Aging in America

We all will one day face the reality of growing older. There are many aspects of this change that will affect us in a large way. According to the Merck Manual of Health and Aging, 1.5% of Americans are 85 or older. This research states that the number of people 100 years or older could rise from 1 out of 5,578 in the year 2000, to 1 out of 472 in the year 2050. It brings out that women have a longer life expectancy than men, among people aged 65 and older in the year 2000, there were 70 men for every 100 women. For people aged 85 and older the figure was 41 men for every 100 women. The site goes on to say that approximately 11% of Americans aged 65 and older are below the poverty line. (The Merck Manual of Health and Aging: http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sec1/ch03/ch03a.html)

Some of these aspects that will have a large affect on the population include exercise and health awareness for the elderly, long-term care availability, elder abuse, housing situations, and the financial instability or limited resources for older Americans.

Our first topic to address is the challenges of staying healthy and getting enough exercise as we age. Many times older adults are left out of the picture for physical activity. Scientists have found that exercise and physical activity improve the health of people who are frail or have diseases that accompany aging. Swimming actually has a lot of good attributes for older adults. Many studies show that people with osteo-arthritis will improve their joints, will have less pain, and less disability with a certain amount of exercise. Four areas that are important for staying healthy and independent: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. Research shows that exercise and physical activity can help older people maintain or partly restore these four areas. Exercise also makes them feel good about themselves just as would a younger person. I believe they benefit the same ways as a young adult would. Any elderly person should check with their doctor just as you should at any age, before starting any exercise program. Charting helps to see progress and gives a feeling of accomplishment. (http://www.nia.nih.gov/)

Participation in physical activity has been shown to have many health benefits for older adults; this study does not provide strong support that it protects against cognitive decline. Reports have been made that physical activity may help guard against stroke and coronary heart disease, both of which may be associated with the development of dementia. Some studies were either limited in their scope or had short follow-up times. In all they find that for older adults, physical activity alone may not protect against cognitive decline. (By Charnicia E. Huggins: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseforseniors.html)

7,000 strokes occur in Americans every year. For Hispanics it is the third leading cause of death. This article emphasizes the importance of knowing the symptoms of the stroke to reduce the chances of its occurrences. Prevention tips include: stop smoking, eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and work to control high blood pressure and manage diabetes. (Strokes Affect Thousands of Hispanics Each Year - Learn To Recognize Symptoms: Brandon Alvarez Montgomery

http://onlinecci.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=2281666&CPURL=onlinecci.com&Survey=1&47=2500922&ClientNodeID=122303&coursenav=0&bhcd2=1133475293

The next topic to address is the growing need for long-term care in the United States. Many Americans are faced with the dilemma that there are a limited amount of long-term care workers and facilities. The Administration on Aging (2000) concluded that 53% of persons over 65 report having at least one disability, and 33% report having a severe disability. 7.3 million elderly persons require assistance with activities of daily living. Aetna Retirement Services (1999) reported "an estimated 15% of U.S. adults are providing special care for seriously ill or disabled relatives" (p. 2), and that 20% to 40% of caregivers are caring for children under age 18 at the same time. Many younger aging Americans (baby boomers) made the choice to remain childless, or to delay marriage and starting a family. Further, among the oldest of the old (85+), many may have outlived their children. These two factors have resulted in a growing number of aging Americans with fewer options in terms of their own care later in life. A smaller percentage of non-white (3%) than white (5.8%) elderly live in nursing homes. Contributing factors point to discrimination in referrals when institutional health care or long term care services are needed, geographical separation from support networks, potential linguistic isolation, shorter life spans for most minority individuals, and greater involvement of families and other unpaid sources of assistance (Administration on Aging, 2000). As of January 1, 1997 with the signing into law of welfare and health care reform legislation, the cost of financing long-term care rests with individuals. Those who are inadequately prepared for whatever reasons are not likely to receive necessary care (Hendley & Bilimoria, 1999; Rappaport, 1998) (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0825/is_2_69/ai_102024776)

We will now direct the discussion to the key problem of elder abuse for aging Americans. According to the article posted by the Administration on Aging "Elder Abuse Is a Serious Problem" 551,011 persons, aged 60 and over, experienced abuse, neglect, and/or self-neglect in a one-year period. It states that each year hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected and exploited by family members and others. Many victims are people who are older, frail, and vulnerable and cannot help themselves and depend on others to meet their most basic needs. There have been many laws passed in all fifty states that address this huge problem. One of the saddest things about these statistics is that in about 90% of cases the perpetrators of the abuse and neglect were family members. Two-thirds of the perpetrators were adult children or spouses. This abuse has many definitions. Some of these include the willful infliction of physical pain or injury, e.g., slapping, bruising, sexually molesting, or restraining. It is also defined in terms of sexual abuse stating that physical abuse as sexual abuse is the infliction of non-consensual sexual contact of any kind. Some of the other definitions include the emotional or psychological abuse as inflicting mental or emotional anguish like humiliating, intimidating, or threatening. They have even incorporated the aspect of financial exploitation. The article argues that this is the improper act or process of an individual, using the resources of an older person, without his/her consent, for someone else's benefit. (http://www.aoa.gov/eldfam/elder_rights/elder_abuse/elder_abuse.asp)