Eliopoulos states that “children are grown and gone… friends and spouse may be deceased,” leaving older adults with a smaller circle to socialize in (2014). In turn, the older adult is prone to loneliness. Secondly, there is a decline in birth rate, which places an older adult at a disadvantage in terms of the number of available supporters (Konecny, 2012). The quantity of potential supporters, who are usually adult children, is already lowered for the aging older adult. Thirdly, another social issue arises as the older adult experiences “multiple losses in communications abilities” which can affect socialization (Eliopoulos, 2014). Insecurities may arise and avoidant behaviors may begin to surface. In addition, Meiner as cited by Konecny suggests there is an “increase in the old-old,” which will increase the current amount of older Americans by about triple (2012). The main social issue that arises from this fact is that there will become a larger group of older adults that will utilize a multitude of services, perhaps limiting the amount of resources available. Lastly, to add to the previous point, as the number of older adults increase and services are used, there is a financial component of the social issue. There will be an increased “demand for the… payment for services to this group” (Eliopoulos, 2014). Finances are limited and this will affect older adults as they advance in age.
Developments in life expectancy have contributed to a longer lifespan. Five developments include infectious disease control, better living standards, lower child mortality rates, health technology, and a decrease in heart disease and stroke mortality.
The National Institute on Aging writes about the public health projects that have made infectious diseases more manageable, mainly in immunization (2011). Also, better living standards have contributed to increased life expectancy, as conditions and its effects on health improve. Moreover, there are “more nutritious diets and cleaner drinking water…[which] began to reduce serious infections and prevent deaths among children,” accounting for lower child mortality rates (National Institute on Aging, 2011). Further, health technology is advancing, which contributes to an increased life expectancy. The National Center for Health Statistics states that advances in medical technology continue to … lengthen and improve quality of life” (2010). Lastly, according to the CDC, heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States (2015). Reinberg writes, “improvements in heart disease and stroke mortality have had a big impact… in terms of improved life expectancy” (2014). Americans are living longer as knowledge and therapies continue to emerge regarding the leading cause of death, which is in heart disease.
As older adults age, marital status concerns come to light. First, widowhood becomes an issue. Facts presented by Konecny indicate that the number of women living alone in later life are double that of male counterparts, with 42% of 65+ women classified as widows (2012). Widows, mainly the older women, are “likely to be poor, live alone, and have a greater degree of functional impairment and chronic disease” (Meiner as cited by Konecny, 2012). Secondly, marital status can affect finances, since it is an “important determinant of health and well-being… [which] affects income, mobility, housing…”(Konecny, 2012). Being partnered in later life contributes to better outcomes. In addition, a third concern is the fact that “spousal support was perceived as important for initiation and maintenance of regular exercise” in older adults (Barnett, 2013). This can mean that if an older adult is single, physical activity, which is a key contributor to health, diminishes. Also, some older adults will choose to remarry. Eliopoulos contends that “divorce and remarriage can increase the complexity of family relationships and decision-making and can affect helping patterns,” in which family conflicts can arise, with different views that affect logistics (2014). Lastly, a study from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Aging concluded that there was virtually no “difference in health between continuously married older adults and continuously single older adults” (Yeon, 2012). This highlights the fact that marital status change has a more negative outcome, not always necessarily in being single, but in being newly single.
As older adults continue to age, they face several residential issues. One issue is that they will be living alone, which is a safety concern. Konecny writes the “majority of older adults continue to live independently in their own homes” (2012). With aging, living alone poses several safety challenges as abilities begin to slow down. Also, older adults can reside with their family. The issue that can come up with living with family is that there is increased caregiver strain. Older adults taking care of other older adults have to juggle responsibilities. Management of their personal life and the life of another, and may be even bearing the responsibility of a child, can result in strain (Konecny, 2012). Thirdly, if those options do not work, there is another option, which involves assisted living. Assisted living can range from “in-home care; assisted living communities, continuing care communities, and the controlled environments of long-term care” (Eliopoulos, 2014). Though these resources are available, they are often expensive and costly, making this living arrangement unattainable or even more stressful. In addition, a residential issue that older adults encounter is the type of home they have. Apartments, single-houses, condominiums, can be problematic in terms of accessibility (Eliopoulos, 2014). Lastly, another living arrangement option for older adults is living with nonrelatives. The issue that may arise with this is that this can be a source of emotional strain, as an older adult may reflect on the fact that they do not have any more friends or family around to live with, resorting to living with nonrelatives (Konecny, 2012).
Geographic considerations involving location selection can pose different obstacles. In the United States, older adults have to take certain geographic considerations as they determine where to reside. One factor that contributes to location selection is aging in place. Meiner as cited by Konecny writes: “Older adults tend to grow older wherever they reside, without moving” (2012). This can be a positive in terms of familiarity but also a negative, if the community changes with the times and is not older-adult friendly. Another consideration in location selection is relocation closer to a caregiver. Sometimes, “dependence and health concerns may necessitate older adults to move to be near caregivers,” which can force an older adult out of comfort and contribute to caregiver strain (Eliopoulos, 2014). In addition, according to the 2003 US Census Bureau, families are migrating and mobility has increased (Eliopoulos, 2014). Today, family members may live in different regions and countries. If access to a care provider is necessary, this can influence location selection for an older adult. Fourthly, Meiner introduces a term called “counter migration” as some older adults migrate back to their home state after spending some time within the “Sunbelt” states for retirement (Meiner as cited by Konecny, 2012). As with any move, going back may be a large inconvenience for an older adult who has limited resources and lower energy to expend on the process. As a result, the hassle to counter migrate and move back to a home state contributes to location selection. Moreover, Eliopoulos writes that a decline in “revenue may require a move to a more economical location,” something to consider (2014). Living is costly and locations come with different price tags. If an older adult has limited revenue, he or she may have to choose a location to live within their budget constraints.
The first income issue of note is that the savings of an older adult that started from decades ago undergoes inflation. Eliopoulos writes: “fixed benefits established when the plan was subscribed are meager by today’s standards because of inflation,” regarding private pension plans (2014). The value of the dollar has changed and when inflation occurs, the older adult has “less.” Another item to include is that in 2006, a large portion of the older adult population relied on Social Security as a major source of income (Eliopoulos, 2014). The government controls spending and allocation of funds and if Social Security is cut, there may not be enough income to support themselves. Furthermore, the reality is that only a small number of older adults have “accumulated enough assets during their lifetime to provide financial security in old age” (Eliopoulos, 2014). Our society is familiar with the term “living paycheck-to-paycheck,” with asset accumulation being weak. If an older adult has not much else to rely on except assets, which may not even be substantial to begin with, income becomes an issue. Finally, an older adult may also be a provider in tandem with being a support recipient (Eliopoulos, 2014). When an older adult has to provide for their adult children or anyone else under their responsibility, funds get shifted away from the older adult, leaving them with less income as they spend on provisions for others.
Not only do older adults face income problems, there are also several employment challenges. As one ages, the reality of retirement becomes apparent. As retirement looms, it can “bring the loss of a work role and is often an individual’s first experience of the impact of aging” (Eliopoulos, 2014). This can demotivate an older adult and knock their esteem down, becoming an employment problem and even more concerning if an older adult candidate is looking for reemployment in an unmotivated state. A second barrier to older adult employment regards retirement expectations. Brandon believes that there may be some reluctance in hiring an older adult “because they assume that older employees will retire soon, and fail to give the employer a good return on the training investment (2012). Konecny also writes that the age for full social security payment is trending upward to sixty-six or sixty-seven years or older (2012). An older adult may continue working well past their abilities to ensure full benefits, becoming a safety issue in employment, both physically and mentally. Fourthly, as society advances through the computer age, another challenge in the older adult population is technology navigation. For example, large portions of applications are via the Internet and the U.S. Government Accountability Office cites “online applications as reemployment barriers for older workers” (2012).
With those income and employment problems, two trends in older adult employment are identifiable. The first trend is that due to financial fluctuations (around 2008), many older adults will continue to work past the previously defined retirement age of sixty-five, as mentioned earlier (Eliopoulos, 2014). Eliopoulos writes: “As the age for full social security payment rises to 66 or 67 years or older, this trend is expected to continue” (2014). The workforce will have to accommodate the older adults, which will have an effect on the future of economics. A second trend is that the “number of workers age 55 and over experiencing long-term unemployment has grown substantially since the recession began in 2007” (Brandon, 2012). Implications for this trend involve “concerns about how long-term unemployment will affect older workers’ reemployment prospects and future retirement income” as older adults seek entry back into the labor force (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2012).
In the workforce, older adults face educational challenges. Eliopoulos writes that older adults, as a group, are less educated than younger adults, putting them at a disadvantage to the other age groups as education standards are raised (2014). Secondly, there is a substantial educational difference that exists between different races and ethnicities (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, 2010). Minorities, especially the older minorities, will face the educational gap disadvantage. Thirdly, because of the lower education levels amongst older adults, general learning ability and comprehension in and out of the workforce is affected. It is cited that “low levels of education can impair older adults’ abilities to live a healthy lifestyle, … recognize health problems and seek appropriate care,” reciprocally affecting health and work (Konecny, 2012). Also, education will affect relationships and Eliopoulos emphasizes, “the educational level of older adult clients also affects the nurse-client health teaching process (2014). Taken further, this can be applied to education related to the workplace. Lastly, postsecondary, or third level education is becoming a new standard. For older adults, in the labor force, there may be “potential challenges in accessing and completing education and training due to their greater likelihood of having acquired age-related disabilities,” according to the United States Department of Labor (n.d.).
An older adult will have different health issues. There is a general “slowing down” of systems, where memory starts to lag, responses delay, easily fatigued, as a result of declining function (Eliopoulous, 2014). There are certain body image concerns that overlap with health issues and “changes in appearance and bodily function that occur during the aging process make it necessary for the aging individual to adjust” to the changes (Eliopoulos, 2014). Moreover, since the body processes slow down, so does the healing process. It is know that older adults with acute illness will usually need more time to recover and the rate of potential complications will rise (Eliopoulos, 2014). Further, as the older adult ages, another notable health issue is the existence of comorbidities. There becomes a number of “multiple chronic conditions” that affect the overall health of the older adult (Eliopoulos, 2014). Lastly, self-care deficits may begin to emerge in health. Eliopoulos writes “the older the person is, the greater likelihood of difficulty with self-care activities and independent living” (2014), another health issue that an older adult may face.
References
Barnett, I., Guell, C., Ogilvie, D. (2013). How do couples influence each other’s physical activity behaviours in retirement? An exploratory qualitative study [Abstract]. BMC Public Health, 13 (1197). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24350889
Brandon, E. (2012). Why Older Workers Can’t Get Hired. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/planning-to-retire/2012/05/18/why-older-workers-cant-get-hired
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Heart Disease. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
Eliopoulos, C. (2014). Gerontological Nursing (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. (2010). Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well-Being. Retrieved from http://www.agingstats.gov/agingstatsdotnet/Main_Site/Data/2010_Documents/docs/OA_2010.pdf
Konecny, L.M. (2012). Attitudes About Aging. (PowerPoint slides #9, 21-23, 30, 36, 37, 41, 56, 59, 86-91).
National Center for Health Statistics. (2010). Health, United States, 2009: With Special Feature on Medical Technology [Abstract]. Health, United States. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20698070
National Institute on Aging. (2011). Global Health and Aging. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/publication/global-health-and-aging/living-longer
Reinberg, S. (2014). Americans Living Longer than Ever: CDC. HealthDay. Retrieved from http://consumer.healthday.com/senior-citizen-information-31/age-health-news-7/americans-living-longer-than-ever-cdc-683595.html
United States Department of Labor. (n.d.). Older Workers. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/olderworkers.htm
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2012). UNEMPLOYED OLDER WORKERS:
Many Experience Challenges Regaining Employment and Face Reduced Retirement Security. Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-445
Yeon, S. & Han, G. (2012). The effects of marital status on health among older adults : The mediating effects of economic resources and social networks [Abstract]. Korean Journal of Family Social Work, 35, 5-40. Retrieved from http://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/landing/article.kci?arti_id=ART001651245
