End of The Semester

This semester has exposed me to the topic of interest groups. When we were originally given the assignment I chose the topic of Elder Care i chose it because my grandma had just suffered a major stroke and I wanted to look into what kind of care she would be able to get in addition to that of the family support. Since that time my grandma has passed away but that experience of watching what was going on with her opened my eyes to Elder Care even more. The most disappointing part of this assignment was the lack of historical polls which made writing my issue history paper difficult. All in all this semester has been very interesting and packed full of information.

Warning Signs

This is a video about the warning signs to look for when your elderly loved one may need to start being assisted.

Dr. Bill Thomas on Elder Care

This Harvard graduated doctor has done research on what happens to the elderly. This is a video with speeches of his and his findings.

News Report on Assisted Living

This is a video about assisted living centers for people that just need a little bit of help.

Elder Care Video

This a video of a woman explaining what she feels is wrong with the Elder Care system

Cost of hiring an Elder care expert

The new York Times wrote an article September 25th 2009 highlighting the cost of what is to take care of some one who is needing skilled care. In this article they describe the life of a woman that is suffering from Alzheimer's and that will be needing assisted care because her husband is also in his mid 80's. The costs for just the consultation to figure out what you need to concentrate on and what solutions may exist will set cost around $200. Then you move on to the Assessment where the care manager with the patient, speak with family members and doctors, and assess the living arrangement to more clearly understand the patients situation and challenges. That will cost between $500-$1,200. Then there is the issue of continuing care which could range from having nurses live with you or having the patient live in a facility. Which will run either a hourly cost or will be a flat monthly fee. Elder care is not cheap and is only going to be getting more expensive with the number of people that will be reaching the ages at which they need skilled care.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/26/health/26patient.html

National Center on Women and Aging 2002 National Poll Women 50+

In 2002 National Center on Women and Aging conducted a survey and contained questions pertaining to Elder care. The first question asked how they would rank certain things they wish would be changed and 86.6% of them answered that they would like to see Improvements in the availability & affordability of child and elder care. Of those surveyed 14.9% said that affording good child and elder care is one of the most important things faced by woman as a whole. While only 7.3% of woman 50+ feel that Affording good child and elder care is important. This poll demonstrates how opinions have changed in just 7 years.



http://iasp.brandeis.edu/womenandaging/poll_topline.pdf