Our Elderly Need Advocates example essay topic

The elderly in America have many needs that can range from transportation, a little more money, and even just a little companionship but one of their major needs is advocacy. They need someone to stand up and fight with them for what the need. The elderly of today did so much for this country such things as fight both world wars and the Korean Conflict, they fought for equality, and the escalated this country to the greatness we have today. So what is an advocate?

Advocate is a person or group that represents a common interest and goes to great lengths to see that their cause is not neglected. So why does our elderly need advocates? Our elderly need advocates for various reasons. They need someone to fight with congress over healthcare cost and issues, they need someone to defend them against neglect and abuse, and most of all they need someone to make them aware of the services and programs available to make their lives easier. Advocates are very important to our elderly as well as they should be no one wants to be alone, we all want someone to fight beside us. So who does stand up and fight for our elderly?

In all parts of the United States there are Offices for the Aging to assist our elderly with obtaining the services they deserve. The Office for the Aging was created to promote self-determination, self-promotion and self-sufficiency among the elderly. They also wanted to make seniors aware of the services available to them and their families. Over the years that Offices for the Aging has existed they have created networks of connections in many aspects with in each of their communities. Through their broad range of connections they can assist any one with any problems. Most people feel as though the Office for the Aging is nothing more than a referral agency.

There could be nothing further from the truth, Office for the Aging offers a wide variety of services but if they do not offer a service that you need they can and will refer you to an agency that can. One of the services that the Office for the Aging offers is Social Security counseling. This is a big service because of the changing laws and the complexity of the laws it is tough for many elderly to understand properly obtain all of the money they are entitled to. Office for the Aging can also go to your Social Security hearing for you if you wish that they do so.

The Office for the Aging offers legal services to seniors who need legal help but cannot afford the high cost of a lawyer. Another service offered is protection against abuse and neglect. Many people such as family, friends, neighbors, and strangers who are scam artist, robbers, and murders can abuse the elderly. They also can be neglect by the same people but there is one more person on this list that is themselves. An older person can often neglect themselves because they don't have the money to pay for extra bills and proper healthcare or they may even feel that those things are just a part of aging. The Office for the Aging receive many calls from concerned family members and friends of elderly that they feel that that person is being neglected or abused.

The office then will investigate and review the situation and decide the proper course of action. They also provide financial counseling on things like taxes, bills, balancing a checkbook, and budgeting. Financial counselors will sit down with an older person either in their office or at the home of the elderly person discuss the best option and how to go about following through with the plan. The Office for the aging also can assist in finding proper care centers when an older person either cannot or decide they do not want is in the community anymore. They help to decide on what type of facility will be in their best interest.

The type of care center they decide on could from a board and care, a assisted living home, an adult home or even a skilled nursing facility. One of the most important services that the Office for the Aging provides is that they make seniors aware of the many services available. They provide them with information on diseases, the best way to care for those diseases, and they also send out safety warning for things such as faulty products or scam artist warnings. This information that they might not otherwise receive.

(Desmond) American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) was created in 1958 by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus and now has over thirty million members, making it the biggest advocate for the elderly. Anyone that is over the age of fifty is eligible for membership. They keep their dues low so that it is affordable for all. AARP has four main areas that they claim to be experts in. They are information and education; community service; legislative, judicial, and consumer advocacy; and member services.

In information and education AARP makes its members aware of many important issues through its publications, its web site, and online services. They provide information on such things as consumer safety, economic security, independent living and a variety of important issues. They also provide many community service programs through its local chapters. They provide tax aide, 55 Alive / Mature Driving, Women's Financial Training program, and a variety of other services. As an advocacy they focus on Medicare, Medicaid, Long term care, managed care, Social Security, age discrimination, pension reform, fraud and any other issues that may concern their membership. They have a large variety of member services they offer to their members.

They offer group health insurance, auto and homeowners insurance, investment opportunities, a mail order pharmacy service, travelers' discounts, legal services and various other services. AARP is the most influential advocacy group for the elderly in the United States as they continue to fight for our elderly on into this new century. (web) Another advocacy for the elder citizen in the United States is the American Geriatrics Society. The society is a professional organization that is made up of healthcare providers that are dedicated to creating a higher standard of healthcare for the elderly. The society over the years has done a larger amount in changing the attitudes, policies and practices with in the U.S. in regards to the elderly. The society is open to anyone that has an interest in geriatrics and wants to improve the lives of our elderly. The American Geriatrics Society was founded in June 11, 1942 by a group of physicians that had an interest in creating a society that would be dedicated to geriatric medicine, which was relatively brief until the society was formed.

In their second meeting they created a scientific meeting, which has taken place every year since 1946. They also formed a mission statement that included the goals of the society. The AGS is a not-for-profit organization of professionals and others who have an interest in geriatrics and creating a better healthcare system for the elderly and increasing their quality of life. The AGS promotes quality health care for all not just the people who are already healthy. The American Geriatrics Society has six main goals:" 1. To develop and promote quality, culturally sensitive interdisciplinary geriatric clinical care and to support practitioners providing such care.

2. To increase the number of health care professionals who are knowledgeable about and participate in the clinical care of older adults, and who seek to improve their quality of life. 3. To promote high quality research that expands knowledge of the aging process and addresses the health care problems of older people.

4. To conduct education programs for all health professionals that promote better understanding of the aging process and its unique clinical challenges. 5. To provide public education and information that addresses the health concerns and needs of older people, their families and other caregivers.

6. To engage in public policy that focuses on the study, accessibility and improvement of culturally sensitive health care and quality of life for older people, including preventative, rehabilitative, long term and end-of-life care. (web) "American Geriatrics Society is very important and able to change many things because they are with in the system that allows them to play a pivotal role in the advancement of life for the elderly. The Senior Coalition is a small non-profit organization of about 500 people, non-partisan group that deals with issues of concern for the senior citizens of the United States. They have a mission to protect and create a better quality life for all seniors. The group also works to find commonsense solutions to the problems of the future. The group was founded in 1989 as a public advocacy group in response to the fight against Medicare coverage.

The Seniors Coalition has twelve main goals, which include: 1. "Protecting the Social Security Trust Fund 2. Saving Medicare from Bankruptcy 3. Restoring Ethics and Morality to Politics 4. Streamlining the FDA'S Approval of New Drugs 5. Ensuring the Availability of Low-Cost Generic Drugs 6.

Making the Government Keeps its Promises to Seniors 7. Balancing the Federal Budget 8. Reducing Taxes and the Power of the IRS 9. Reducing the Size of Government and Eliminating Government Waste and Fiscal Irresponsibility 10. Protecting the Free-Market From Government Encroachment 11. Guarding Older Americans Against Crime 12.

Restoring Traditional American Family Values". ( . senior. org) The Senior coalition feels that they are the responsible alternative to AARP. The Seniors Coalition fights all areas that could and do affect the lives of our elderly in America. The Nation Council of Senior Citizens was founded in 1962 to demonstrate to President Kennedy the need for affordable healthcare. More than 18,000 senior citizens showed up for they " re first meeting in New York City, New York.

NCSC had a small start in a little hotel room on Capital Hill. They kept their mimeograph machine in the bathtub originally. The NSCS would reach a major accomplishment in a short period of time. In 1965 the NSCS when they accompanied President Lyndon B. Johnson on Airforce One when he signed the Medicare bill.

Lyndon B. Johnson once said, "Without the National Council of Senior Citizens, there would have been no Medicare". The NSCS continues to fight to protect Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs vital to older Americans. The NSCS has fought against the continued attempts to reduce senior's benefits. The NSCS has a wide variety advocates throughout the nation. The NSCS has wide variety of affiliated clubs that that lobbies and informs people at the grassroots level and they are well known for their activism than all other organizations. There are many things that make NSCS different from any other organizations.

The NSCS has always been a large advocate for Medicare, NSCS is a democratic organization, it has the best grassroots structure, NSCS's income is from membership dues and not from commercial providers, they make politicians aware of their concerns and it has no age limit. The NSCS is a group that has done large amount to improve the quality of life for all senior citizens. The NCSC is perhaps the most well rounded senior advocacy group in the United States. The hard work put out by the NCSC has created them a network that is second to none.

The network is the pivotal part of any organization. (web) The Center for Advocacy for the rights and Interest of the Elderly was created in 1977 to act as an advocate for the elderly. CARIE is a non-profit organization, that is headquartered In Philadelphia, Pa. They are dedicated to improving the life of the vulnerable elderly. CARIE reached regional fame with the creation of its first program called the CARIE LINE. This hotline was set up to give people some to consult with about elderly care issues such as abuse, neglect, or even where to place them when they are ready to go into an institution.

The agency has a vast array of programs that they offer that extend throughout the Delaware Valley. CARIE provides direct assistance to our older Americans, their families, and to health care professionals in the field of Gerontology. CARIE has a long list of phone contacts that through them and site visits at long term care facilities, CARIE assess the needs, find service resources and find ways resolve the issues at hand. CARIE has revolutionized the mediation approach to serving elderly. They intervene at the point of crisis, help the family to deal with the situation and they help caregivers decide on the best possible care for the client. CARIE has created a wide variety of national contacts with service providers, policy makers, elected officials, elected officials, and consumers.

CARIE is also committed to improving the service system through educating the public through pamphlets, brochures and speakers on proper care of the elderly. CARIE helps the elderly with a abundance of issues that are of great concern to them and their families. They help them with issues such as detection and prevention of abuse, Long term care options, elderly rights in an institution, how to choose an institution, issues dealing with end of life care, legislative information, and how to protect themselves against fraud dealing with health care. CARIE is a young group in comparisons with many other senior advocacy groups but they have made large stride in their young existence. Youth is sometimes what revitalizes fight. (web) Another group in the fight for senior rights a group called common cause. They are a non-profit group that is comprised of all age groups and they are citizens lobbying group with over 200,000 members.

John Gardner founded common Cause in 1970. H e wanted a group that would fight against the government and make their voices heard. They are a voice that speaks out against corruption with in our government. Common cause fights at the Federal and state levels of government trying to get their programs passed. Most of their programs deal with financial reform so that we can put more money into Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other important services for our Americans. John Gardner had made the Quote "everybody is organized but the people" it soon would become their reasoning for their group.

Here in America the elderly often forget that they can be their own advocates through voting. A Democratic pollster was quoted as saying, "It's virtually impossible to take back the House or win the presidency without taking back the seniors. That makes them the key battleground... ". In the upcoming decade there will be over 76 million baby boomers that will be over 65 that mean they will have more power then any other voting cohort in America. This means the attention that the senior vote is getting will become stronger and stronger.

Older people are more likely to vote that are younger people this means that seniors can be their own advocate. Seniors can be their own advocates by voting people into office that will vote their way on important issues. Voting is a powerful instrument for all people but is often overlooked. Advocacy is an important in order for voices to be heard. Seniors citizens have various needs and as fellow humans it is our obligation to protect them. They paved the way for our country's prosperity who are we to put them out pasture.

Bibliography

web gerontologist. "Older People and Voting Participation: Past and Future" by Robert B instock. February 2000.