What is the nature of these service shortfalls and how do these service limitations potentially impact older adults' "quality of life" outcomes in both the short- and long-term?
1. Lack of elderly population abuse prevention mechanisms
2. Lack of elder population neglect prevention mechanisms
3. Lack of culturally relevant elderly care programs
4. Lack of enough physicians to take care of the elderly population
5. Lack of elderly-population empowerment programs
Lack of elderly population abuse prevention mechanisms
A review of literature indicates serious "gaps" in the mechanisms used in the prevention of elderly population abuse cases. Even though the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act clearly indicate that all suspected cases of abuse directed against the elderly population be reported, very little efforts exist at the establishment of hotlines to be used in reporting these cases. This means that very few cases of abuse are reported. This gap in the aging-related programs has provided a leeway that has seen million of older persons subjected to abuse in the community, in their homes as well as in the care homes. It is worth noting that some older persons may be the perpetrators of violence against other older persons. The counseling services for the abused elderly are also limited. This is partly due to "gaps" in the existing programs as well as a general lack of counseling professionals/practitioners who are trained to work with the elderly population. The service providers too may be the ones who fail to investigate and even note cases of older person abuse by visitors, staff or peers. The impacts of these mechanisms on quality of life are realized in the long-term.
Lack of elder population neglect prevention mechanisms
A review of literature indicates that the elderly abuse and neglect go hand in hand. Just as in the abuse cases, even though the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act clearly indicate that all suspected cases of neglect directed against the elderly population be reported, very little efforts exist at the establishment of hotlines to be used in reporting these cases. This means that very few cases of neglect are reported. This gap in the aging-related programs has provided a leeway that has seen million of older persons subjected to neglect in the community, in their homes as well as in the care homes. It is worth noting that some older persons may be the perpetrators of violence against other older persons. The counseling services for the neglected elderly are also limited. This is partly due to "gaps" in the existing programs as well as a general lack of counseling professionals/practitioners who are trained to work with the elderly population. The service providers too may be the ones who fail to investigate and even note cases of older person neglect by family. The impacts of these mechanisms on the quality of life are realized in the short-term.
Lack of culturally relevant elderly care programs
A review of literature indicates that the care programs that are aimed at improving the quality of life of the older persons must be suited to their social, ethnic and racial perspectives. It is quite clear that most of the programs are developed for the older population...
It is therefore crucial for the older persons'/aging -- related activities / programs to be tailored in a manner that leaves them placed in a culturally relevant position (Parra-Cardona et al., 2007). The impacts of these mechanisms on the qualify of life are realized in the short-term.
Lack of enough physicians (geriatricians) to take care of the elderly population
The lack of enough geriatricians to take care of the large elderly population makes the implementation of health-based aging-related programs a difficult and costly exercise (America geriatric Society,2012). The impacts of these mechanisms on the quality of life are realized in the long-term.
Lack of elderly-population empowerment programs
There is a general lack of programs aimed at empowering the elderly population on how to be financial independent, healthy and free of physical abuse among others. There is therefore a need for these programs to be developed in order to make the implementation of aging-related programs and easy process (USDOJ,2000). The impacts of these mechanisms on the quality of life are realized in the long-term.
Question 3 --> Based on all materials presented, please explain how ageism (biased subjectivity) is possible in the design and/or implementation of aging services? Be specific about potential bias factors! Explain how it is best possible to reduce this potential bias in offering services to older clients in the community.
The design and/or implementation of aging services may be exposed to ageism (biased subjectivity) due to the fact that the programs would be designed and implemented by a much younger workforce who lacks the insight and first hand experiences of the elderly population. This means that some of the elements may not exactly be appropriate for the elderly population while to the middle aged individuals, they may appear normal. The best possible way to reduce this potential bias in offering services to older clients in the community is by including older professionals in the implementation of the programs.
References
Administration on Aging (AoA). (2003). A profile of older Americans. Washington, DC: Administration on Aging.
Administration on Aging (AoA). (2005). A profile of older Americans. Washington, DC: Administration on Aging.
Gelfand, D.E. (2003). Aging and ethnicity: Knowledge & services. New York: Springer Publishing.
Niles-Yokum, K. And Wagner, D.L. (2011). The Aging Networks: A Guide to Programs and Services. New York: Springer Publishing Co.
Parra-Cardona, JR, Meyer, E.,Schiammberg, L and Post, L (2007).Elder Abuse and Neglect in Latino Families: AnEcological and Culturally Relevant Theoretical Framework for Clinical Practice. Family Process, Vol. 46, No. 4.
Siegel, J. (1996). Aging in the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Aging Information Center
United States Department of Justice (2000). Our Aging Population:Promoting Empowerment, Preventing Victimization, and Implementing Coordinated Interventions.A report of Proceedings
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/docs/ncj_186256.pdf
