Human Services in the United States

Contemporary America

November 10, 2012

Human Services in the United States

Contemporary America can be a struggle on different groups of people today. One target population that I have researched is the elderly. A current issue that the elderly are facing today is the issue of poverty. Poverty affects the aging in many different ways. Many elderly people are unable to afford the basics of minimal health care and prescription drugs. Many are also not able to afford the proper dental care, eye care and hearing care due to their low income. This can cause major issues in their health. The elderly then tend to isolate themselves because they feel that it is much simpler that way. This way they are not a bother to others. Many elderly people cannot afford nutritious food for themselves, resulting in malnourishment and causing more health issues. Some who suffer from poverty cannot afford heat in the winter or air conditioning during the hot months and end up suffering from heat exhaustion. Many elderly who suffer from poverty suffer from constant fear. Fear that they cannot afford the proper supplies and meet their own health needs to keep them healthy. A lot of elderly people suffer from physical limitations, health problems and unsafe neighborhoods. They also usually have no means of transportation. They live from paycheck to paycheck and do not know what they would do if something more serious ever happened such as a hospitalization or even a disaster for example because they would not be able to afford the extra cost.

Since many elderly people do not have a lot of money, many of them rely on Medicare. Medicare is a government funded health insurance program that targets elderly people. This helps the elderly people meet their health care needs to the best of their ability. With Medicare, not one option offers complete coverage without having to pay out of the pocket a certain percentage. This causes many problems with elderly who are on a fixed income. There is also a major gap in coverage. Most of the time the patient is required to pay twenty percent