Week 5 Chapter 11
Chapter 11 discusses the older generations and the problems
that they are encountering as they reach theses ages, with healthcare and
living situations. As we have learned in previous chapters, with health care
advances in the last thirty years, individuals are living longer and healthier
lives. However, this does not mean that as they age they are not going to need
assistance in their everyday lives. “Although the numbers vary depending on
definitions, at least 20 percent of all non-institutionalized elders are in
need of help. This percentage more than doubles for the age 85 and over”(
Hiller and Barrow, 2011).
Many elderly people prefer to live in the comfort of their
own homes, but in order to this, they must receive some kind of outside care or
assistance. One example given in this chapter is an individual who has
arthritis in their knees and needs assistance with household chores and grocery
shopping, even though pain killers are required and it is a health issue,
medcaid does not cover this kind of home care (Hiller and Barrow, 2011). At this age many individuals have retired and
are living on social security and Medicaid, so they must try and find a way to
pay for this assistance.
This chapter also talks about how many family members are
participating in the caregiving of their parents. The stress of the elderly
parent’s health deteriorating, along with all of the everyday things that their
normal lives require, can cause this to
become a burden.
In order to make things easier on the elderly and their
families we must focus on creating more home health care jobs and offer
sufficient pay, so more individuals will be interested. According to Hiller and
Barrow, “For the oldest of the old, the most critical need in the future will
be for programs and policies that reduce the risk of dependence and promote
self-determination” (2011).
I also believe there needs to be more focus on expanding health care jobs to address the needs of the elderly population. Although many seniors rely on family members to assist with their daily needs, this may not always be feasible or the best solution. Many elders are on their own and find themselves fending for themselves. Agencies which provide in home care, rarely pay wages beyond minimum wage which is not enough to entice people to go into this profession. I agree that higher pay could increase the pool of people working in this industry which in turn would provide the needed assistance to the elders who are unable to do things for themselves. Also by increasing the services provided by agencies, may alleviate the need for seniors to relocate to assisted living centers or depending on family members which would provide relief to the already over crowded or waited listed elders wanting to live in such facilities.
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