Older Adults
Older Adults and Inequality
In the United States, "older adult" refers to a person who is considered a senior citizen or at the age of retirement. Typically, this age falls around 62 years old (Ashburn 2021). Older adults face a unique combination of social inequalities, including healthcare inequality, economic inequality, neighborhood and community inequality, and unequal access to justice.
Economic Inequality and Older Adults
“Economic circumstances can determine whether an individual can afford quality health care and proper nutrition from early life into old age. Individual and family financial resources and health insurance often determine whether an older adult enters an assisted living facility or nursing home or stays at home to be cared for by family members.” (NIH)
Disadvantages for Older Adults in the Labor Market
Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, more adults age 65 and older have been leaving the workforce. In fact, this is the biggest loss is older adult workers since first tracking this data in 1948. It has also been established that unemployed older workers typically take twice as long to get hired as it takes unemployed younger workers to find a job. Older adults are now competing with young adults who are fresh out of college. This is intimidating due to the advancements within technology and the simple fact that there is an age difference, which often contributes to health and wellness. (DDN)
Donna Kastner founded “Retirepreneur” to offer people in their 50s and 60s tools and insights to make the transition from full-time employment to their next chapter, including starting their own businesses. This a very successful and helpful tool because it helps eliminate those intimidation factors that come with competing for a job against someone much younger and seemingly more fit for the job. (DDN)
Healthcare Inequality
Older adults in the United States often find themselves burdened with excessive healthcare costs. According to Amanda Bucceri Androus, RN, BSN, the average American over 65 years of age spends $11,300 per year on healthcare - this number is triple that of the average person in their 20s-30s (2022).
Due to high costs of medical care in the U.S., a federal program called Medicare was created to provide healthcare insurance for adults over the age of 65. Around 14% of adults in the U.S. are insured by Medicare (Kadowaki 2022).
Caretaking and Gender Inequality
In the United States, 3 out of 5 caretakers are women. The average age of a caregiver in the U.S. is around 50 years old (Pope 2022). Caretaking responsibilities often fall on family members, as healthcare and caretaking costs can be very cumbersome. Throughout their lives, women often take on caretaking roles for their partners or spouses, children, and grandchildren.
The National Institute of Health's National Institute on Aging explains that, “Despite living longer, older women are more likely to report depressive symptoms or limitations in physical function, are more likely to live alone, and live in poverty at a disproportionately high rate." Despite this, older women still frequently act in caretaking roles to prevent financial strain or bankruptcy.
Older Adults and Neighborhood and Community Inequality:
Looking at Dayton, Ohio and Beyond
Community Centers in Dayton
In Dayton, the department of recreation provides health and wellness checks where seniors over 55 can get their blood pressure checked or answers to health related questions. They also provide a community lunch program that offers activities such as Bingo, Pokeno, Senior Exercise, Line Dancing, Euchre Group, Seniors, Explore The Internet, We Can Paint Too!, and History Class.
The Dayton Local website provides a page just for seniors with links to websites of all resources seniors can use. These include senior living options, many different senior centers, and resource connections.
Assisted Living in the U.S.
Assisted living is a form of long term care and housing for seniors. Assisted living communities work to provide personal care, social activities, nutritious meals, and a variety of other services.
Assisted living is in high demand in the United States. "A Place for Mom" shares statistics about the growing popularity of assisted living in America:
"More than 810,000 Americans currently reside in assisted living communities, accounting for 88% of all senior residential care community residents. There are over 28,900 active assisted living facilities, operating at a capacity of 78%. The median cost of a private, single bedroom unit in an assisted living facility is $4,500 per month. With 7 out of 10 people requiring assisted living care in their lifetime, demand is expected to grow by an additional one million beds by 2040." (Samuels 2022).
Compared to the national average of $4,500 per month, the median cost of assisted care in Ohio is $4,635 per month (Hoyt 2022).
Impact of Place on Older Adults
According to the Dayton Business Journal, Dayton is the fifth best city in the United States to retire in.
DollarHand.com conducted a census report which analyzed a number of socioeconomic factors, including some listed in the infographic above, and established this ranking for the city of Dayton (Bush 2022).
Some of the disadvantages of living in a more impoverished neighborhood for older adults in a community are:
Functional limitations
Cognitive decline from no access to resources such as parks, community/recreation centers, and libraries
Less accessible from no public transportation and unsafe sidewalks/crosswalks
More stress from seeing vandalism or trash and having safety concerns
Health risks from unhealthy food options, unhealthy air and few ways to exercise
Less sociability with others (PRB).
Older Adults and Access to Justice
Millions of elderly Americans endure exploitation, neglect, social isolation, and discrimination every year. At least 10% of adults age 65 and older will experience some form of elder abuse in a given year, with some other adults simultaneously enduring more than one type of abuse. Common types of elder abuse include physical, emotional, and financial abuse.
There are various resources available to help elders overcome ageism and achieve justice:
Passed in 2010, the Elder Justice Act was enacted to protect, detect, treat, and prosecute elder abuse and exploitation. It applies to those 60 and over and is the first major piece of legislation that addresses elder abuse in the United States.
The CDC provides a resource about recognizing the signs of, and preventing, elder abuse.
C.A.A.N.E. develops community partnerships to prevent elder abuse through education, advocacy, and services in Montgomery, Ohio.
The Locator is designed by the government and enables elder justice professionals to locate and collaborate with elder justice networks/teams across the nation.
The United States Department of Justice provides resources for Fraud Prevention and other senior scams. This resource allows older adults to learn about prevalent financial scams and how to avoid them.
REFERENCES
Ashburn, J. (2021, January 16). At What Age Are You Considered a Senior Citizen? Silverbell Homestead, Assisted Living. https://silverbellhomestead.com/at-what-age-are-you-considered-a-senior-citizen/#:~:text=Written%20by%20Jeremy%20Ashburn%20on,for%20Medicaid%20is%20age%2065.
Bucceri Androus, A. (2022, August 5). Here's How Much Your Healthcare Costs Will Rise As You Age. registerednursing.org. https://www.registerednursing.org/articles/healthcare-costs-by-age/.
Bush, J. (2022, July 22). Report: Dayton ranked No. 5 in top 15 best places to retire in America. DAYTON 24/7 NOW. https://dayton247now.com/news/local/report-dayton-ranked-no-5-in-top-15-best-places-to-retire-in-america.
Financial exploitation. The United States Department of Justice. (2022, July 28). Retrieved November 29, 2022, https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/financial-exploitation
Goal F: Understand health disparities related to aging and develop strategies to improve the health status of older adults in diverse populations. National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/about/aging-strategic-directions-research/goal-health-disparities-adults.
How neighborhoods affect the health and well-being of older Americans. PRB. (n.d.). https://www.prb.org/resources/how-neighborhoods-affect-the-health-and-well-being-of-older-americans/
Hoyt, J. (2022, October 25). How Much Does Assisted Living and Home Care Cost in the U.S.? seniorliving.org. https://www.seniorliving.org/assisted-living/costs/.
Kadowaki, J. (2022, October). SOC 339: Social Inequality Health Inequality [PowerPoint slides].
Pope, N. (2022.) Older women caring for others and needing care. Journal of Women & Aging 34(6), 687-691. https://doi.org/10.1080/08952841.2022.2121050.
Samuels, C. (2022, April 21). Assisted Living Statistics: Population & Facilities in 2022. a Place for Mom. https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/assisted-living-statistics.
Schroeder, K. 2021. Older workers left in droves in pandemic; employers can help them return. Dayton Daily News. https://www.daytondailynews.com/business/older-workers-left-in-droves-in-pandemic-employers-can-help-them-return/SU7FLVNLHJBI3N445RCTVOCXXQ/ .
“The Elder Justice Act.” ACL Administration for Community Living, https://acl.gov/about-acl/elder-justice-act.
United States Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/file/1098056/download.