The Decline In Aged Care Standards And Risks To Future Generations

By Byron Jonas


The decline in aged care standards reflects upon more than just the lack of health care and creative solutions for the nation's elderly. It is a mark upon the generations that follow and a sign of a things to come. While many families are unsure of what to do with aging parents, full time jobs, and family obligations the end results are not necessarily what these families had in mind.

The elderly simply do not receive the respectful and quality based peace they deserve at this stage in their lives. Without change the entire system is putting the elderly into a risk based situation. While clean beds, empty hallways, and nutritious meals are just the beginning of the changes that need to be implemented it is an uphill struggle to get the basic health and social needs of the elderly met.

It is vital that we start to understand the impact that warehousing the elderly has on today's generation as well as future generations. Depression and decreased health are not only hitting the residents of facilities but also the staff in charge of their daily routines. Medical costs are rising due to the impact of the situation as the nation's elderly are faced with loneliness and are often forgotten.

Even those who are not yet in facilities are feeling the impact of the overall attitude of a nation that values youth. It is very difficult for many to even qualify for the kind of assistance they need in order to live in their homes. While volunteer groups reach out to many, there are simply too many needs for these groups to fulfill. Applications for assisted living arrangements are flooding facilities and there just isn't enough space.

The cost of becoming older today is out of reach for most of the aging population. While retirement incomes and pensions have certainly helped provide for some, the freeze on Social Security benefits has impeded the aging population in their attempts to stay at home and maintain their independence. With nursing homes as the only real solution to such situations the facilities are becoming packed with too many applications and not enough beds, rooms, or staff members.

What can be done about this situation? Improvements throughout the generalized medical and social systems could carry a huge impact on the next generation, and the ones following that. It has been suggested that the regulations are aimed at protecting the insurance companies by politicians who use the bad mark on society as an election platform.

Yet insurance companies are only responsible for the limited medical that is received. They are not responsible for the lack of proper inspections and the mandates that patients receive more than a wheelchair and a hallway.

Creative and innovative community solutions are required in order to change the decline in aged care standards. The families and advocates for the aging need to come up with workable solutions that will increase inspection standards while also providing stimulating activity and a higher quality of life for those who remain in a nursing facility. If tomorrow's generation has any hope of a future better than the one they are looking at it is time for all voices of the community to start making demands for better medical and social solutions for the aging.




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