Aging Population
According to the textbook chapter 8, the Baby Boomers are the biggest contributing factor to the fast-paced growth of the aging population. The Baby Boomers are the generation of individuals born in the years following WWII. These babies have now grown into a large population of elderly individuals. This aging population has posed many benefits and challenges to society.
Challenges
The textbook shares the many challenges, include financial, mental, and physical concerns. Healthcare can be very financially challenging for the elderly. Getting an elder to seek help for their mental well-being is very challenging as well.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Among the most common challenges facing the elderly are medical conditions that attack cognition. According to the textbook, these common diseases are some the social workers will have to be very familiar with. Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease are the most common medical conditions that the elderly suffer from; both directly impair cognition to various levels.
Dementia is a general term for loss of memory and other mental abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is caused by physical changes in the brain (Alzheimer’s Association, 2017). The most common form of Dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that 60-80% of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s Association, 2017)
Due to the high rates of Dementia in the elderly, there are special facilities and whole units of nursing facilities that are dedicated to working with those who suffer from it.
Remaining in the Community
One way to ease the growing cost of aging would be to implement support for elders so they can stay in the community for as long as possible.
Many services can be provided to elders to help them remain within their community. I am the Director of Elders Services at the Copper River Native Association. My job involves helping elders remain in their community. We serve lunch to over 100 elders and deliver it to their front door Monday – Friday. A team of staff working in the Elder Services department goes into elders’ homes to do In-Home chore services for the elders. This could include but is not limited to cooking breakfast, washing dishes, doing laundry, sweeping and mopping floors, and anything else the elderly might need help with. A team also does Outdoor chores, such as splitting and stacking firewood, shoveling snow, mowing lawns, and doing small projects such as installing handrails. The way we provide services has been different since the pandemic hit. Before the pandemic, we used to pick up the elderly and bring them to our dining room to have a congregate meal. We would then transport them to the grocery store, post office, and bank before taking them back to their home. We also offer a water haul service to provide elders with 30 gallons of drinking water a week. Snow plowing service and chimney sweep are also available. These services are also under my direction, but the facilities team implements the services. Anything we can do to help the elderly remain in their home.
Elder Services | Copper River Native Association (crnative.org)
To learn more about these types of services that might be provided in your area, research these websites and explore the resources that might be available to you.
Older Americans Act | ACL Administration for Community Living
Sean McCrossin
I think it’s awesome to have someone who’s basically on the ground giving us the scoop involving elderly people. It’s like hearing directly from an expert. Some elderly people can be stuck in their ways and keep thinking they don’t need to adapt to the changing world. On the other hand, I have met some elderly people who really need to stay home and boy howdy do they insist on doing some back breaking work. They do see their limits however and ask for help from people such as me. They are also really great people and I hope they don’t ever have to suffer from diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Sharla Huckabey
Thank you so much! I can relate. We have some elders in our region that don’t want to be considered elders, because they want to remain young and continue to do for themselves.
Alex Beaudouin
Hi Sharla,
Thank you for bringing up a blog on elderly people. I think it is important for elderly people to stay engaged in their community for their cognitive health. Some examples of activities may include volunteering, joining clubs, participating in community events, taking classes or workshops, engaging in physical activities. One crucial part is to connect with neighbors. Building relationships with neighbors can create a sense of community and support. Elderly individuals can reach out to neighbors for socializing, organizing neighborhoods gatherings, or offering assistance.
Sharla Huckabey
Thank you for your comment, Alex. You are right about the importance of the elderly staying engaged in their community.
John Da Broi
I think involving the elderly community in this newer more advanced world is great just because they might be a little slower than how they used to move does not disqualify them from living out the rest of their life. I think sometimes when people get older and are pushed into elderly homes it is sort of sad because they are just being watched in a building with a timer on their life with is very depressing to me and I don’t think that it should be normalized.
Neveah Reese
I can see where you are coming from. Maybe there are ways nursing homes or assisted living facilities could better the quality of care and life of their residents?
Sharla Huckabey
Thank you, John. I can’t agree with you more about the saddest elders being put in homes with timers ticketing away at their lives. I have personally worked in a nursing home, and it is very sad watching the elders there. Some never get a visit from their families, which would bring tears to my eyes.
Neveah Reese
Thank you for sharing your experiences you have from your job! That sounds like such a rewarding place to work. Especially in Alaska, services like these are so important. Between summer yard maintenance, cleaning out gutter in the spring, snow and ice removal in the winter, and the rough roads during the cold months can make it hard for an elderly person to effectively function on their own.
Sharla Huckabey
Thank you, Neveah. I said in an interview recently with Seed Media that the only time I have a bad day at my job is when I have to tell an elder I can’t provide the service they are requesting. My job is very rewarding; I love it so much. Helping elders on a daily basis is such a great feeling. We are blessed to be able to provide the services that we provide for the elders in our region.
Elizabeth Jackson
I have a lot of admiration for you for the work you do. Especially the way the administration adjusted to the pandemic while still ensuring that the elderly are cared for properly. People with dementia are vulnerable to abuse from those close to them like family and caregivers, and exploitation by strangers due to their cognitive limitations. With that being said, you are greatly appreciated!
Simone Smith
Thanks so much for all the great information about the work you do! Working with elderly would be so rewarding and so needed. Their demographic is so vulnerable it’s heartbreaking. I love the idea of helping keep elderly in their communities. We can learn so much from them and they deserve to be seen and heard. Thank you so much for the work you do and I look forward to learning more!
Mel Maendel
Hi Sharla,
thank you for your post and the information you provided. Your layout was easy to follow and understand. I find it amazing the work you and your colleges are doing. There really needs to be more organization like this. Being in a facility as elderly can be a good choice in some ways but sometimes it is best to find other options like the one you provide so that they can stay in the community without having to worries about certain aspects. I thank you for your service.