Recurring Problems
Aging comes with many recurring problems. As already observed, the elderly face poverty, neglect, loneliness, and abuse. I think that it is essential to address these problems because I feel that older adults deserve to live a dignified life.
The national poverty rate among the elderly has risen significantly in the past years. Unfortunately, once the older adults become weak, they more likely to remain poor because they have fewer job opportunities to move them out of poverty. According to the recent U.S census, poverty in old age reflects the gender and racial, ethnic patterns of the general society. The elderly have fewer opportunities for social engagement, having already retired from jobs, and their children moved away. In particular, older women are the loneliest because they are left to live alone when their spouses pass away. While there are very many elder persons living in loneliness in the U.S, only 4% of these live in elderly nursing. However, there are concerns about the quality of treatment accorded to the elderly in nursing homes. Most often, the staff in these homes are understaffed; hence they cannot attend to the individual needs of each person, which results in elderly neglect. Sadly, some seniors are victims of physical, sexual, emotional, financial, and psychological abuse. Surprisingly, some of these abuses are committed to their relatives.
In my opinion, the majority of the recurring problems of the elderly can be solved by ensuring their macroeconomic sustainability. I feel that all human beings have the right to age with dignity. Allowing the elderly to work for pay would be a pivotal element of their well-being.Paid work would contribute to their financial strength and also their psychological and social well-being through social interactions. The elderly have rights too, which implies that they ought to be provided with reasonable assistance and care to enable them to live a dignified life.