Age & Disability Chapter 11:2

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPSSOCIOLOGY

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

Age & DisabilityChapter 11:2


HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON2

Objectives:

Discuss the effect that the aging of the population is having on society.

Explain how the aging of the population is affecting the life chances of older Americans.

Section 2: Age and Disability



Ageism: Ageism:

The belief that one age category is by nature superior to another age category.

EX: TV commercials use elderly people for over the counter medications, dentures, insurance, burial plans, etc….



The Aging World:

About 606 million people aged 60 and older worldwide.

Europe: oldest region of the world.Africa: youngest region of the world



Graying of America:

The phenomenon of the growing percentage of elderly Americans as part of the total U.S. population.

Check out pg. 273



2 main reasons for Graying of America

1. Advances in health care.

2. Variations in birthrates have changed the age structure of the U.S.



Births in U.S. rose sharply in 1946 and stayed the same until 1960s. (baby-boom generation)

Today’s Age: late thirties to mid-fifties.

By 2030, will increase elderly population nearly 70 million.





The Politics of Aging:

Elderly have become both a political force and a topic of debate.



Bringing needs of elderly to national level:

AARP (American Association of Retired Persons)THE LARGEST special-interest group in the U.S.Provides financial advice & health-care insurance

plans.Travel and prescription –drug discountsModern Maturity- magazine



Concerns for Elderly:FYI

Social Security:Funded by payroll or income taxes on workers,

employers, the self-employed. Current payroll taxes fund the benefits paid to

current retirees.

Challenges: Declining birthrates and longer life expectancies mean fewer workers to support growing numbers of retirees.



Concerns for Elderly: Social Security:

Dependency ratio: the number of workers for each person receiving Social Security benefits.

1960: 5 to 1

2030: 2 to 1



“Old-Old” Challenges:(85+)

Medicare: Government-sponsored health-insurance plan for elderly

Americans and Americans with disabilities.

Medicaid: State and federally funded health-insurance program for

low-income individuals. FYI: these programs are the sole sources of health

insurance for close to one quarter of elderly Americans.



Is there hope for Social Security?

Raising retirement age Cutting benefits Increasing Social Security payroll taxes.



Age Inequality in the United States: Social Security have made older Americans

financially secure at the expense of younger generations.

Poverty rate for elderly: 10.2%Poverty rate or general population: 11.3% Poverty rate for children under age 18: 16.2 %



Elderly African Americans: 22% Elderly Hispanics: 19%

Women are hit by poverty than are men!

Poverty levels increase with Hispanic & African American women.

Poverty levels often high among old-old (85+).



Americans with Disabilities:

Cover a wide variety of conditions:Physical disabilitiesChronic health impairmentsMental retardationMental illnessVisual, hearing, and speech impairments.Blindness, deafness, and paralysis



Prejudice & Discrimination:

Stereotypical belief that their disabilities make them incapable of doing productive work.Result: High unemployment rate among disabled.

Receive government assistance, but still struggle financially.



Disabled struggled for civil rights.

All Handicapped Children Act of 1975:Guaranteed children with disabilities a public

education geared toward their needs and abilities.



ADA: “Americans with Disabilities Act” (1990) Address 4 main areas:

1. Employment: Illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in hiring, promotion, and pay.

2. Public services: Transportation3. Public accommodations: Hotels, restaurants, theaters,

etc….4. Telecommunications: Telecommunications-relay

services (TRS) Hearing and speech impaired



Chapter 11: Section 3

Health



Objectives:

Describe the state of health care in the United States.

Identify some of the special health-care concerns of various segments of American society.

Section 3: Health



What are your THREE main concerns when you receive healthcare???



We will focus on THREE Main Issues:

Cost of Health CareQuality of Health CareAccess to Health Care



Health Care in the U.S. Focuses on THREE Main Issues:1. Cost of Health Care – concern over the rapid rise in

health care costs Why rise in cost? Turn to Pg. 281

Hospital careAdvances in technologyFears of malpractice lawsuitsIncreased spending on prescription drugs

Section 3: Health



2. Quality of Health Care – some believe that managed care has decreased the quality of health care.Managed care: limits costs by requiring patients to choose approved doctors who have agreed to reduced rates, requiring approval for treatment, and setting limits on drugs that can be prescribed.



3. Access to Health Care – distribution of physicians, both geographically and within the medical profession, has limited accessibility to health care.Geographically: Beverly Hills: 1 Dr.: 254

Poverty stricken: 1 Dr.: 24, 500

Professionally: Short in general-practice doctors. Most in specialty fields (EX:

Cardiologists) WHY?? More $$$



Health Care Concerns Today

1. Health Insurance – unequal health care exists between public and private insurance programs.Private insurance: people pay set periodic fees.

Public insurance: government programs such as Medicare (elderly) and Medicaid (poor). Canada: Gov’t finances health care through national health insurance.

Section 3: Health



Inequality and Health:

Poor people are LESS likely than wealthy Americans to receive adequate medical care.

Turn to pg. 284 …THEN, turn to pg. 282



2. Alternative Medicine – is a concern because there are few scientific studies on the effectiveness of alternative treatments.EX: Chiropractic, massage, meditation, yoga, herbal remedies, etc….



3. AIDS – has developed into one of the most serious public-health problems in the U.S. and around the world in just two decades.AIDS: a disease that attacks the immune system, leaving a person vulnerable to a host of deadly infections.

HIV: virus that causes AIDS.



HIV is transmitted through:Sexual contactContaminated blood and tissueUse of contaminated hypodermic needles



Highest Risk:

Homosexual and bisexual males (46%). Intravenous drug abusers (25%). Sexual partners of high-risk persons. Persons receiving blood transfusions. Babies of high-risk mothers.



How is government helping???

Spent $10 billion!!!!70% went towards care and assistance.



A Global Affair:

Sub-Saharan Africa:

70% of HIV and AIDS sufferers live!



AIDS



AIDS

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome About 70% of the estimated 36 million people

in the world currently carrying HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, live in Africa south of the Sahara.

By 2000: 17 million already died of AIDS-related diseases.



AIDS:

In Zimbabwe, a child is more likely to die of AIDS than of any other cause!!

Treatments cost too much for Africans or their governments to purchase.

In Zimbabwe:Life expectancy fallen from 65 years to 41

years because of AIDS!!



Estimated that by 2010, 10.7 million children in Africa under the age of 15 will have lost at least one parent to AIDS!!



Doctors Online?Turn to pg. 282

Answer #1 & #2 Also, answer the following:

Have you ever referred to health-related web sites for information?

Why do you think such online medical sites are so popular?

40



Complete the following in pairs:Segment of Society Special Health-Care Concerns

Poor people

Elderly individuals

AIDS sufferers

People suffering from chronic illnesses

41

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Age & Disability Chapter 11:2