Effect of Poverty on the Aging (Essay Sample)

Seniors who live in poverty are not immune to its anger and repercussions. Poverty among the elderly has been the subject of numerous arguments. After spending their entire lives working, the elderly are left unsure of their financial situation. The biggest risk of the elderly falling into poverty is that their income is fixed. Before examining how poverty affects the elderly, it is critical to understand the likely causes of poverty among them. There has been a number of publications and statistical data that detail the impact of poverty on the elderly. Poverty affects a person's capacity to obtain medical treatment, food, and other fundamental necessities of life. While these impacts are impulsive, there is an internal influence on a person's health when their finances go bad. The purpose of this paper is to present the impacts of living in poverty on the elderly and demonstrate what can be done in today's world.

The right to a good quality of living is a basic human right (UNDHR, Articles 22 and 25) Poverty among the elderly, however, remains a reality. In 2013, half of all Medicare recipients in the United States had incomes of less than $ 23,500, or 200 percent of the poverty line for 2015 (Cubanski et al. 2015). Those above the age of 80, females, African-Americans, and Hispanics, as well as those in poor health, are the most likely to remain in poverty.

Americans, as well as people of other ages, are feeling the effects of declining real estate and stock markets, as well as rising fuel and food prices. Economic security for elderly will become increasingly crucial as the United States' population ages. With some baby boomers having depleted savings and retirement accounts, the nation's health and social services resources will face unprecedented demand as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age.

Elders mostly get lower incomes than younger people. Being unattached (either through killing or separation) may get women especially susceptible to poverty. Older adults who may not provide non-insured items that may be involved because of age related changes (e.g., medicines, glasses, hearing aids, medicine employment, mobility helps, transportation, and home assistance would be at risk for bad health (including mental state) and cultural isolation. Some older adults with psychological illnesses at earlier living levels may have relied on very low incomes (e.g. , disability and cultural aid) all their lives. The cumulative consequences of poverty are expected to marginalize them in terms of structure, food, access to non-medical demands and cultural status.

Social Security is the particularly valuable source of income for groups with poor incomes and less chance to spend and gain pensions, including Black and Hispanic people, Who experience higher poverty rates both within their working lives and at older age. The poverty rate among African and Hispanic elders is 2.5 times as high as for white elders. There is the substantial racial retirement wealth disparity, leading seniors of color to experience more retirement anxiety than white elders. African American and Hispanic workers are less likely to be provided workplace retirement programs and likelier to be in low-wage occupations with small profit for funds.

Most of the older people also have Social safety benefits. As mentioned earlier these payments have continued to change proportional to the average incomes of males, this poverty position, and AFDC payments. According to new information (U.S. House of Representatives 1989) , their transportation terms include both benefit (payment and noncash) and social protection from poverty 21.2% of two-parent families with children, 23% of poor sole-parent households with children, and 80% of poor old households. Without Social Security, an estimated 44 percent of the elderly would be destitute today, assuming no changes in behavior.

Moreover, we can progress towards an economically stable future for people as they age by upgrading the federal safety-net policies that are already in place. For example, increasing the number of programs that help with the costs of healthcare and long-term care. The rising expense of health care is one of the factors contributing to seniors' financial fragility. Proposals to shift more of those costs on seniors will simply exacerbate poverty among the elderly. Instead, Medicaid, Medicare Savings Programs, and Medicare, which are designed to help the poorest seniors afford health care, should be expanded, and out-of-pocket costs should be reduced or eliminated.

Encouraging the federal government to fund an expanded care safety net would be a major help for our seniors. Few seniors are financially equipped to pay for long-term care. Proposals that require impoverished and economically vulnerable seniors to save more of their already insufficient salaries to cover these costs are simply impractical. To satisfy long-term care demands and stimulate the provision of additional home- and community-based services, public programs must be strengthened and adjusted. Reauthorize the Older Americans Act as well (OAA). The OAA offers money for important services that help elders stay independent and healthy.Supports a variety of home and community-based programs, such as meals, caregiver support, transportation, health promotion, legal services, which was first enacted in 1965. While these services are not always available to low-income seniors, they are available to those who are.

Now that we have covered some things that could help improve the poverty in our economy for our seniors, let's not skip the part where people don't discuss how Poverty doesn't just affect the ability of an individual to access medical care, food, but as well as their fundamental needs of life. When a person's finances go down the toilet, it has an internal effect that is tied to their health. Poverty takes on multiple dimensions at this point. Debt's internal effect on a person makes it easier to classify it as a physical and psychological ailment. According to study, those with inadequate finances have higher stress hormone levels, mental health difficulties, and physical symptoms. Because poverty reduces people's worlds to survival, fear, and even starvation, stress naturally develops in them.

Therefore, poverty has a significant effect on the elderly's health. The elderly are prone to health problems, but poverty exacerbates these problems while also adding to them. For the elderly to enjoy a healthy life, it is essential that they consume a well-balanced diet and undergo regular medical examinations. When people fall below the poverty line, this becomes tough for them to not only get appropriate medical care, but also to find the right sorts of food. Because they are less energetic, their health suffers as a result of poor nutrition and medical care.

Poverty is also a common contributor to homelessness. Homelessness is becoming a major pandemic among the elderly. This is also largely due to poverty and the diminishing supply of affordable housing for the elderly. Despite the fact that homelessness among the elderly has become a growing concern, it remains an under-reported issue.When an older adult is confronted with a financial problem, they may find themselves without the home conditions they seek. In certain cases, they may be homeless simply because they have no one to look after them. When a person, for example, is unable to meet their demands, they seek assistance. The elderly who lack the energy to work and make a living become beggars. Such as people sitting by the side of the road or even on the streets, hoping to borrow a penny from someone.

Wealth and poverty are perceived by society from various perspectives. The wealthy are regarded as more valuable and have a greater social status. The impoverished, on the other hand, are isolated, blamed for their plight, and looked down upon. Poverty reduces the value of an older adult in the eyes of the community. They are considered a social problem, and as a result, most people avoid them. This makes a person feel alone, lonely, and unwanted. This is why it's important , to helps out all people to reduced the hunger and suffering all around the world.