Elder people are considered to be those who are over 60 years old. It’s
often a turning period in the life of a person when he retires from his work
and becomes a pensioner. Also the age of the person makes a lot of impacts on
his health, as lots of illnesses start to progress with age. But still often
age is not a barrier for most people who continue to live an active life.
That’s why elder people may be categorized on those who are retired and
those who continue working, those who continue working part-time. By their health
condition they may be categorized on those who are special needs and those who
are fully capable. By age they can be divided on those who are 60-74 years old
and those who are older than 74.
Most of senior citizens who need special care are helped by medical caretakers,
nursing staff at the hospitals and volunteers from different social organization.
In recent years social services and social programs became wider and cover nearly
all people who have need in them. Senior people who are helped by caretakers
mostly feel and express gratitude and thanks to them, show respect to those
who take care of them. It helps them to realize that they are not forgotten
by society and that society is grateful for their participation in it and now
pays back by care. Still those elder citizens who have mental issues caused
by age and illness may show opposite reaction towards caretakers, but their
reaction usually doesn’t differ from other patients of the same health
condition.
Lots of elder people do have serious problems with health: it may refer to different
illnesses and to the whole poor health condition of the organism in general
as person’s immunity because very weak with age. Most of them have a higher
blood pressure, so they have potential of getting a stroke and insult. It means
that they have to take medical prescriptions on the regular bases and most of
them have to take a set of drugs. Elder citizens are more likely to have problems
with movement as they are more likely to experience rheumatism, atherosclerosis
and other diseases that prevent from normal physical activity. The number of
handy kept among elder people is higher than among other age groups, that’s
why elder people with movement problems have to be provided with special devices
to ease moving: wheel-chairs, banisters, special bathrooms, etc as they have
to be able to use all public facilities equally with able people. As lots of
elder people are not able to afford all medical prescriptions and drugs because
they have limited funds, they have to be socially protected and be provided
with reduced medical programs and privileged health care, it also includes dental
care.
Nowadays the problem of aging society is getting more and more actual in many
developed countries and in the USA. Good medical care, different social programs
and social protection allow citizens to get the full advantage of life, keep
healthy and active. That’s why the number of elder people(who are over
60) and who still work is increasing as most of them try to keep professional
fit and are rarely substituted by younger who are less likely to be experienced
in that professional filed. It seems more and more often that they’ll
be active and work forever as most of working elder are in good fit and have
good health condition. This aspect creates a growing number of unemployed or
partly-employed young professionals, as they have fewer opportunities to substitute
elder professionals. Besides the problem of growing number of elder people affects
social security and social protection systems, as they have to pay huge funds
to pensioners. It was also calculated that in the year of 2020 social security
system of the USA may become a bankrupt, as it will be unable to pay pension
wages.
The majority of elder people consider themselves to be full participants of
public and social life even if they have certain kind of health disorders. The
feeling that society needs them gives them stimulus to live and to enjoy life.
It also makes them to enjoy life as they are independent when living in their
homes, even if someone has to take care of them. Filial piety concept or concept
of respect to elder is basis of every culture in the world as obedience and
respect of elder exists in every system of moral values. Care from the side
of relatives and children are mostly the most wanted and the most desired by
elder people; little number of them agree to live in convalescent homes, as
they feel forgotten and not needed in such institutions. From the other side
most of them understand that their children have their own life and that it’s
better to hire care taker for parents than to take care of them by themselves.
It creates a contradiction and dilemma in modern society.
