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: 

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:



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