There are so many issues that come along with aging. Our bodies change, our minds change, our feelings change, we can't do things we used to be able to and we can do things we've never been able to at the same time. Besides physical changes, we deal with personality changes, changes to our sex drive, our appetite, our mental state. Aging is a process where change is rampant.
There are several different issues that come along with aging, besides just our own selves and how it's affecting us. When a person gets older, their family becomes more responsible for them and their well-being. It's sometimes a really hard burden for these families to carry, and sometimes they cannot (or will not) carry them. The first big issue with aging that I will discuss is this...how it affects families.
We tend to love and care for our families but we also tend to be selfish. Many people are not physically or mentally capable of taking care of their families. Those are acceptable reasons to not do so, however, I believe that family should be the main form of support for each other, so the issue that many families choose not to take in or help their elders is upsetting. We need to get people more informed and involved in caregiving techniques so that we're able to better understand the needs of our elderly population, both on a personal level and a not-so-personal level.
The second issue I believe needs to be addressed is the issue of elder abuse within institutions. This is an ever-growing problem, and too often it goes unnoticed. Older people need special care and special attention, especially those with illnesses or diseases. The people who work in these areas are supposed to be trained to help the elderly adjust to their new lifestyle. Often times these elderly people just get taken advantage of and abused rather than being made comfortable. I believe that in order to reduce the amount of elder abuse in the world, we need to keep a closer eye on the people we allow to care for our families. Whether this means more visits to ensure safety, looking into a facility in great depth before allowing a family member to enter it, or just keeping our families at home with us to be safe, something needs to be done.
And finally, we need to take a bigger look at what's going to happen to the world when a good percentage of the population has become elderly. I read articles that stated that by the year 2050, over 30% of our population is going to be elderly. That's nearly one-third of the population, yet we do not have enough resources to care for them, or to really even understand their needs. I feel that we need to start looking at ways to make their lives easier, because someday it is going to be each and every one of us personally in that position...
**Source for information: Hooyman, Nancy R. & H. Asuman Kiyak. 2011. Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, 9th Edition. Chapters 4, 6, 7 & 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment