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Elder Rights
United States
Background Documents
Older
American Act (1965)
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Older Americans Act into law
on July 14, 1965. This Act aims at providing help for older persons by
claiming indisputable elder rights such as adequate incomes in
retirement and the best possible physical and mental health. The Act
established the Administration of Aging, a federal advocacy agency to
represent and protect older US citizens. This agency is empowered to
oversee services and providing opportunities for older people across the
Nation. The Act also authorizes grants to States for community planning
and services programs aimed at older persons. Title XVIII covering
Medicare and Title XIX covering Medicaid were also signed into law in
1965.
Amendment to Older American Act
(2000)
The Amendment to Older American Act in 2000 added grants to Area
Agencies on Aging. It also established an important new program, the
National Family Caregiver Support Program. This Support Program aimed at
addressing the nation’s needs of caregivers. It was intended to help
hundreds of thousands of family members who care for their older loved
ones. Also, the 2000 Amendment maintains the original ten objectives of
the Older American Act about the protection of the older US citizens’
rights and dignity.
Reauthorization to Older American
Act Choice for Independence (2006)
The 2006 Reauthorization of the Older American Act includes a
project called “Choices for Independence” which promotes
consumer-directed and community-based long term care options.
Violence Against Women Act of 1994
President Bill Clinton signed into law The Violence against Women Act of
1994 (VAWA). It is enacted as Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and
Law Enforcement Act of 1994. It enhances the investigation and
prosecution of violent crimes perpetrated against women. Also the Act
changes federal criminal laws by including a civil rights remedy for
victims of “gender motivated violence,” a provision declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
Violence Against Women Act of 2000
On
October 28, 2000, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Violence
against Women Act of 2000 as division B of the Victims of Trafficking
and Violence Protection Act of 2000. The VAWA 2000 continues the
essential work begun in 1994 and creates new grant programs, in order to
create transitional housing for victims of domestic abuse or enhance
protection for elderly and disabled victims of domestic abuse among
others.
CRS Report: Violence against Women Act:
History, Federal Funding and Reauthorizing Legislation (October 2001)
Read this report to have complete knowledge about
the Violence against Women Act.
Care-Giving and Nursing Homes
Reports |
Articles Reports End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes: 2004 National Nursing Home Survey (October 8, 2008)
Approximately 20 percent of all deaths in the US occur in nursing homes. Studies of the quality of life and family satisfaction with end-of-life
(EOL) care of nursing home residents reveal a need for improvement in the EOL care provided to dying nursing home residents. The US Department of Health and Human Services presents a report that provides information about nursing home residents receiving EOL care. Demographics, functional and cognitive status, reported pain, medications, and diagnoses are compared for those receiving EOL care with those not receiving EOL
care.
Articles
Home Care Patients Worry Over Possible Cuts (December 4, 2009)
Home care shows, in microcosm, a conundrum at the heart of the health care
debate. Lawmakers have decided that most money to cover the uninsured should
come from the health care system itself. This raises the question: Can health care providers reduce costs without slashing services?
Economic Focus
Reports | Articles
Reports
Recession Hits Aging Blacks, Hispanics Hardest Says a New Poll (September 30, 2009)
According to “Closer Look,” an AARP study that examined the effects of the recession on approximately 1,000 Americans aged 45 and above, minority elders struggle more than their white counterparts to meet even the most basic necessities. The study, conducted by telephone interviews, found that African-Americans and Hispanic elderly struggled to pay food expenditures, heating bills and basic medical costs, including prescription and dental costs. Also in comparison to whites, minorities had more pay cuts, reductions in hours and sought more affordable housing opportunities. Faced with higher rates of foreclosure and doubts of whether or not they could financially pull through in the event of a serious illness, African-Americans and Hispanics also lost more sleep due to financial stress and worry. The study focuses on the lives of the elderly impacted by the uncertainty of the recession: health, financial security, housing, transportation and comfort.
Articles
Hidden Pockets of US Elderly Said to be in Poverty (September 4, 2009)
The National Academy of Science has readjusted its formula for calculating poverty levels among older people in the US. In fact, US elders are twice the indicated rate of 10%, according to the National Academy of Science’s mathematical formula, adjusted from an inaccurate formula designed in 1955. The new rate includes costs not previously considered, such as medical expenditures, location-specific costs and other miscellaneous expenses. The NAS formula indicates that ages 65 and up demonstrate a poverty level of 18.6%, in contrast to the government formula that only specifies a poverty level of 9.7%. The current government-designed formula simply measures poverty as a numeric that is threefold one’s cost of groceries, but does not consider cost of transportation, health care, dependents and household location. Some cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles have higher living costs. For instance, in New York City, implementation of the NAS formula revealed that one in three elderly US citizens falls into poverty rankings. Although poverty levels have been reduced due to federal assistance, the NAS formula reveals that many older Americans still fall into poverty due to rising out-of-pocket expenses.
Old Age Employment
Reports
| Articles
Reports
Saving for Retirement: What Do You Know? (November 11, 2009)
When you picture your retirement years, what do you see? Most people look forward to relaxing and enjoying themselves. But how can you make that picture a reality? What can you do to make sure you'll have enough resources to live comfortably and reach your goals? What do the experts have to say about saving for retirement, especially if economic times are tough?
Articles
Unemployment Jumped 70 Percent in 2008 for People Over 55-Years-Old (August 17, 2009)
Between January 2008 and January 2009, the number of unemployed workers ages 55 and older increased 70%, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Recently, individuals representing social service organizations and businesses (Temple and Killeen Help Centers, Workforce Solutions of Central Texas, the United Way of Central Texas, etc.) met to discuss the problems of middle aged and mature workers who face aging problems. Some do not know how to do a job search and sometimes do not use computers. The organizations focus on helping jobless people start over and find new work when they find themselves unemployed. The organizations also provide some training programs.
Neglect/Abuse
Reports | Articles
Reports
Understanding the Abuse of Older Persons (2009)
(Report in Spanish)
Older people face a new reality of increasing abuse The report describes the varieties of cruelties and the warning signs that abuse is ongoing. The authors list five types of abuse of older persons: physical, emotional, negligence, sexual abuse, and financial exploitation. In order to combat the abuse and violence against older persons, the report clarifies the different ways to report an abuse.
Articles
A 'Robbed Twice' Kind of Feeling (January 29, 2010)
Joe Van Slyke awoke last March to find two women in her room. They told her they were new nurses at the Sugar Land assisted living center where Van Slyke lives. After discovering missing belongings and tampered funds, police arrested the two women on counts of burglary. Since the incident, Van Slyke has had extreme difficulty recovering lost funds from Washington Mutual (now Chase), but will not relinquish her efforts to pursue justice.
Elder Abuse Legislation Moves Forward (January 19, 2010)
In Alabama, efforts are under way that could help improve elder abuse reporting as well as make stiffer laws for those who take advantage of Alabama's senior population. Rep. Tammy Irons has introduced legislation that would establish the Interagency Council for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, also known as the Elder Abuse Prevention Act. Irons said she also would like to see the interagency committee look into establishing stronger laws for people who abuse the elderly.
Political Rights and Legal Actions
Reports
Older Workers: Enhanced Communication among Federal Agencies Could Improve Strategies for Hiring and Retaining Experienced Workers (February 2009)
The proportion of federal employees eligible to retire is growing. In some specific departments, 46 percent of the workforce will be eligible to retire by 2012, leaving behind gaps in leadership, skills and knowledge. Due to past hiring freezes, all have relatively few midlevel staff to help pass down knowledge and skills to less experienced employees. In many cases, older workers are brought back into the workforce after their retirement, as consultants for a short term assignments and also to train new staff. The Office of Personnel Management is assisting the government in attracting, recruiting and retaining talented workers, including older workers.
Articles
Driving Test Proposed for Elderly (February 26, 2010)
Leaders of the Massachusetts Senate on Thursday unveiled a bill that would require certain elderly drivers to pass a test on "cognitive and physical abilities" when they renew their licenses and would ban text messaging while driving. Elderly drivers would be tested every three years with a fee not to exceed $30 for each exam, the bill said. The tests would occur when people renew or apply for a license. If an elderly driver fails the exam, the driver could petition for a road test to show the driving skills required to keep a license. After the road test, the registrar would determine whether to renew the person's license.
Lawyers Help Seniors Plan for Future (February 24, 2010)
In a rapidly changing world, senior citizens today face many new challenges. Seniors need to be aware of their legal rights and of the resources available to ensure that those rights are enforced, attorneys from the Lawyer Referral for the Elderly Program told a group of seniors Thursday. Funded by the State Bar of New Mexico, the New Mexico Aging and Long Term Services Department, and the New Mexico Civil Legal Services Commission, attorneys for the referral program offer free workshops for seniors in communities across the state. Lawyer Referral Program attorneys have taken
many cases in which a widowed parent put a grown child's name on the deed to the house or listed the adult child as a joint co-owner of checking accounts and other financial documents. In many cases, the outcome was disastrous. These workshops aim to raise awareness of seniors in the community about such issues that affect their lives.
Financial Elder Abuse Rampant In Economic Downturn (February 19, 2010)
Elder abuse is beginning to take the form of financial exploitation in the wake of the current economic crisis. Untold thousands of older investors lost "irreplaceable money" last year, in what can only be described as a racket. Typically out of the workforce, their only option was to file an arbitration claim against their bank or brokerage. Tragically, most elder abuse is never reported. Cases that do get reported usually involve the next of kin relative who realizes fraud has
happened. By 2030 one in five Americans will be over the age of 65. A White House Conference on Aging pointed out that one out of every six old people will suffer financial exploitation. If legislators and regulators do not act quickly, financial abuse of those who are old can become epidemic.
Napa Approves Protection Law for the Elderly (February 5, 2010)
The city of Napa, California signed onto an effort to require criminal background checks for those who care for older persons. Napa City Council members voted to draft an ordinance Tuesday, following a presentation on the issue by the Napa County Commission on Aging and officials of Napa County's district attorney's office. Under the proposed ordinance, anyone who receives any kind of compensation for caring for elders or dependent adults would have to apply for a permit. Although elder crimes are often unreported, awareness is growing as more
people are seen as victims of abuse or neglect.
Weighing Prison When the Convict is Over 80 (October 10, 2009)
An issue related to sentencing convicts over 80 years old has arisen in the US after a Manhattan federal judge was asked to spare an 85-year-old New Jersey man from going to prison. The judge declared that prison will not serve any purpose and imposed only a fine on the convict. However, not all judges see old age as a get-out-of-jail-free card. Some consider the type of crime more important than the age of the defendant, as an attempt to deter future bad conduct.
Aging Lives
Reports
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Articles
Reports
Relationship Quality Among Cohabitors and Marrieds in Older Adulthood (January 2010)
Close relationships are integral to well-being and the quality of these relationships has major consequences for health, especially among older adults. This report uses data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a nationally representative sample of 3,005 people ages 57-85 to compare the relationship quality of older cohabitors versus marrieds. The two groups are remarkably similar, but cohabitors are less likely than marrieds to report that their relationship is very happy. Cohabiting unions among older adults tend to be of relatively long duration. Overall, these results indicate that cohabitation may operate as an alternative to marriage for older adults.
Connecting and Giving: A Report on How
Mid-Life and Older Americans Spend their
Time, Make Connections and Build Communities (January 2010)
A recent AARP report examines how mid to late-life people in the US spend their time when they are not at work, what organizations they belong to, civic activities they participate in, and ways they help others through volunteering. Also, age is correlated with volunteering; people aged 29-44 years volunteer the most, and those who are 81 years or older volunteering the least. AARP members are giving more money to charitable causes-the frequency of charitable giving has increased from 2008 to 2009.
Articles
Elderly and Students Dance Night Away at Annual Senior Prom (March 1, 2010)
More than 200 senior citizens from the DC area traveled to the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom to chat, eat and dance with George Washington University (GW) students for the eighth annual Senior Prom Sunday afternoon. Students and seniors clad in shiny masks and colorful beads attended the event-with a Mardi Gras theme this year--to dance to the music of '80s icons like Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper. "The goal is to honor the lives and legacies of seniors throughout the District of Columbia and to share that legacy with GW students," said Timothy Kane, director of GW's Office of Community Service, during an address to the crowd. Kane said many of the seniors turn out for the Senior Prom every year because they enjoy the company of college students.
Minimize Risks of Retirement (February 26, 2010)
Retirement is full of risks. There's the risk of sickness and needing expensive care, or of running out of money or of being divorced or widowed. The problem with many retirement plans is that they try to treat all of these risks with a single solution: save more money or buy an annuity.
In the Depression, a Couple Undone (February 19, 2010)
“Make Way for Tomorrow” has never been an easy sell. Although it is a romance as intense as McCarey's film, “An Affair to Remember” (1957), and has moments as brilliantly funny as “The Awful Truth” (1937), it does not have the seductive presence of Cary Grant. Its leading man is Victor Moore, then 61, a Broadway star from the turn of the century. His co-star is Beulah Bondi, a 49-year-old character actress who specialized in forbidding society matrons. They play characters in their late 60s or early 70s: Barkley Cooper and his wife, Lucy, the parents of five adult children who have all left home.
Arrested Robber, 73, Says
He Was Paying off Mortgage (February 16, 2010)
(Article also available in Arabic)
A 73-year-old Florida man who was arrested for robbing three banks--unarmed and
taking $600 in each heist--said he needed the money to pay his home mortgage,
police said on Friday. Police said they believed the tellers gave up the money
because it was bank policy not to have staff resist robbers in case they were
armed. The robberies took place on January 15, February 1 and February 10 in
Tampa.
He Clips Hair, Not Conversation (February 15, 2010)
(Article also available in Arabic)
People at the Guinness Book of World Records who concern themselves with such
things have proclaimed Anthony Mancinelli, who turns 99 on March 2, the world's
oldest barber. Mancinelli, a widower, works at a barber shop two or three days a
week. He attributes his staying power to “eating well and never drinking or
smoking.”
Senior Meals Veteran Retires at 88 (January 22, 2010)
For 28 years, Betty Prinz has been serving up smiles to seniors at the Lake Nebagamon Auditorium through the Elderly Nutrition Program. Over the years, she volunteered in the kitchen, led Friday bingo games and delivered meals to homebound seniors. She took over as site manager at the age of 81, spending four hours a day, four days a week providing nutritious lunches to seniors. If health issues hadn't led to her retirement from the program in November, say those who know her, Prinz would still be there. Senior Connections couldn't function without the hundreds of volunteers who help at meal sites and in other areas.
Walnut Hill School Artists Paint Striking Portraits of Senior Subjects (January 22, 2010)
For this class assignment, painting and visual arts teacher Ken Tighe asked students to find a black-and-white photograph of an older person's face in a magazine or online that instantly caught their interest. After choosing the photo, each student was then asked to paint the enlarged face with black-and-white oil paint. By "attacking the drawn image in a formal and exacting way," Tighe said students' final paintings "took on an extremely powerful quality on their own." As part of a technical exercise, the painted portraits are impressive character studies, unsentimental, richly detailed and evocative of their subjects' moods while giving students a new perspective on aging.
"Golden Bear" Nicklaus Still on Course After Reaching 70 (January 21, 2010)
Despite his age, the 18 times majors champion remains actively involved in golf course design and will
go straight back to work immediately after a three-day fishing trip. The business is how Nicklaus, who won six U.S.
Masters titles, four U.S. Opens, three British Opens and five PGA Championships, has kept his competitive juices flowing in the years since he began to fade from the top level of the game in the mid-eighties.
Love Story Author Eric Segal Dies Aged 72 (January 19, 2010)
(Article also available in Arabic)
Eric Segal, the US author of the top-selling romance “Love Story,” died in London at age 72, a family friend told Reuters. The writer, born in New York, was buried at a Jewish cemetery in north London on Tuesday. He died of a heart attack on Sunday, local media reported. He had suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years.
US Crime Novelist Robert B. Parker Dies at 77 (January 19, 2010)
(Article also available in Arabic)
Bestselling novelist Robert B. Parker, who created the Spenser detective novels that became a television series, died at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was 77. Parker, who wrote nearly 40 novels featuring the tough Boston private investigator Spenser.
Like a College Visit, Minus Kegs (January 13, 2010)
In a bid to attract residents in a tight economy, more retirement communities offer overnight stays similar to what colleges offer prospective
students. With those over 55 now almost a quarter of the population, more age-restricted communities have sprung up to meet
elder needs. They range from sprawling active adult communities with the amenities and carnival atmosphere of cruise ships to small, intimate communities where karaoke night would be anathema. Many are going in this direction to ensure quality care during their golden years and making the decision themselves before others
force them to make it.
Demographics
Reports | Articles
Reports
The 2008 Age Distribution of North Dakota Residents (September 2009)
The US Census Bureau has created projections of populations by age groups in North Dakota through 2020. The study shows the changes in age groups on the national level. Changes in North Dakota’s age distribution from 2000 to 2008 indicate losses in the number of children ages 0 to 17 (11.1 percent) and the workforce-age population (i.e., ages 25 to 44) (11.4 percent). Despite shifts in the age composition throughout the state, the overall population in North Dakota dropped .1 percent from 2000 to 2008, a decline of 719 people.
Articles
The Silver Tsunami (February 4, 2010)
This
author writes about how corporations can deal with the anticipated change in demographics. New businesses that employ only people 45 and over,
or that create goods specifically for older people is one way companies are
adapting to the new population. However, most corporations are ill-prepared,
citing antiquated models of pay increases and promotions on the basis of
age. New models of retirement and part-time work for older people are
necessary for companies to survive and to provide a fair retirement for
their employees.
Starting to get crowded in 100-year-olds'
club (July 22, 2009)
(Article in Chinese)
The 100-year-olds' club in China is no longer an exclusive society.
Once virtually nonexistent, the world's population of centenarians is
projected to reach nearly 6 million by mid-century. The number of
centenarians already has jumped from an estimated few thousand in 1950 to
more than 340,000 worldwide today, with the highest concentrations in the US
and Japan, according to the latest Census Bureau figures. Their numbers are
projected to grow at more than 20 times the rates of the total population by
2050, making them the fastest growing age segment.
Promising Initiatives
Reports | Articles
Reports
Media Takes on Aging (2009)
The delay in aging that extends longevity is a great intellectual, social and medical achievement. However, embedded in US culture, we continue to see a fear of growing old, surrounded by negative stereotypes. Authors of this report provide journalists and others who work in the media with an appropriate body of knowledge about the aging process.
Articles
Helping Grandpa Get His Tech On: Study (October 29, 2009)
Contradictory to popular belief, older persons are now more involved in today's electronic means of communication than ever. In fact, some of the highest users of computers, social networks, e-mail and video games include those of the ever-growing older population. Pew Research Center analysts found that broadband use in ages 65 and older swelled from 19% in May 2008 to 30% in April 2009, a three-fold increase from the percentage of elderly broadband use in 2005. While challenges remain, many manufacturers are making their products more elder-friendly, such as by making the fonts bigger, sounds louder and manipulating other features to cater to decreasing physical capabilities.
Trade Unions
CWA
Local 1180: GAA Presents Unions with Outstanding Retiree Programs
Local 1180, an affiliate of the Communications Workers of America (CWA)
located in New York City , represent more than 8,000 workers. Their retiree division has an
outstanding retiree program, which offers benefits, year-round
activities and seminars to their members. Click above to read more.
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