different definitions with varying cultures. Some cultures respect and revere their elders, viewing them as wise and insightful. Others tend to shut their elders away, sheltering them from a rapidly changing environment they cannot keep up with. Globally, there cannot be one single definition for aging so I will focus on the United States’s view of and reaction to aging. While this may not hold true for all families, many elders are tucked away in nursing or assisted living homes. In our culture, both the modernization and disengagement theories complement each other. Our rapidly advancing and changing society leaves no room for people who lag behind, namely the elders. For the families of these elders, it is increasingly difficult to budget time into caring for them, because time must be spent working and improving their own lives first. This is an example of the modernization theory, those incapable of staying informed of and able to utilize new technologies and methodologies will inevitably lag behind the bell curve. This effect of modernization complements the disengagement theory because when people fall behind the bell curve, they are no longer fit to remain as a comparably productive member of society and so society slowly pushes those people into their own section where they can live free of the pressure to conform. For the elderly, this comes in the form of movement from their family or their own house to an assisted living or nursing home environment. It is safer in these places and they can get any help they need at a moment’s notice, something often unavailable anywhere else. The view of aging in the U.S. focuses around trying to regain something lost, namely youth.
It is evident how it has affected the elderly and therefore the relationships involved. The United States put tremendous emphasis on youth, looks, and performance; therefore the aged are viewed as useless. In his study Aging and Old Age, Posner (1997) discovered “resentment and disdain of older people” in American society. The stereotypes, discrimination, and devaluing of the elderly can have significant effects on the aged which affects their self-esteem, emotional well-being, and behavior. When this attitude is repeatedly reflected upon them, they begin to feel useless. Older people may begin to feel like dependent, noncontributing members of society. They may start to perceive themselves the way others in society see them.” Studies have also specifically shown that when older people hear, though stereotypes about their supposed incompetence and uselessness, they performed worse on a measure of competency and memory; in effect, though stereotypes become self-fulfilling prophecy” In modern societies of America, the elderly care is being provided by the state or private institutions and death is viewed as a loss and something to be feared. As long as this attitude continues the cycle it produces will as well. The aging process has become a shameful experience and youth has become an explosive obsession. This produces great depression within our elderly and therefore a negative effect on parents and grandchildren. Constant verbal and nonverbal devaluing messages from youthful society spoken by way of media, family systems, and commerce breaks down the self-esteem, emotional well-being, and behavior of the aged. Research has found that cultures that practice negative attitudes toward the aged are more likely to face higher rates of depression and suicide rates in the over 65 age population. The Western culture society will miss out on the relationships that could be cultivated and the celebration of
The problem of utilising such terms however may lead to the possibility of stigmatisation of older adults with disability. To curb this problem, Kennedy and Minkler (1998) argued for a broader vision of ageing which comprises of both able bodied and disabled bodies, hence both are ageing. As Zola (1993) states “the issue of disability for individuals ……. is not whether but when, not so much which one, but how many and in what combination”.
...eglected social issues in recent history (Barlow). People with disabilities often face societal barriers and disability evokes negative perceptions and discrimination in society. As a result of the stigma associated with disability, persons with disabilities are generally excluded from education, employment, and community life which deprives them of opportunities essential to their social development, health and well-being (Stefan). It is such barriers and discrimination that actually set people apart from society, in many cases making them a burden to the community. The ideas and concepts of equality and full participation for persons with disabilities have been developed very far on paper, but not in reality (Wallace). The government can make numerous laws against discrimination, but this does not change the way that people with disabilities are judged in society.
Aging is about the experiences and there are several chapters in older people’s lives. We can learn from the elderly and their lives. (Tappen, 1981). The interview was very interesting to discover how people thought and lived in the 1930s and 1940s. In addition, how hard it was to get opportunities to get educated and get a job. People were stricter about specific topics such as sexual orientation, morality, sex. The majority of older people lived in poverty, and they married underage, as well as they had a lot of children. Also, older people had to do hard work because they don’t have a chance to get a college degree. Parenthood was very different in these days, and they were stricter to their children, and the
This act established old age benefits and funding for assistance to blind individuals and disabled children and the extension of existing vocational rehabilitation programmes. In present day society, since the passage of the ADA (American with Disabilities Act of 1990) endless efforts of the disability rights movement have continued on the focus of the rigorous enforcement of the ADA, as well as accessibility for people with disabilities in employment, technology, education, housing, transportation, healthcare, and independent living for the people who are born with a disability and for the people who develop it at some point in their lives. Although rights of the disabled have significantly gotten better globally throughout the years, many of the people who have disabilities and are living in extremely undeveloped countries or supreme poverty do not have access nor rights to any benefits. For example, people who are in wheelchairs as a transportation device have extremely limited access to common places such as grocery stores, schools, employment offices,