Aging and Disability Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Aging and Disability Worksheet Essay Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. †¢ What is ageism? How does ageism influence the presence of diversity in society? Ageism is defined as prejudice and discrimination against old people. Schafer writes that for the ageist, elderly persons reflect the image of disease, death, and dying as well as a reminder that we all be old one day (2012,pp. 395-396). Another stereotype of the elderly is that they are slow and mentally dysfunctional. All of this is further emphasized by society’s fixation with youth. †¢ What is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)? How does the ADEA address issues for the aging population? The Americans with Disability Act is a law that prohibits discrimination based on disability and only disability. It is somewhat similar to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Our textbook defines this law as In many respects, this law is the most sweeping antidiscrimination leg- isolation since the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The ADA went into effect in 1992, covering people with a disability, defined as a condition that â€Å"substantially limits† a â€Å"major life activity† such as walking or seeing. It prohibits bias in employment, transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunication against people with disabilities (Schaefer, 2012). The ADA addresses issues for the aging population by how our text book stated basically, we can see it taking a civil-rights view of disabilities that seeks to humanize the way society sees and treats people with dis abilities (Schaefer, 2012). Which is by not discriminating them. †¢ What is being done to address the issues you identified? There are senior citizen centers that have been working to provide activities to bring the elderly together for social interaction. Most elderly look to family as their main source of support system. Many of these elderly try to stay living as close to their children have been known to live with their parents during this time to provide the best care to their aging parents. Retirement is an issue that some employers try to help by letting employers â€Å"step down† so that they may retain some of their benefits from still being employed. The media has started depicting some more of the elderly to be active people that are as bright as young people as opposed to times when they made old people appear to be shriveled and wrinkled up people that cannot do much at their age. †¢ Is the number of aging population expected to rise in numbers or decrease? The world population has experienced continuous growth since the end of the Great Famine and the Black Death in 1350, when it stood at around 370 million. The growth rate peaked at 2.2% in 1963, and had declined to 1.1% by 2011. Current projections show a continued increase in population (but a steady decline in the population growth rate). †¢ What types of legislation may or may not be affected by the aging population? In the midterm, anti-age discrimination legislation, better health and a statutory rise in the retirement age to manage the cost of the state pension bill will see more older people working for longer, whether they want to or not (see changes to retirement and pensions). This will decrease the number of old but active volunteers. In the long term, especially as baby boomers become the older old, there will be a rise in demand for health services and long term care, possibly combined with constrained public spending, creating a challenge for the funding of public services and pensions and increasing pressure on families and friends to support retirees. †¢ How does poverty affect the aging population? Poverty affects the aging population by them not being able to afford medical insurances and many other expenses such as housing. An increase in the numbers of older people at 80 plus, will mean more with complex needs. The baby boomers are more assertive, put more emphasis on lifestyles, and do not consider themselves old. Part II Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. †¢ What does the ADA provide for people with disabilities? The ADA makes it illegal to discriminate based on disability in several different areas in life. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in: employment, services rendered by state and local governments, places of public accommodation, transportation, telecommunications services. Under the ADA, accommodative services for these disabilities are usually the same as those offered to people with physical, psychological, sensory and cognitive disabilities. †¢ How have people with disabilities been treated in the past? People in the past treated people with disabilities as if they were a disease themselves. In some countries people with disabilities would be murdered to lessen the burden and â€Å"ease their pain† but as time progressed people started to treat them as if they were a lost kitten, and have become more affectionate towards us or them. †¢ How has the attitude toward people with disabilities changed over time? The disabled were placed in institutions (by the government) and were often forgotten about thus forcing them to live in unsafe/ unsanitary conditions. In conditions that would be construed as â€Å"animal cruelty† if a kettle owner made their animals live in those very same conditions the disabled were forced to live in. Many were abused, neglected, and murdered either by family members or at the hands of institution workers. The word â€Å"retarded† was used to describe everyone with a disability, regardless of the type of disability or the severity. While discrimination toward the disability is still rampant and the government shows little interest in eliminating disability discrimination. †¢ What are some unique circumstances or issues encountered by people with disabilities? When I was younger I remember going into stores that still had those turning things, gosh what are they called? They were made of metal and you had to turn them and go through them in order to get into the store. I would see how that was a huge issue for the people in wheelchairs or many other disabilities.