Caring For The Elderly Essay

The medical world is not prepared for the aging population. This is an issue all around the world, and with the population increasing so rapidly, it is an issue that we need to address. “By the year 2050, the number of humans 65 years or older will increase from a little over 600 million to two billion...” (Hallinan, Conn, and Bloice 1). In particular, the amount of elderly citizens in the United States is expected to double in size, making up twenty-percent of the population by the year 2030 (Hallinan, Conn, and Bloice 2). The elderly should be treasured and cared for in that manner. They have brought us to the point we are today and it is our responsibility to provide for, and look after, them when they cannot do for themselves. A functionalist might look at this situation and state that we are not going about the situation the correct way. Dr Claudia Landau, who specialises in geriatrics from the University of California, Berkeley believes geriatrics needs to incorporate sociologist and antroplidist as much as it incorperates doctors and nurses in care (Hallinan, Conn, and Bloice 2). She believes that “If you do not attend to all of the elements [of the elderly], you are not going to care for old people very effectively” Hallinan, Conn, and Bloice 2). A functionalist could suggest that a holistic

We must look at this issue and analyze why it is occurring and how we can solve it. “ What makes addressing the aging population particularly challenging is that geriatrics ... is an enormously complex kaleidoscope of medical procedures, government policy, and demographics” (Hallinan, Conn, and Bloice 2). With that said, “... You have to have love and empathy. Aging is about loss - loss of independence, loss of mobility eyesight, hearing cognition. You need an approach that allows people to deal with loss in a collective, supportive way” (Hallinan, Conn, and Bloice