Geriatric-Related Medical Access
(A) Introduction to the Problem
Aging is a fact of life. When you are born you are destine to age. One well known fact is that with aging comes more complicated lives. Older adults operate slower, struggle with the loss of friends and family, and their body start to betray them. One major factor in aging is health. The health of an older adult is a complex web of deficits and needs that are ever changing as the individual further ages. Beall, Baumhover, Simpson, & Pieroni (1991) very succinctly pointed out that as a person ages the need for more services increase. The purpose of this paper is to explore the current availability of individuals who hold specialized knowledge in addressing older adult health care needs, specifically physicians. Throughout this paper the current training of physicians will be looked at, the availability of specialized services at a whole, the impact that beliefs and attitudes have on medically treating elderly, and the role that social …show more content…
The US Census predicts that by the year 2050 every age group of people will be larger than it currently is with the number of those over 85 growing in number “from 5.9 million in 2012 to 8.9 million in 2030” (p. 6) and predicted to be at 18 million by the year 2050 (Ortman, Velkoff, & Hogan, 2014). If the census is accurate, that number suggests that there will be three times as many older adults in our society thirty years from now.. This number of aging older adults compared to the decreased number of geriatricians is somewhat troubling and brings to mind the question of how older adult health care needs will be met in general. Charles et al. (2014) state that with the shift in demographics will lead to “a greater number of older people needing complex care and a greater need for chronic disease management” (p.
(A) Introduction to the Problem
Aging is a fact of life. When you are born you are destine to age. One well known fact is that with aging comes more complicated lives. Older adults operate slower, struggle with the loss of friends and family, and their body start to betray them. One major factor in aging is health. The health of an older adult is a complex web of deficits and needs that are ever changing as the individual further ages. Beall, Baumhover, Simpson, & Pieroni (1991) very succinctly pointed out that as a person ages the need for more services increase. The purpose of this paper is to explore the current availability of individuals who hold specialized knowledge in addressing older adult health care needs, specifically physicians. Throughout this paper the current training of physicians will be looked at, the availability of specialized services at a whole, the impact that beliefs and attitudes have on medically treating elderly, and the role that social …show more content…
The US Census predicts that by the year 2050 every age group of people will be larger than it currently is with the number of those over 85 growing in number “from 5.9 million in 2012 to 8.9 million in 2030” (p. 6) and predicted to be at 18 million by the year 2050 (Ortman, Velkoff, & Hogan, 2014). If the census is accurate, that number suggests that there will be three times as many older adults in our society thirty years from now.. This number of aging older adults compared to the decreased number of geriatricians is somewhat troubling and brings to mind the question of how older adult health care needs will be met in general. Charles et al. (2014) state that with the shift in demographics will lead to “a greater number of older people needing complex care and a greater need for chronic disease management” (p.