Ageism In Health And Social Care

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Ageing means an increase in life expectancy, prevalence of chronic disease, and need for health and social care services” (Vladislavovna, 2010, 1).The elderly who live alone in the country suffer from low socioeconomic status, low health literacy rates, declining cognitive and physical health and most of all lack of healthcare facilities and them receiving free healthcare. The health status of this vulnerable group is impacted by rural culture and social values, health care policy and funding affecting rural healthcare facilities, distance and lack of transportation, and health literacy. Older people need more support systems to insure independence than teenagers and young people and an overall good quality of life. Families & friends play …show more content…
Health-care workers and patients agree that of all the groups, the disabled and the elderly should be exempted from paying user fees at public hospitals or their injuries or anything in that category. According to the Alliance for Aging Research , “In recent years evidence has been mounting to suggest that, there is a prevailing bias ageism that is at odds with the best interests of older people. The discrimination against the old in American healthcare is evidenced by scores of recent clinical studies, surveys and medical commentaries, many of which are referenced here. Here are three key dimensions of the ageist bias in which U.S. healthcare fails older Americans: Health care professionals do not receive enough training in to properly care for many older patients. Older patients are less likely than younger people to receive preventive care. Proven medical interventions for older patients are often ignored, leading to inappropriate or incomplete …show more content…
So when they create programs for helping poor people, like Obamacare, they are not doing this just for charity, they are doing this because they are responsible for those people the elderly poor devote one-third of their family income to health expenses. Low-income elderly Americans experience more health problems and have greater use of health services with the associated cost for treatment and medication than higher income elderly. The 1 in 5 low-income Medicare beneficiaries without Medicaid to supplement Medicare are particularly at risk. Even with Medicare's basic protection, the cost for premiums, cost-sharing, and uncovered services can compromise access to care. The money spent on unnecessary visits to the emergency room would be better-spent supplementing health care insurance premiums. Government funded insurance premium supplements will save taxpayers’ money in the long run as this will enable people to take advantage of preventative care The United States is the only modernized Western nation that does not offer publicly funded health care to all its citizens; the costs of health care for the uninsured in the United States are prohibitive, and the practices of insurance companies are often more interested in profit margins than providing health care. These conditions are incompatible with US ideals and standards, and it is time for the US government to provide universal health