Comparing America And Asias Elderly Care Social Work Essay Example

Comparing America And Asias Elderly Care Social Work Essay In general, society considers the aged as individuals above the ages of 60 or 65. This is normally the beginning of old age as a individual becomes less active in political, societal and economic personal businesss. Though there are aged individuals who are in good wellness and active members of their communities, bulk are the 1s whose physical and mental maps are on the diminution. Since they are non able to acquire along on their ain, bulk of the aged individuals require attending and attention from their loved 1s every bit good as friends. Consequently, psychologists use the term elderly attention to mention to the personal every bit good as medical attending that this group of the population receives. It is apparent that aged attention takes a assortment of signifiers, runing from personal attention such as eating and dressing, to medical attending. In add-on, the attention that a household chooses for its aged individuals will depend on their demands. This is because some of the aged individuals may still be in good wellness while others may be frail. Consequently, some of them may necessitate home-based attention while others may necessitate specialised attending in a nursing place or in a infirmary. Whatever the instance, the aged do necessitate some signifier of attention. In this survey, I shall concentrate on the American civilization and the Asiatic civilization, and do comparings between the two, in relation to the facet of caring for the aged. For the Asiatic civilization, I shall analyze the Japanese. In both United States of America and Japan, the figure of aged individuals is on the addition. This means that both authoritiess have to see and set in topographic point the best mechanisms to provide for this group of the population. Different communities accord the aged different signifiers of attention, depending on how their civilizations dictate. The manner a community perceives old age will therefore impact the mode in which it treats the aged. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing America And Asias Elderly Care Social Work specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing America And Asias Elderly Care Social Work specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing America And Asias Elderly Care Social Work specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The duty of caring for the aged in Caucasic and Nipponese civilizations lies chiefly with the adult female, because these societies consider her as an innate health professional due to her maternal abilities and inherent aptitudes. However, this is besides due to the fact that, over the old ages, the adult female has fewer chances in the economic scene, and as a consequence, she remains at place most of the clip to take attention of her kids and the aged. On the other manus, when the adult female is able to entree the labour market, she finds herself in places where she has to supply attention for others. Most nurses, school and infirmary matrons are adult females. However, in the above civilizations, kids besides participate in aged attention, as a signifier of compensation for the raising their parents gave them when they were immature. The American society places a batch of accent on remaining immature. Consequently, as Samovar et. Al. ( 2009 ) notes we find a civilization that prefers youth to old age. ( p.71 ) . This negative perceptual experience of old age makes the immature people avoid remaining together with the aged and caring for them. The older grownup population instead than the immature grownups are the 1s taking attention of the aged. This explains why some households in the United States give over their old relations to nursing places. This does non nevertheless intend that the immature cut all their links with their aged relations. They do supply support and keep contact with them. The nursing places are an option for the aged people who have no household or relations to look after them at place. This is particularly the instance for those who are physically handicapped and necessitate the aid of another individual to take attention of them. Though the nursing places have become the pick for most households with aged relations, they do hold their restrictions. Some of these establishments for the aged have become money-making ventures, hence cut downing their accent on the demands of the aged. Poor hygiene and deficiency of trained medical forces and quality intervention every bit good as hapless eating plans are some of the jobs the aged face in these nursing places. Furthermore, puting the aged in nursing places bounds their freedoms as they have to follow the stipulated plan. They can non take when to feed, kip, interact with their fellow housemates and can non maintain their properties. However, nursing places for the aged still remain the option for most American households, as at that place has non been much success with home-based attention. On a positive note, the aged individuals in American society have more groups of friends and neighbours whom they can travel to for support, than the elderly people in Nipponese society. This means that the American aged are likely to have attention from their friends and neighbours, apart from their immediate household members. However, the Americans normally tend to give particular attention to their aged merely after they learn that the latter are confronting a medical job. However, since the household is still the chief health professional for the aged, some of the American households employ professional nurses to take attention of their old at place, alternatively of directing them off to nursing places. Another ground for this is that, establishments for taking attention of the aged are expensive, and some of these households are non able to afford them. Furthermore, some households opt to take their aged to twenty-four hours nursing establishments, where they receive attention throughout the twenty-four hours and so return place in the eventide. This is suited for those people who are working and can non remain with the aged relations during the twenty-four hours as they have to describe to work. It is besides convenient for working grownups who can non afford specialized attention for their aged 1s, either at place or in a nursing establishment. In some cases, the aged individual may be able to populate in his or her ain house, and may be strong plenty non to necessitate specialised attending and attention. In such instances, the household members of such an aged individual find a house near other elderly people, in countries where the comfortss they need on a daily footing are readily available. This signifier of aged attention entreaties to the community and involves them in taking duty for this group of the population. On the economic forepart, some of the large corporate organisations have introduced benefit strategies for their employees, in order to assist them in caring for their aged relations. This is because most companies want to avoid losingss in production, due to holding employees who have to work piece at the same clip take attention of their aged relations. Some companies besides provide home-based attention services for the aged, but as a profit-making venture. This nevertheless, has a negative side to it as these privatized services are dearly-won and non many households are able to afford them. On the other manus, Asiatic civilization of the Japanese has a positive perceptual experience of the aged. It teaches the kids to esteem and care for the aged. The Nipponese see the household as the premier health professional for their aged, and in this instance, it is normally a female member of the household who carries out this responsibility. This is because the Nipponese believe that it is non in order to take the aged to a nursing place as this is tantamount to pretermiting one s duty of taking attention of one s parents. This besides makes the Nipponese households give the needed attention to their aged relations throughout their old age, instead than merely when they are confronting a wellness job. In the instance of aged people who are non related to the household, Nipponese married womans or their girls are the 1s who tend to give their aged friends the attention they need. Sometimes, the daughters-in-law besides give attention to the aged, particularly if the patient is female. However, if other friends and non relations are populating under the same roof with the aged individuals, they may supply the necessary attention to the latter. This is in contrast to the instance of the American aged who receive attention from their household every bit good as friends and neighbours. In Japan, the activity of giving attention to the aged is chiefly as an act of responsibility, instead than voluntary will. The health professional considers this act as 1 that he or she has to give, and in most instances, the Nipponese married woman will supply the aged attending at her hubby s petition. The dependance of the Nipponese aged on their immediate household is besides apparent in the fact that most of them rely on their partners and their kids for fiscal support. Since the Nipponese believe that giving the aged attention is a adult female s occupation, the work forces normally leave this undertaking to their married womans. However, though the Nipponese work forces are off from place most of the clip, they besides contribute to aged attention by giving their partners fiscal every bit good as emotional aid. Again, by take parting in looking after their kids, they allow their married womans to happen clip to take attention of the aged members of the household. Elderly attention in Japan still remains mostly in the custodies of the household, particularly for those who are non sallow and in demand of specialised medical attending. However, caring for the aged at place is no longer the lone option, and households have begun taking the old to nursing places. This is due to a figure of grounds such as the ripening of the household members supplying the attention every bit good as the increasing engagement of the Nipponese adult females in formal preparation and employment. Furthermore, Nipponese households are non populating in big Numberss as they did in the yesteryear. However, the figure of nursing places for the aged and professional health professionals is on the lessening because of the Nipponese belief that it is the immediate household which bears the duty of taking attention of their aged relations. The aged who are in demand of really small personal and wellness attention remain at place, but get visits from forces who attend to them. This happens either a few times a hebdomad or every twenty-four hours depending on the demands of the aged individual. Due to the lifting demand for wellness health professionals for the aged, Japan has sought the aid of attention forces from the Philippines. These health professionals are more experient and are willing to work at a low wage. Due to the addition in the aged population, fiscal resources have non been plenty to let households to set their relations under specialized attention at place and in nursing establishments. It is due to this state of affairs that infirmaries in Japan have offered to suit the aged who are in demand of both personal every bit good as medical attending. This manner, the aged in Japan can entree long-run attention. Though on a small-scale, the Nipponese aged engage in volunteering plans where they offer services to the community and in bend, they receive personal every bit good as medical attention. There are nevertheless some similarities in the facets of aged attention in American and Nipponese civilizations. Care for the aged is still one of the concerns of both the United States and Nipponese authoritiess, though they differ in their policies. America gives precedence to proviso of medical attending, pension for retired persons and shelter, while the Nipponese authorities came up with policies to set in topographic point insurance for every citizen including the aged, for a long-run period. In both states, the addition in aging members of the population has put a batch of force per unit area on the medical every bit good as retirement strategies. However, technological progresss in medical specialty have increased and they are being used to better the life-expectancy degrees of the American and Nipponese aging populations. Again, since adult females are progressively traveling into formal employment, the work forces in both states are besides going more and more involved in aged attention. In decision, due to lifestyle alterations, many people have started life in smaller groups and households, and are besides located far from each other. Consequently, caring for the aged can no longer be the duty of the immediate household entirely, but has to be a privilege of authoritiess, non governmental organisations every bit good as private establishments.