POLICIES FOR OLDER AMERICANS

Policies and Programs for Older Americans



Policies and Programs for Older Americans

Introduction

Citizens pay their services to country in many forms throughout their life time. But each stage in life presents different challenges to these individuals as well as to those who care about them. A child needs care, food, education and an adult requires a career to make his/her way to living a quality life. Older citizens require support of their family and government agencies to maintain their lifestyle, health, quality life and make wise life-end decisions. Serving these seniors of the nation is a task not be taken lightly as it requires huge amounts of funds to support them and do not forget as improving health of these individuals increases their life, it requires more and more funds to continue supporting them. Baby boomers have started to retire, which another challenge for policy makers. This paper discusses the present state of policies and programs for older citizens and includes suggestions to improve them further.

Policies and Programs to help America's Senior Citizens

According to information of the Population Resource Center, “about one in eight Americans are age 65 or above today, compared to one in 10 in the 1950s. By 2030, one in five Americans will be 65 or older, roughly the same as Florida today. The number of people age 65 or older will nearly double between 2000 and 2030.” This increasing portion of population aging will require help to support their life style and maintain a good quality of life. One of sources of help is government agencies.(Voit & Vickers, 2012)

Government supports older American at two levels of resources.

1. Federal Resources

2. State Resources

Federal resources

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) is responsible for leading the government in carrying out researches on aging and the well-being of older citizens. The goal is to increase the number of Healthy years in life an American enjoys. Its Health and aging Initiative features resources about Healthy aging and Longevity, legal and financial planning, End of Life, Exercise, Alzheimer's Disease, Disability, Men's and Women's health.

U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA), administers the newly created programs and also serves as federal central point on issues and matters concerning older people.

State Resources

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), representing 56 state and territorial agencies on aging and disabilities. It is responsible for providing support to innovative programs and articulation of national policies on the state level to support community based services for older adults and individuals with disabilities. An example of NASUAD activities is “The National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center”. The help can be obtained by an older person and their families at their respective states websites.

The state of Georgia won the AoA Excellence in Action award on account for Outstanding Achievement in Changing Systems by a State. This award recognizes the current state of services to older citizens and person with disabilities. The programs and policies of Georgia have successfully gained ...