Retirement Living
The number of people over age 65 is projected to exceed the number of children under
age 5.
In 2010, there were 40 million people, or 13% of the population, age 65 and older, living
in the United States.
By 2060, this is expected to increase to 92 million people age 65 or older, roughly 20%
of the total population.
Individuals older than 85 years now make up 4% of the entire U.S. population and
represent the fastest-growing segment of the older population.
Baby Boomers.
-The major contributing factor to this rapid explosion in the older adult population is the
aging of the cohort, consists of people who were born after World War II between 1946
and 1964.
-Baby Boomers account for approximately 26% of all Americans today.
Trends/Issues and Challenges on the Care of Older Persons
1. Poverty
- Among people over sixty-five years old, the poverty rate fell from 30 percent in
1967 to 9.7 percent in 2008, well below the national average of 13.2 percent
(U.S. Census Bureau 2009).
- According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, the
national poverty rate among the elderly had risen to 14 percent by 2010.
- By 1990, senior citizens reported earning 36 percent more income on average
than they did in 1980; that was five times the rate of increase for people under
age thirty-five.
2. Ageism
- Ageism is the disliking of aging and older adults based on the belief that aging
makes people unattractive, unintelligent, and unproductive. It is an emotional
prejudice or discrimination against people based solely on age.
- The average age of corporate executives was fifty-nine years old in 1980.
- In 2008, the average age had lowered to fifty-four years. Some older members of
the workforce felt threatened by this trend and grew concerned that younger
employees in higher level positions would push them out of the job market.
- Rapid advancements in technology and media have required new skill sets that
older members of the workforce are less likely to have.
3. Mistreatment and Abuse
- Elder abuse occurs when a caretaker intentionally deprives an older person
of care or harms the person in his or her charge. Caregivers may be family
members, relatives, friends, health professionals, or employees of senior
housing or nursing care. The elderly may be subject to many different types
- of abuse.
Five major categories of elder abuse:
1) physical abuse, such as hitting or shaking,
2) sexual abuse, including rape and coerced nudity,
3) psychological or emotional abuse, such as verbal harassment or
humiliation,
4) neglect or failure to provide adequate care, and
Signs of Elder Abuse
Type of Abuse Signs and Symptoms
Physical abuse Bruises, untreated wounds, sprains, broken glasses, lab findings of medication
overdosage
Sexual abuse Bruises around breasts or genitals, torn or bloody underclothing, unexplained
venereal disease
Emotional/psychological abuse Being upset or withdrawn, unusual dementia-like behavior (rocking, sucking)
Neglect Poor hygiene, untreated bed sores, dehydration, soiled bedding
Financial Sudden changes in banking practices, inclusion of additional names on bank
cards, abrupt changes to will
Self-neglect Untreated medical conditions, unclean living area, lack of medical items like
dentures or glasses
5) financial abuse or exploitation
Reference:
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Challenges Facing the Elderly | Introduction to Sociology.
[Link]
elderly/
National Center of Elder Abuse. 2011. “Major Types of Elder Abuse.”
[Link]
Williams, P. (2015). Basic Geriatric Nursing (6th ed.) Mosby.