Age & Disability Chapter 11:2

Objectives: Section 2: Age and Disability Discuss the effect that the aging of the population is having on society. Explain how the aging of the population is affecting the life chances of older Americans.

Ageism: Ageism: The belief that one age category is by nature superior to another age category. EX: TV commercials use elderly people for over the counter medications, dentures, insurance, burial plans, etc….

The Aging World: About 606 million people aged 60 and older worldwide. Europe: oldest region of the world. Africa: youngest region of the world

Graying of America: The phenomenon of the growing percentage of elderly Americans as part of the total U.S. population. Check out pg. 273

2 main reasons for Graying of America 1. Advances in health care. 2. Variations in birthrates have changed the age structure of the U.S.

Births in U. S.  rose sharply in 1946 and stayed the same until 1960s Births in U.S.  rose sharply in 1946 and stayed the same until 1960s. (baby-boom generation) Today’s Age: late thirties to mid-fifties. By 2030, will increase elderly population nearly 70 million.

The Politics of Aging: Elderly have become both a political force and a topic of debate.

Bringing needs of elderly to national level: AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) THE LARGEST special-interest group in the U.S. Provides financial advice & health-care insurance plans. Travel and prescription –drug discounts Modern Maturity- magazine

Concerns for Elderly: FYI Social Security: Funded by payroll or income taxes on workers, employers, the self-employed. Current payroll taxes fund the benefits paid to current retirees. Challenges: Declining birthrates and longer life expectancies mean fewer workers to support growing numbers of retirees.

Concerns for Elderly: Social Security: Dependency ratio: the number of workers for each person receiving Social Security benefits. 1960: 5 to 1 2030: 2 to 1

“Old-Old” Challenges: (85+) Medicare: Government-sponsored health-insurance plan for elderly Americans and Americans with disabilities. Medicaid: State and federally funded health-insurance program for low-income individuals. FYI: these programs are the sole sources of health insurance for close to one quarter of elderly Americans.

Is there hope for Social Security? Raising retirement age Cutting benefits Increasing Social Security payroll taxes.

Age Inequality in the United States: Social Security have made older Americans financially secure at the expense of younger generations. Poverty rate for elderly: 10.2% Poverty rate or general population: 11.3% Poverty rate for children under age 18: 16.2 %

Elderly African Americans: 22% Elderly Hispanics: 19% Women are hit by poverty than are men! Poverty levels increase with Hispanic & African American women. Poverty levels often high among old-old (85+).

Americans with Disabilities: Cover a wide variety of conditions: Physical disabilities Chronic health impairments Mental retardation Mental illness Visual, hearing, and speech impairments. Blindness, deafness, and paralysis

Prejudice & Discrimination: Stereotypical belief that their disabilities make them incapable of doing productive work. Result: High unemployment rate among disabled. Receive government assistance, but still struggle financially.

Disabled struggled for civil rights. All Handicapped Children Act of 1975: Guaranteed children with disabilities a public education geared toward their needs and abilities.

ADA: “Americans with Disabilities Act” (1990) Address 4 main areas: Employment: Illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in hiring, promotion, and pay. Public services: Transportation Public accommodations: Hotels, restaurants, theaters, etc…. Telecommunications: Telecommunications-relay services (TRS) Hearing and speech impaired

Chapter 11: Section 3 Health

Objectives: Section 3: Health Describe the state of health care in the United States. Identify some of the special health-care concerns of various segments of American society.

What are your THREE main concerns when you receive healthcare???

We will focus on THREE Main Issues: Cost of Health Care Quality of Health Care Access to Health Care

Health Care in the U.S. Section 3: Health Focuses on THREE Main Issues: 1. Cost of Health Care – concern over the rapid rise in health care costs Why rise in cost? Turn to Pg. 281 Hospital care Advances in technology Fears of malpractice lawsuits Increased spending on prescription drugs

2. Quality of Health Care – some believe that managed care has decreased the quality of health care. Managed care: limits costs by requiring patients to choose approved doctors who have agreed to reduced rates, requiring approval for treatment, and setting limits on drugs that can be prescribed.

3. Access to Health Care – distribution of physicians, both geographically and within the medical profession, has limited accessibility to health care. Geographically: Beverly Hills: 1 Dr.: 254 Poverty stricken: 1 Dr.: 24, 500 Professionally: Short in general-practice doctors. Most in specialty fields (EX: Cardiologists) WHY?? More $$$

Health Care Concerns Today Section 3: Health Health Care Concerns Today 1. Health Insurance – unequal health care exists between public and private insurance programs. Private insurance: people pay set periodic fees. Public insurance: government programs such as Medicare (elderly) and Medicaid (poor). Canada: Gov’t finances health care through national health insurance.

Inequality and Health: Poor people are LESS likely than wealthy Americans to receive adequate medical care. Turn to pg. 284 …THEN, turn to pg. 282

2. Alternative Medicine – is a concern because there are few scientific studies on the effectiveness of alternative treatments. EX: Chiropractic, massage, meditation, yoga, herbal remedies, etc….

3. AIDS – has developed into one of the most serious public-health problems in the U.S. and around the world in just two decades. AIDS: a disease that attacks the immune system, leaving a person vulnerable to a host of deadly infections. HIV: virus that causes AIDS.

HIV is transmitted through: Sexual contact Contaminated blood and tissue Use of contaminated hypodermic needles

Highest Risk: Homosexual and bisexual males (46%). Intravenous drug abusers (25%). Sexual partners of high-risk persons. Persons receiving blood transfusions. Babies of high-risk mothers.

How is government helping??? Spent $10 billion!!!! 70% went towards care and assistance.

70% of HIV and AIDS sufferers live! A Global Affair: Sub-Saharan Africa: 70% of HIV and AIDS sufferers live!

AIDS

AIDS Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome About 70% of the estimated 36 million people in the world currently carrying HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, live in Africa south of the Sahara. By 2000: 17 million already died of AIDS-related diseases.

AIDS: In Zimbabwe, a child is more likely to die of AIDS than of any other cause!! Treatments cost too much for Africans or their governments to purchase. In Zimbabwe: Life expectancy fallen from 65 years to 41 years because of AIDS!!

Estimated that by 2010, 10.7 million children in Africa under the age of 15 will have lost at least one parent to AIDS!!

Doctors Online? Turn to pg. 282 Answer #1 & #2 Also, answer the following: Have you ever referred to health-related web sites for information? Why do you think such online medical sites are so popular?

Complete the following in pairs: Segment of Society Special Health-Care Concerns Poor people Elderly individuals AIDS sufferers People suffering from chronic illnesses