“Accessibility of Programs and Services are Vital in Helping
the Senior Population in Aging Successfully.”
Cynthia Whitman
Applied Research, HS 482
Professor Jacobs
August 18, 2003
Abstract
According to the Administration on Aging (2003), the 65+ populations will reach 39.7 million by 2010 and 70.3 million by 2030. It is inevitable that all of us at some point will need services and programs as we move into our “rusty years” of life. These programs and services can range from needing regular foot care, chore services, transportation, financial assistance, proper health care, advocacy or help with meals. A large gap exists between what older adults say they need as they age (including the baby boomers), and what supportive services are actually available. As a society we are ill prepared to provide services and programs for the increasing population of the aging adult.
Introduction
It is inevitable that all of us at some point will need services and programs as we move into our “rusty years” of life. These programs and services can range from needing regular foot care, chore services, transportation, financial assistance, proper health care, advocacy or help with meals. How accessible are programs and services to the aging adults?
It is hard to imagine that the simple things in life will become difficult. Hopping in the car to run to the store to pick up a few groceries or going to the doctor’s are done with-out a second thought, until your license is not renewed. As one senior stated, “not being able to drive, well, it is like they cut off my right arm” (J. Smith, personal communication, July 10, 2003). Reading the paper or answering the telephone is commonplace until we lose our hearing or eyesight that cripples our ability to communicate in a manner that we have become accustomed to.
Human nature drives us to be independent, yet our body or mind start falling short; we need to seek help. Do we know where to turn? Is it easy to get help? Does the red tape become too overwhelming? Do our family members know what to do? All these questions need to be answered at some point in our life, maybe not for us, but for a family member that needs our help. “Unfortunately, as we strive to maintain our independence, those with disabilities and the families that care for them are often frustrated by an inadequate and unaffordable system to help them meet their needs” (Singler, 2003, p. 4).
According to the new AARP report, “Beyond 50 2003: A report to the Nation on Independent Living and Disability,” a large gap exists between what older adults say they need as they age (including the baby boomers), and what supportive services are actually available. The report also raises the concern that the nation is ill prepared to meet the demand for independence among people over 50, who will experience disabilities in the coming decade (p. 4).
The lack of accessibility of services and programs for seniors will affect all of us in one way or another. It is vital that we learn of these programs, what they have to offer and where the gaps lie in order for us to live independently. “For thousands of Washington seniors, a helping hand makes all the difference” (p. 4).
Review of Literature
Older adults are the fasting growing population in the United States. According to the Administration on Aging (2003), the 65+ populations will reach 39.7 million by 2010 and 70.3 million by 2030. This growth is contributed to the 75 million people born from 1946 to 1964, the “baby boomers”. Every seven seconds: another baby boomer turns 50 years old. On top of this vase population growth it is important to recognize that a persons’ “life expectancy will be at least 77 and some argue the real number may be in the early-to mid-80’s (Coughlin, 1999, p. 53). Like other aspects of life, aging has stages; each stage requires different programs and services. As stated by Ms. Easterling, “We have other resources to help us deal with other phases of life – college, marriage, job-but not how to age successfully” (Robinson, 2002, p. 8). In order to age successfully we need to have programs and services in place for the different stages of aging and they need to be accessible throughout the aging adults’ life.
One of the first stages of aging comes at the time of retirement. When one retires there are several needs that need to be addressed. One is that seniors will be more active than seniors today. They will desire to work part-time, volunteer, travel, focus on exercise and proper nutrition and continued education. The Cleveland Foundation is working on a three-year plan to make Cleveland an aging-friendly city. They are launching what it calls the Successful Aging Initiative to determine what cities, service agencies and policymakers need to do to keep aging baby boomers active in Northwest Ohio. The foundation intends to create a public awareness campaign to put aging in a positive light and support four program areas: civic engagement to keep senior citizens involved in their communities; creating elder-friendly public awareness: developing lifelong learning centers: and fostering senior employment (p. 8).
The most important component to this Initiative is the public awareness. There are many similar programs that are already in place, but they lack public awareness. These include senior centers, which provide educational opportunities, health and fitness classes and workshops, different types of travel opportunities, and service programs, like foot care, tax aide, massage therapy, and annual flu shots to name a few. Senior centers carry a stigma of being only for “old” people. Age denial-Baby boomers view themselves as youthful; they deny the existence of problems that can accompany aging (Gavan Scheel, 2003, p. 11).
This mindset adds to the complexities of aging, planning for it. “There is almost nothing more cataclysmic for us than our own aging…yet we ignore it. We make no plans to grow old. We don’t know what care choices exist. We age in the wrong houses – too many stairs, too much space, too far from care giving resources. We don’t talk with our families about what we want if we become ill or who should be in charge of our affairs when we are no longer able” (Taylor, 2003, p. F.6). As an adult child caring for a parent we have opportunities to learn of the services available, think about what you will need someday, and get ready (p. F.6).
Although people are living longer, the natural aging process does affect vision; physical strength and flexibility; cognitive ability and, for many, susceptibility to illness and injury (Coughlin, 1999, p. 53). With the increase of aging adults and natural aging process we are looking at a shortage of geriatrics health professionals. The gap in geriatrics applies to all health care professionals including physicians, physical therapists, and pharmacists in addition to nurses. Current projections show that the United States will have about one quarter of the geriatricians needed to care for older adults when the baby boom reaches its highest level (Gavan Scheel, 2003, p. 11).
Lifelong transportation; the ability to travel from one place to another is vital to our daily lives. Transportation is how people remain physically connected to each other, to jobs, to volunteer activities, to stores and services, to health care, and to the multitude of activities that make up living (Coughlin, 1999, p. 53). Few programs are in place to accommodate the aging adults with transportation needs. One of the greatest risks in aging is not necessarily poor health but isolation (p. 53).
As a society we are ill prepared to provide services and programs for the increasing population of the aging adult. The programs that do exist soon will not fit the needs of the senior population of the future. The baby boomers are not the first to grow old. However, their absolute numbers will move issues associated with their aging to the top of the policy agenda. They will affect every aspect of society. Healthy aging is the one characteristic that each of us hopes to achieve. The nation must begin today to ensure that one of its greatest achievements – longevity – does not become one of its greatest problems (p.53).
Methodology
As each of us age we will start to identify different services or programs that we will need to aid us in our old age. When we make a phone call to inquire about a service we get a recording that send us in circles or we are referred to another agency, which sends us in circles. When we final get to the service we need and we get a mountain of paperwork to fill out just to find out we don’t qualify. The purpose of this research is to identify the accessibility of programs and services for the aging adult. How user-friendly are we? Are the programs available that we need? Are they of easy access? These questions and more will be answered through a strategically planned qualitative process.
By using the interview process in several different types of situations we will provide a wide range of the population perspective. In order to get this wide range of individuals, all interested participant will need to fill out a basic questionnaire, which will include age, gender, ethnic background, and income level. This step will be important in order to select a diverse group that will give the insight of senior population on how they feel and their experiences. Another perspective will come from 10 caregivers. The same process will be followed in selecting a diverse group in order to get wide range of experiences and needs. The third group of 10 individuals that will be interviewed will work for agencies offering services and programs to the senior population, an inside perspective. It is important to get the different perspectives in order to get a view of the whole picture. The seniors will give the insight of what they need as a person; the caregivers will give the outlook of what is needed for support and the agencies standpoint of what they give.
The same type of open-ended interview style will be used with each individual in all groups, either face-to-face or by telephone. Each interview will last approximately 1-½ hours. The same general type of questions will be used as the format for all interviews. The recording of the face-to-face interviews will be done through note taking by a third party. The telephone interviews will be done by taking of field jotting, asking permission to do so prior to the conversation. These telephone calls will be followed by time to write up complete field notes. Part of the recording process will also include a field diary. The use of a word program will be used to store and generate the written notes. Making sure that proper back up is done nightly for all data transactions. Accurate note taking of all interviews will be the key to the results of this research. Recording of observation at the time of the interview will be important when it comes time to analyze the material, in order to recognize patterns in the data.
Organized files will be used to keep the data divided into the three groups, seniors, caregivers, and agencies. Each set will have individual files; one will have information about the individual or agency interviewed and the results of the interview. Another file will contain related material to the study and one will have the beginning of the analysis of the data for each group.
The use of logical analysis will be used when all the data is collected, using a matrix of the questions and the response to each question. The responses will be classified under a positive, negative, or neutral response. A matrix will be set up for all three groups. There will be one matrix for agencies, seniors and caregivers with each individual response within that group recorded. Then after that process is completed than a comparison will be done between all three charts. This will give results of each group as a whole and then as individuals. This form of analysis will also show patterns and connection between the different angles and where the gaps are within the services and programs offered.
Feasibility
A persons needs are all relevant to their life situation. This is the biggest stumbling block this research will encounter. Each individual’s needs are different depending on their culture, monthly income and bias on what societies owes them, and pride that prevents them from admitting what they need.
Time will also be a big factor for this research. In order to select a wide variety of individuals to participate in the interview process a questionnaire would need to be developed that would indicate gender, monthly income bracket, ethnic background, and age. This questionnaire will be instrumental and timely in helping select individuals to interview. Each interview and observation process will take the minimum of an hour and a half in order to get a good insight on the individuals’ attitude towards the system in relation to their needs and to answer the general questions.
There are a couple of “hot topics” in the political realm in regards to senior care that I as an interviewer have a very strong opinion about. If these were to come up in the interview process I would have a difficult time not leading the conversation in a persuasive manner or spending too much time on the topics in the interview process, which will influence the outcome of the interview.
The results of this study would be beneficial to social workers, political representatives, and other human services professionals that work in the geriatric field. To understand the needs of the aging adults and caregivers of aging adults in comparison to what is being offered by existing agencies will help human service professionals and politicians fill in the gaps of existing programs and services, as well as help develop new ones that will aid in our society to age successfully.
References
Coughlin, J. (1999, fall). Needs of aging boomers. Issues in Science and Technology, 16, 53-58.
Department of Health and Human Services. Administration on Aging. (2003). Statistics, 2003 [Data File]. Available from Administration on Aging website, http:\\www.aoa.gov
Gavan Scheel, C. (2003, Jan/Feb). Holistic Nursing Practice. Frederick, 17, 11-18.
Robinson, R. (2002, October 21). Initiative aims at creating aging friendly environment. News. (Cleveland foundation launches successful aging initiative, Ohio). Crain’s Cleveland Business, 23, 8.
Singler, E. (2003, July). Staying independent can’t be achieved alone. Northwest Prime Time, p.4.
Taylor, L. (2003, March 17). Caring for aging parents: Communications, early planning make it easier: [Fourth Edition]. Seattle Times, p. F6.
Appendices