Elder
Rights
United States
- Archives 2011 -
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
Guardianships:
Cases
of
Financial
Exploitation,
Neglect,
and
Abuse
of
Seniors
(September
30,
2010)
To protect older persons who are incapable of managing
their personal
and financial affairs, state laws provide for court
appointment of
guardians. State and local courts are responsible for
overseeing them.
However, the Government of the Accountability Office
(GAO) identified
hundreds of claims of physical abuse, neglect and
financial
exploitation by guardians in 45 states and the
District of Columbia
between 1990 and 2010. GAO found that courts failed to
screen guardians
adequately and did not communicate effectively or at
all with each
other about abusive guardians.
Articles
In Washington, Senior Citizens
Organize to Prevent Retirement Home (December 22,
2011)
(Article in French)
At AARP's recent caregiving forum, a major concern was
the
inability of caregivers to unite politically to
advocate for
themselves. Given
the apparent need and the extraordinary number of
family caregivers in
the US,
why is there no Occupy Elder Care' movement?
Occupy
Elder
Care:
Why Caregivers are Bad Advocates (December 7, 2011)
At AARP's recent caregiving forum, a major concern was
the
inability of caregivers to unite politically to
advocate for
themselves. Given
the apparent need and the extraordinary number of
family caregivers in
the US,
why is there no Occupy Elder Care' movement?
A Slow Exodus from
Nursing Homes (December 6,
2011)
Medicare
regulations
instruct nurses to ask: Do you want to talk
to someone about the possibility of returning to the
community?
Explicit in
this question is you can go home again.' The fact
that nursing home
residents
are being asked this question represents a change
and progress towards
rebalancing long-term care from institutional care
to home and
community
services. However, cuts in state social services
budgets, residents too
weak to
function well outside a facility, the housing
transition and conflicted
interests have created a stalemate.
A
Nursing
Home Shrinks Until It Feels Like a Home (October 31,
2011)
Two dozen nursing home
operators in the country found a way to make nursing
homes feel more
like home! Breaking away from the traditional,
hospital-like
institutions, “Green Houses” are mushrooming in the US:
these houses
host no more than 10 residents who enjoy a private
bedroom and
bathroom, and share a front porch, back deck, living
room and kitchen--
with the advantages of elder care. While patients
undoubtedly benefit
from this much warmer environment, nurses report better
working
conditions since their schedules and tasks have been
modified.
Economic Focus
Reports | Articles
Reports
Report: Why
Did
Poverty Drop for the Elderly? (September 2010)
As the US suffers from a rising unemployment rate,
overall poverty has
increased from 13.2 to 14.3 percent. However, citizens
aged 65 or older
don't seem to be affected since many elders have retired
and are not
looking for jobs. In fact, older persons’ poverty rate
has decreased.
Articles
Boomers vs. Millennials: The Fight of a
Generation (or Two)
(December 18, 2011)
Neil
Howe,
economist and demographer, anticipates a clash between
seniors and the
Millennials. He also predicts a winner: the young. The
restructuring of
society's limited resources may create surprising
resolutions.
The One Percent
Turns Class War Into Generational War (November 7,
2011)
A Congressional super-committee responsible to come up
with a deficit
reduction plan may result in large cuts to Medicare,
Medicaid and
Social Security. But it actually appears that all three
programs can in
fact provide benefits for a very long time without
undergoing any major
changes. The idea that they have to be reformed comes
from Washington
officials and the 1 percent, who are trying to distract
people from the
class war by creating what could become a generational
war. But
the US people will see through this strategy of the 1%!
Seniors
Join
Occupy Chicago, Protest Cuts to Medicare, Social
Security
(November 7, 2011)
One thousand senior citizens rallied during the Occupy
Chicago
movement, protesting cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social
Security and
Housing and Urban Development. They reaffirmed their
need for returns
on the payments they made into these social program. The
older persons
also demanded recognition for their contributions to
society throughout
their lives. At one point, 43 protesters sat in the
street to block
traffic, but the police quickly escorted them
away.
Interestingly, police issued citations rather than
arresting them.
Here's What Happened
When Pete Seeger
Joined The Protesters And Took Over Columbus Circle
(October 22, 2011)
Iconic folk singer Pete Seeger joined The Occupy Wall
Street protesters
on Friday night for a march on Colombus Circle. The 92
year-old star
and his grandson Tao Rodriguez-Seeger then got together
with other
musician friends and set up an improvised concert for
around 300
people. Seeger started protesting and singing out
against fascism in
the mid-1930s, as Hitler was coming to power.
Long-Term Stock
Plans Help to Avoid
Impulsive Moves (September 16, 2011)
The 2008-2009 financial crisis has shown the risks of
investing in
stock markets and has proven that being careful and
moderate is a must.
It is not only the market's variations that can cause
damage to
savings; one's emotions can also lead to inappropriate
management.
Therefore, it is critical to think the investments
through to make the
best decisions. In this process, a financial planner's
advice might be
helpful, for example, to estimate how resistant to risk
one is or just
to make sure one's financial goals are met.
Congressional
Briefing Sheds
Light on Poor Seniors' Employment Struggles
(September 16, 2011)
A congressional briefing called "Older Workers:
Multiple Returns
on Our Public Investment" rang the alarm on the
difficulties older
persons must overcome in the labor market. It paid
special attention to
their peculiar exposure to joblessness and low income,
as well as the
negative impact of impending cuts to the federal Senior
Community
Service Employment Program (SCSEP). Older US people will
be the first
victims of this funding cut and will suffer from losing
the help this
funding once provided them.
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
Old Dogs, New Tricks: Why More Seniors Are
Starting Companies
(December 17, 2011)
In
recent years, scholars see marks of a new phase of
life
between the prime working years and full retirement.
Entrepreneurial
activity
of those over age 50 is rising. The real-world
idealism of these late
careers
may echo a change in values as people mature and focus
more on
society's
greater good. The future of these reprise careers will
probably depend
on the
private sector unless Washington helps this transition
with public
support.
Neglect/Abuse
Reports | Articles
Reports
Elder
Abuse
(May 2010)
The author of this study focuses on persons in their
60’s or older who
have experienced criminal victimization. The authors
review the results
of the 2005 and 2006 Texas Crime Victimization Surveys,
administered by
the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M
University. Both
surveys included questions related to property and
violent crimes.
These surveys also asked respondents about their
lifestyles and
feelings of personal safety, as well as crime victims’
perceptions of
how the police responded to their reported
victimization.
Articles
Gone Without a Case:
Suspicious Elder
Deaths Rarely Investigated (December 21, 2011)
When it
comes to the elderly, there is no guarantee anyone
will
ever investigate the circumstances surrounding their
death. There are a
number
of biased systemic flaws contributing to these cases
being overlooked,
including physician negligence, derelict state laws
and decreasing
autopsies of
seniors. Shouldn’t there be more aggressive new
strategies for
identifying
suspicious deaths that occur in nursing homes and in
private residences?
Elder
Abuse
Expected to Grow in Coming Years (September 26, 2011)
Experts claim that exploitation of the elderly is an
underreported
problem that is growing as the population ages. The
National Council on
Aging estimates the annual financial loss from elder
abuse to be at
least $2.6 billion. Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser
gathered a
task force to protect the elderly from abuse.
MacArthur
‘Genius’ Grant Goes to D.C. Activist Who Fights Elder
Abuse (September
20, 2011)
Marie-Therese Connolly, a 54-year-old lawyer
specializing in elder
abuse, was given a $500,000 'genius' grant awarded each
year by the
MacArthur Foundation. Previous winners included a couple
dozen artists,
thinkers, social advocates and historians. The
Foundation rewarded the
hard work of the former head of the Elder Justice and
Nursing Home
Initiative for her work to protect older persons’
rights.
Political Rights
and
Legal Actions
Reports
Report: Older
Americans Act:
Preliminary Observations on Services Requested by
Seniors and
Challenges in Providing Assistance (September 7,
2010)
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined
Title III of the
Older Americans Act (OAA) and reported the preliminary
findings of
their study. Congress created the OAA to assist
individuals age 60 and
older by providing supportive services, including
congregate and
home-delivered meals, transportation, and support for
caregivers.
Testimony of
Stephanie Sue Stein, Director of Milwaukee Department
on Aging Before
the Senate Special Committee on Aging Field Hearing on
Reauthorization
of the Older American Act (September 7, 2010)
What does the Older Americans Act actually accomplish?
This report
details the state of affairs regarding the 150,000
persons aged 60 and
over in Milwaukee County that this legislation makes
possible. The
Director of the Milwaukee Department on Aging, Sue
Stein, explains
every day provisions by the Act that keep many older
adults afloat.
Stein praises the program, yet also explains its many
deficiencies.
These include the most obvious, yet most critical, that
of
under-funding.
Report Finds
36 Died
Under Assisted Suicide Law (March 4, 2010)
At least 36 terminally ill people died last year after
taking lethal
medication prescribed by doctors under Washington
State’s new
physician-assisted suicide law, according to a state
report released
Thursday, the first report since the law went into
effect a year ago.
The report is based on data collected over 10 months,
beginning in
March 2009, when Washington became the second state,
after Oregon, to
legalize physician-assisted suicide. The laws, both
passed by ballot
initiatives, allow mentally competent, terminally ill
adults to obtain
a doctor’s prescription for a lethal dose of
medication.
Improving
the
Lives
of
LGBT Older Adults (March 2010)
LGBT advocacy organizations and mainstream aging
organizations joined
forces examine the issues facing LGBT older adults. Most
persons
already face challenges as they age, but LGBT older
adults have the
added burden of a lifetime of stigma; familial
relationships that
generally lack legal recognition under the law; and
unequal treatment
under laws, programs and services designed to support
and protect older
persons. The report examines the unique barriers and
disparities faced
by LGBT elders and offers practical solutions. The
report examines
three areas of particular difficulty for LGBT elders.
Articles
Solidarity
with
Harlem: For Immediate Emergency Action Release!
(November 1, 2011)
The residents of a certain building located in the
historic Sugar Hill
neighborhood of Harlem have been without hot water and
heat for months.
Why? Because some lenders want the residents to move out
in their
greedy attempts to gentrify the neighborhood. Queen
Mother Dr. Blakely,
Harlem's unofficial mayor for the last eight years, is
now calling all
the tenants to occupy the basement--where the boiler is
located--until
they have hot water and heat.
Aging Lives
Reports
| Articles
Reports
Indispensable
Chairs
and
Comforting
Cushions
–
Falls
and
the
Meaning
of
Falls
in Six Older Person's Lives (April 2010)
Through in-depth interviews with four women and two men
aged between
80-94 years old, this researcher has examined the
various meanings of
falls for older persons and the impact it has on their
physical and
emotional well-being. This study also illuminates the
coping skills and
practices of persons that experience falls while
introducing healthy
life-practices to prevent and recover from such
incidents.
Articles
The Art of Aging
Creatively (December
23, 2011)
The
Lillian Booth Actors home, a nonprofit assisted-living
and
nursing facility operated by the Actors Fund, provides
care and service
to
actors, directors, dancers, stage hands, designers,
musicians, writers
and
filmmakers around the country. Many of the residents
retain a youthful
quality;
they still go on auditions and consider themselves
working performers.
Demographics
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
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
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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