Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Aging and Social Policy
Trends in Aging Social Policy
The Rise of the Contenders
The number of citizens above the age of 65 has expanded dramatically over the past 100 years. In 1900, the average life expectancy was just 47.3 years, but a child born in 2008 can expect to live another 30.8 years on average. From an economic perspective, the seniors alive 100 years ago were largely dependent on others for their survival and this realization triggered policy changes that provided many advantages, including a security net for retirees.
After World War II, the economy became robust enough that the aged began to experience a longer life expectancy and greater economic wealth. This resulted in the emergence of a politically powerful demographic that could begin to influence public policy on its own. This process has been viewed as cyclical, in that public policies strengthened a specific demographic and the demographic in turn protected and strengthened the public policies that provided them with advantages. At the beginning of the 21st century though, the economic realities facing the United States has again forced the aged to compete with younger citizens for a piece of the economic pie. For this reason, the aged of the 21st century are being called contenders.
Contending
During the past 100 years the aged have transitioned from disadvantaged to advantaged, and most recently to contenders. The contender status implies that the aged are in direct economic competition with other demographics for limited resources. This turn of events suggests that the privileged status the aged once enjoyed is being moderated by the right of children and younger citizens to take part in the American dream.
The theory that aged Americans have transitioned through advantaged status to contender is supported by the fact that as a voting bloc they have had the highest rates of participation since 1988. However,...
This suggests that all the attention given to seniors by politicians is disproportionate given how many votes are available. The disproportionate attention is due in part to the perception that aged voters are more responsive to campaigning messages, more accessible, and more predictable, because they are viewed as 'program constituents.' What this means is that aged voters will vote to protect the policies that give them economic advantages, such as Social Security, Medicare, and other retirement programs.
In the 2010 midterm and 2012 general elections, aged voters predominantly supported Republican candidates, whereas voters under the age of 40 supported Democrats. This has been interpreted as a response to passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) and its demonization by the Republican Party. The negative spin included allegations of 'death panels' and cuts to Medicare, and has been blamed for the sharp increase in Republican support by the 65 and over crowd. This suggests that aged voters are indeed contenders in the 21st century and are fighting back against perceived cuts to the programs they depend on.
Aging in Place
The Americans with Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) brought about significant changes to the built environment that improved disabled access. Although a larger proportion of the aged population suffers from disabilities and other medical problems, the changes mandated by the ADA have not fully penetrated the places and avenues frequented by this demographic. Although progress is slow, there is growing concern that ADA mandates should be expanded to cover this demographic. Suggested policy changes include altering zoning and infrastructure to help the aged remain within their communities, better transportation services, and housing support programs.
The Impact of Values on Aging…
The expectation is that this trend will put an enormous stress on the U.S. economy. By the time ACA was signed into law by President Obama in 2010, close to 16% of the nation's gross domestic product was being spent on healthcare. By 2035, this percentage is expected to double. As the baby boom generation begins retirement over the next two decades, the public will increasingly shoulder the burden of health care costs for the aged.
The ACA attempts to limit increasing Medicare costs by shifting the focus of providers from generating volume to improving care quality. For example, hospitals will be penalized for preventable hospital readmissions and diseases/injuries acquired during hospital stays. The ACA provisions also reduce payments to Medicare Advantage recipients, who tend to be retirees who want or need more flexibility and protections than standard Medicare coverage provides. By comparison, the most recent federal budget plan proposed by congressional Republicans calls for repeal of the ACA and converting Medicare into a voucher program. The Republican budget also calls for an increase in the retirement age. Although the White House budget plan has yet to be released, the expectations are that Medicare will remain intact as an entitlement program, but the wealthier beneficiaries will be expected to pay more.
The budget battle over federal entitlements is essentially a battle over values. From the Republican perspective, those that have earned their way when young will receive some measure of help when they retire, but there are no guarantees on how much help will be provided. In contrast, the White House and congressional Democrats view Medicare as something earned and therefore inviolate. Viewed another way, the Republicans envision a minimalist government and Democrats see a role for government in easing the fears many face when they become disabled or too old to care for themselves. In view of this perspective, seniors have benefited largely from the latter values for the past 78 years.
Social Policy Human Services Making Sense of Social Policy: Why Social Policy Affects Everyone Social policy is a rather vague term because the word 'social' can have different meanings for different people (Human Services 311, p. 1). Social policies, in and of themselves, affect individuals at different stages in their lives. They also cover quite a broad range of issues -- ranging from children's issues, family and work issues -- such as
Social Policy Analysis and Practice How did Sara help clients to define and resolve their own problems? Sara became involved in the client's processes or their attempts to do such as apply for food stamps in order to understand the barriers that they were up against. Once the barriers were identified she sought guidance from individuals in high positions within the state in order to identify policy matter and this served as
The relationship of this dynamic system can be seen in the past 9/11 attack at the World Trade Center. All of the three elements, the society, business, and government, were involved and aggravated in the incident. First of all, it was the international relationship and activities of the U.S. government that was the main reason why the attack was committed. To communicate the disagreement of the terrorist party to the
Social Policy Research has shown that the government is a payer, regulator as well as, the provider in the health sector. As a result, the federal government should ensure that they exercise caution particularly when attempting to regulate the prescription drug coverage surrounding the importation of drugs from foreign countries. Prescription of drugs for older adults may be difficult and contentious; however, the study shows that most governments are today providing
Social Policy De-commodification In context of the welfare provision in Canada, de-commodification can be described as the degree to which these welfare services are provided to the Canadian inhabitants and are free of the market. De-commodification is an important concept because the states practicing this system provide welfare services like education, jobs and healthcare to all the citizens and this system has no linkage with the processes that prevail in the market.
Private schools generally do not offer such services, or charge extra fees if they do. They do however feature a smaller teacher to student ratio, which many parents view as a superior element to public schools. Apart from lobbying, I believe I can meet my clients' needs by ensuring that public policy continues to serve their needs. Working for a government organization will place me in a position to influence