Thursday, 1 November 2012

Increase Need for Services

In the world we live in today, the average life span of a human being is longer than it once was in the past. In Canada, it is estimated that the number of people over 65 years will double in the next 30 years. As the number of births decreases, there is an increase amount of older adults (Chenier, 1993). With the increasing amount of the old age population, the demand for health care and personal services has become very high.  The inflation of the older population results in more age-related diseases that seek treatment and a higher need for senior support services in communities (Chenier, 1993). According to Chenier (1993), the statistic she stated is beginning to become a reality today. Our population has continued to grow largely of older adults, which has now resulted in the need for services to increase even more than in the past.

Looking at this social policy issue according to a neo-conservative perspective, one would suggest that by providing an increase in services available to older adult would make this specific population more dependent on the government.  By implementing more services, future generations would be affected. These services would be seen as an initial safety net when experiencing financial issues instead of an absolutely last resort. Many older adults could turn to these services for assistance before trying to work through their issues independently.  Social welfare services need to be limited to only the senior that are in high need.  This is determined by the senior’s income level.  Since social welfare services are not seen as necessary and a waste of resources in a neo-conservative perspective, it is very unlikely that Older Adults would be granted more services despite their concerns.

In my personal opinion, I think that it is evident that this issue seeks attention. It can’t be ignored that there is a very large amount of older adults existing on the planet seeing as statistics have proven it. With such a large amount of older adults feeling a need for an increase in services available, I think that these needs should be recognized and address. As human beings, we should all be entitled to equal assets and services. Therefore, the age of individual shouldn't differ in the assistance they receive.

Lindsay  

Reference List: 

Chenier, N. M. (1993). The Health of the Canadian Elderly.


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4 comments:

  1. olderadults12 November 2012 at 11:07

    I find it very evident that the population has increased significantly within past years. Just as services increase for our general population, I believe that services for elders should be just as accessible. Housing,health care and other services for older adults should be made as equal priority in our society. As our population continues to grow in size, we need to acknowledge the fact that this issue is not going to go away. This problem should be addressed as soon as possible to avoid an extreme lack of services in terms of elder care for our generation and the generations to follow.
    -Jenna

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  2. Racialized13 November 2012 at 12:47

    I like you opinion on this topic, and i have to agree. Elderly should get the support they need especially since there is a large number.
    - Alyssa

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  3. LGBTTQ*15 November 2012 at 10:49

    This is a good topic to blog about. I personally am looking to get a certificate in geriatrics after I get my BSW. When I tell people that I have thought about this they tell me how they couldn't do that. I am surprised that there is not more people looking into jobs that help the people that raised us. The people that have taken care of our country before we were old enough to. I can personally say that I am very excited to start my career working with the elderly and I hope that after reading this blog more people chose to too.

    Alexandra

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  4. olderadults16 December 2012 at 18:21

    Hi Lindsay,

    I personally agree that we there has to be an increase in services for older adults especially because of the large amount that will be retiring soon. I see the struggle with our government to come up with more efficient and concise budgets and how that often times means those who need services the most get left out of under served. I feel like this speaks to the neo-conservative ideology in that the government would like to see the private sector pick up on the slack but this leaves a great deal of people out.

    Hoda

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