Term Paper on "Later Life Healthcare and Wellness Services"

Term Paper 4 pages (1357 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

life Health and Wellness Services

Along with the rapidly changing and developing technology that has become part of our everyday lives, the population of this new world is also changing, almost exponentially. There are now more older people alive than ever before, with human life expectancy being the highest that it has ever been. Partly a result of knowledge about healthier living and eating habits, this phenomenon is also the result of improved medical technologies, which act in both a remedial and preventative capacity. More people live to a higher age, which has definitive effects upon the world in terms of not only demography, but also politics and the financial sector. As people grow older, they will make increased use of older-age services in both the health and social care sectors. As these needs grow, increased strain is placed upon public- and government-funded systems to help older people retain their human rights and dignity until the end of their lives. Furthermore, the increase in the older demographic has also necessitated a move towards more diversified services, as the older generation is no longer as uniform as the case was in the past. Hence, it is vitally important to adjust policy and financial structures in order to ensure that the needs of each sector of older people are met, along with the diversified needs in terms of mental, physical, and social health.

According to Niles-Yokum and Wagner (2011, p. 5), there has been an exponential increase of people over 65 since 1998. The sector of older adults has shown a 13% increase since 1998 and accounts for 12.6% of the total U.S. population. This increase means that there is also an increase in the median age of different population groups in terms of race and ethnicity. This is also an important concern when policy and service issues are modified to meet the needs of each specific group. According to the authors (Niles-Yokum and Wagner, 2011, p. 6), the median age for white people during 2003 was 37.3 years, for black people it was 30.6, for American Indian/Alaskan natives it was 28.9, for Asians 33.7, and for Latinos the median age was 26.7 years old.

One major concern when currently addressing the needs of older people is the tendency to consider them as a homogeneous group. In addition to the differences in culture and ethnicity, there is also a basic difference in age group, with the needs of a relatively healthy 65-year-old person being much different from those of a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease who is closer to his or her 100th birthday. Indeed, the population of very old people, over 85 years old, has also increased, even as the general sector of those over 65 has increased. This means that services and policies should be modified to accommodate and reflect the diversity inherent in this sector of society.

Niles-Yokum and Wagner (2011, p. 7) mention two important diversity factors among the older population. The first is that the median age of foreign-born individuals older than 52 is rising, while the second focuses on the diversity of this population. This means that there are widely varied attitudes towards aging and care services for older people. Some cultures, for example, are highly focused upon the family unit and care within this unit. Hence, they may find it difficult to accept formal care services, even if it becomes clear that this is necessary, particularly for those with chronic conditions that could affect their daily functioning and lives.

Furthermore, foreign-born older people may also experience a significant barrier in terms of language, where English is not their first language. This difficulty in understanding care service providers or the programs on offer may make it difficult to implement these effectively.

Awareness is therefore of vital importance. Researchers and professionals in the field of aging need to make a thorough investigation into the demographics of aging in the United States, and the various needs of these sectors in all their capacities. Specifically, elements that may lead to increased vulnerability, such as older… READ MORE

How to Reference "Later Life Healthcare and Wellness Services" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Health Care Bill Formulation Term Paper

Health Care Bill Formulation

Oral health is a state of oral and related tissues structures in the body that contribute to physical, mental and social well-being positively, enabling the individual… read more

Term Paper 10 pages (3227 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Disease / Virus / Disorder / Injury

---

Affordable Care Act Health Care Reform Capstone Project

Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Health Care Act

The hospital industry is comprised of many different sectors including, but not limited to, non-profit and for-profit hospitals, safety net hospitals and… read more

Capstone Project 28 pages (7648 words) Sources: 15 Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

Financing Health Care Essay

Financial Management

Criticisms of medical 'gate-keeping' highlight the inherent inequities within the American healthcare system. Gate-keeping by HMOs (health management organizations) was instituted when actuarial data indicated that consumers would… read more

Essay 3 pages (1240 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

U.S. Health Care and Benchmark Developments Essay

Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based foundation, released survey results from a number of physicians in eleven countries. That survey found that the United States lags far behind other developed nations… read more

Essay 2 pages (750 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

Quality Adjusted Life Years Qaly Term Paper

QALY

Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs)

The purpose of this paper is to examine the controversial issues using the rational examination of ideas based on logic and current research instead… read more

Term Paper 7 pages (2204 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>