Abandoned Senior Citizens
Abandoned Seniors Citizens
Carla Crull
COM/220
December 13, 2009
Carol Parker
Abandoned Senior Citizens
Are Americans prepared for the increasing numbers of elderly population? In the next century the oldest of old will be the fastest growing population in the nation. According to The AGS Foundation for Health and Aging (2005), the size and character of the elderly in the United States is rapidly changing. Since the 1900 most of the US population was under the age of 65, but this drastically changed over the course of the century. In fact, the senior citizen population grew from 3.1 million to 33.2 million from 1900 to 1994. Furthermore, by the year 2030, “one out of every five Americans will be a senior citizen.” Our society must prepare to handle the increasing number of elderly that are abandoned by family or have no family to care for them. As a result, the elderly are those who stand to suffer the most due to the lack of proper care. Longer life spans and infertility is creating a serious unbalance in ages. Moreover, with the continual growing numbers of the age group 65 and above, Americans may not be ready to handle the burden that will come with supporting the elderly. “Senior Citizen Population is on Brink of Explosion in World and in United States. This shift in the age structure of the world’s population poses challenges to society, families, businesses, health care providers and policymakers to meet the needs of aging individuals” according to the Census Bureau, (2009, Para. 6). To further illustrate the major impact Americans will experience due to the over growing elderly population, the Division of the U.S. Census Bureau published middle- series projections that gives a good demonstration of growth percentages from 1990 to 2050 by race.
Figure 1.0. Statistics of The Elderly Population Projections of the United States, by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin The worst is yet to come for the elderly
Carla Crull
COM/220
December 13, 2009
Carol Parker
Abandoned Senior Citizens
Are Americans prepared for the increasing numbers of elderly population? In the next century the oldest of old will be the fastest growing population in the nation. According to The AGS Foundation for Health and Aging (2005), the size and character of the elderly in the United States is rapidly changing. Since the 1900 most of the US population was under the age of 65, but this drastically changed over the course of the century. In fact, the senior citizen population grew from 3.1 million to 33.2 million from 1900 to 1994. Furthermore, by the year 2030, “one out of every five Americans will be a senior citizen.” Our society must prepare to handle the increasing number of elderly that are abandoned by family or have no family to care for them. As a result, the elderly are those who stand to suffer the most due to the lack of proper care. Longer life spans and infertility is creating a serious unbalance in ages. Moreover, with the continual growing numbers of the age group 65 and above, Americans may not be ready to handle the burden that will come with supporting the elderly. “Senior Citizen Population is on Brink of Explosion in World and in United States. This shift in the age structure of the world’s population poses challenges to society, families, businesses, health care providers and policymakers to meet the needs of aging individuals” according to the Census Bureau, (2009, Para. 6). To further illustrate the major impact Americans will experience due to the over growing elderly population, the Division of the U.S. Census Bureau published middle- series projections that gives a good demonstration of growth percentages from 1990 to 2050 by race.
Figure 1.0. Statistics of The Elderly Population Projections of the United States, by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin The worst is yet to come for the elderly
References: The AGS Foundation for Health and Aging. (2005). Trends in the Elderly Population. Retrieved from http://www.healthaging.org Jones, J. (2007). Help Loved Ones Beat the Holiday Blues. Healthline. Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com Pek Yee, F. (2009, July 26). Abandoned by their kids. The Star. Retrieved from http://thestar.om Saul, S. (1983). Groupwork with the Frail Elderly (2nd ed.). Binghamton, N.Y.: The Hawthorn Press, Inc. Senior Citizen Population on Brink of Explosion in World and in United States: Census Bureau. (2009). Senior Journal, (), 1. Retrieved from http://seniorjournal.com Shu-Chuan, Jennifer. (2004). Living Alone, Social Support, and Feeling Lonely Among the Elderly. International Journal, 32(2), 129-138. www.apollolibrary.com The U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (2008) website http://www.census.gov