Psychology
Abstract
This paper on the aging society provides an in depth perspective on the current changing demographics in the United States. It exploits on the financial constraints that are impacted to the younger generation. This includes the issues affecting employment due to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act to the funding of Medicare and Medicaid. Issues of Supplemental Security Income are also visited and analyzed. Due to the sensitivity of the matter, the expertise opinion is addressed on the issues that are affected by the rising numbers of the aging society. The paper addresses the eminent issue that is arising in politics due to the non-discrimination late retirement policies.
Demographic Transition Theory
The demographic transition theory was developed to examine the changes between different countries birth and death rates. It attempts to explain the transition that the workforce takes by analyzing the birth and death rates of study countries. The demographic transition theory is divided into four stages. The first stage is the pre-industrial stage. The second is the industrial revolution while the third is the post industrial revolution while the final is stabilization stage (Richard, Gauvin, Ducharme, Leblanc, &Trudel 2012). The growing older population in the United States places the nation at the fourth stage. The birthrate in the United States is equal to the death rate. The death rates have remained consistent or slightly increased due to the lifestyle diseases like cancer and obesity. Due to the population’s slow growth, the large generation born in the previous period has largely increased in comparison to the younger generations.
Income and financial resources
Supplementary Security Income
The supplementary security income in the United States is a government funded program that enhanced the social security program to prevent poverty in disabled members of the society including the aged. Despite the fact that this program targets quite a broad part of the society, the aged continue to flock the program. Since the introduction of the program, the numbers have slightly over doubled the initial recipients. Larger and larger funds are directed to the program with every passing financial year (Richard, Gauvin, Ducharme, Leblanc, &Trudel 2012). To prevent other arms of the federal government from collapsing, they presently working nation is targeted with increased taxes and licenses to meet the gaping financial void in the program.
Poverty in late life
Poverty in late life has been the biggest problem in developed countries. The United States of America has not been exception. This can be attributed to poor retirement planning in their working years. Women have been more affected than men. This is because statistics show that they earn lower salaries on average compared to men (Richard, Gauvin, Ducharme, Leblanc, &Trudel 2012). In addition, in the past demographic transition stage, they had lower education compared to their male counterparts leading to poor jobs. Immigration groups like the Latinos have also a challenged retirement plan. This is due to the fact that most immigrants like the Latinos work poor paying jobs due to the low education and lack of citizenship papers earlier in life (Kim & Torres-Gil 2011). Those without the citizenship papers have to depend on their families to finance their medical bills as well as their hospital bills. This leads to an added burden to the younger generation.
Work and retirement
While some retire quite early in life, others choose to stay longer in employment. They are forced to keep working due to the little retirement funds that may not sustain them for the rest of their life. Apart from retaining their jobs at their initial working places, others choose to work in more relaxed working environments. This has led to a rising population of the old aged working in malls and supermarkets. This has been facilitated by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (Kim & Torres-Gil 2011). This act defamed the mandatory retirement of employees in certain industries such as university professors. Such employees in both the informal and formal sector have barred positions from opening up for the younger more educated unemployed workforce fresh from college. The younger generation continues to increase in numbers in unemployment for this reason.
Increasing numbers of elderly needing health care
As earlier discussed, the change of lifestyle has increased the number and occurrences of health issues in the aged. Estes & Portacolone (2009) argue that the funding needed for this program is available is the government but is otherwise redirected to less important areas. However, since the government argues that they need to supplement the funds in the Medicaid and Medicare programs, the added tax added to the working generation is redirected to meet these deficits (Kim & Torres-Gil 2011). The increasing generation in need of health care could be contributed by the acute reduced birth rates and quite moderate death rates. This leaves a gap in the fewer younger working generation to provide funds for the health care (Richard, Gauvin, Ducharme, Leblanc, &Trudel 2012).
Expert’s opinions
While some experts argue that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act is for the greater benefit of the nation, others argue that it straining the economy in very many sectors. They argue that this is the case because the Act though assist the older generation live more comfortably, it is responsible for the greater numbers in unemployment (Richard, Gauvin, Ducharme, Leblanc, &Trudel 2012). In addition, they argue that many industries would benefit from the younger, more energetic, educated workforce yet to be employed. In the racial sector, experts argue that it would best fit benefit the government if the offered retirement benefits to the older Latino and other immigrants that could not afford to save for their retirement in their working years (Kim & Torres-Gil 2011). In addition, the government would eradicate this problem if it increased its efforts to educate the informal workers to save for their retirement to evade poverty in their retirement years (Estes &Portacolone 2009).
Impact on the younger generation
Actions in place to address the issues
Recent years have been characterized by much undocumented retirement habits. Some opt to retire before their retirement years in order to benefit from the supplemental security income. This affects such programs aimed to eradicate poverty in the aged and less fortunate citizens (Kim & Torres-Gil 2011). To eradicate this issue, the government has employed more vigilant tactics to catch up with this kind of malice. To address the older population in the correction centers, the government has taken into consideration the aging factor and has formed commissions to address this issue (Kerbs &Jolley 2009). The government has also embarked in more education campaigns to educate the working force on the advantages of early retirement planning that best suits proper retirement periods (Estes &Portacolone 2009).
Conclusion
In conclusion, more efforts should be directed in the effort to assist the aging society to live comfortably and happily. The government should find new methods to ensure that the old live and work comfortably without discrimination, abuse, and neglect. It should also offer methods that would help the older generation get empowered and avoid on relying on their families (Richard, Gauvin, Ducharme, Leblanc, &Trudel 2012). However, the effort currently in place will drive the nation to save more and avoid relying on the government for aid in the future. This will benefit the economy of the nation since the funds recovered will benefit other areas of the economy helping in the goal towards improving numerous sectors of the government. Issues affecting the aging society should however be well reviewed since they can so easily go unrecognized causing numerous problems. This may include issues of assisted dying and the aging society in prisons (Broom 2012).
References
Broom, A. (2012) On Euthanasia, Resistance, and Redemption: The Moralities and Politics of a Hospice: Qualitative Health Research, 22 (2) 226-237
Estes, C., &Portacolone, E. (2009) Maggie Kuhn: Social Theorist of Radical Gerontology, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy,. 29 (1/2) 15 – 26
Kerbs, J. J., &Jolley, J. M. (2009) A Commentary on Age Segregation for Older Prisoners: Philosophical and Pragmatic Considerations for Correctional Systems: Criminal Justice Review, 34 (1) 119-139
Kim, B. J., & Torres-Gil, F. (2011) Social Security and Its Impact on Older Latinos: Journal of Applied Gerontology, 30 (1) 85-103
Richard, L., Gauvin, L., Ducharme, F., Leblanc, M., &Trudel, M. (2012) Integrating the Ecological Approach in Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Programs for Older Adults. An Exercise in Navigating the Headwinds: Journal of Applied Gerontology, 3 (1) 101-125
