The Elderly
The elderly people form a special segment of any society. This is essentially due to the unique age that requires them to be treated well by all. As people grow old, there is a decrease in their physical functioning, as well as a possibility that they lose the independent living status they initially held in society. Consequently, it is essential that governments come up with policies that provide guidance on how to assist the elderly in society.
This is to ensure that they too are able to lead their lives comfortably like the rest of society. This paper explores the policies that have been formulated by the Federal Government which primarily do concern the welfare of the elderly. Moreover, the paper will examine how these policies affect the elderly in the United States of America. These policies are outlined below.
Policy on Tax Breaks
Given that the elderly are limited in the way they can undertake normal activities that generate an income, the government has formulated a policy on tax breaks (Edwards & DeHaven, 2003). Here, there is the provision of preferential treatment to the elderly when it comes to payment of taxes. According to Conway and Rork (2008), despite the fact that there has been a decline in the tax breaks offered, they go a long way in assisting the elderly.
However, during the 2008 presidential campaigns in the United States of America, there were efforts by the candidates to reverse this trend. This was through offering additional tax breaks. For instance, Conway and Rork (2008) reported that President Obama (then a Senator) proposed to eliminate all federal income taxes on the elderly. This was to affect those elderly with incomes of less than $50,000.
Policies on Healthy Aging
The elderly need to be provided with a conducive environment that ensures that they age gracefully in society. As such, the United States government has policies that ensure that the health of the elderly is fully taken care of. One such policy, according to the Healthy States Initiative (2007), is the Decreasing Fall Injuries in Michigan. This policy was formulated in 2002 to cater to the elderly as it had been found that the majority of them suffered from fall-related injuries.
Clinics were established where such cases could be referred to by the families of the affected seniors. Moreover, family members were also trained on how to assist older people who had been affected by injuries related to falls. There is also a policy that provides caregiving options in Vermont. Established in 2005, the Choices for Care Policy allows the elderly in Vermont to where they would prefer to go for care. Given that the majority of the elderly prefer home care, this has seen a reduction in health care costs in Vermont. This policy is advantageous as it meets the needs of an aging society that wish to spend most of their time at home (Burgess & Burgess, 2006).
Federal Housing Policy for the Elderly
The United States Government has formulated a policy that ensures that there is a provision of quality housing for the elderly. For instance, the 2007 Hosing Survey in America showed that 6 percent of the elderly had benefitted from this policy (Sermons & Henry, 2010). The policy, which mainly targets low-income earners in society, has largely been beneficial to the elderly. Under this policy, there are various programs undertaken by the government.
References
Burgess, A. M. & Burgess, C. G., (2006). Aging-in-Place: Present Realities and Future Directions. Forum on Public Policy. Web.
Conway, K. S. & Rork, J. C., (2008). Income Tax Breaks for the Elderly—How Did We Get Here? Public Policy & Aging Report, Vol. 18, No. 4. Web.
Edwards, C. & DeHaven, T., (2003). The war between the Generations Federal Spending on the Elderly Set to Explode. Policy Analysis, No. 488. Web.
Healthy States Initiative, (2007). Keeping the Aging Population Healthy. Legislator Policy Brief. Web.
Sermons, W. M. & Henry, M., (2010). Demographics of Homelessness Series: The Rising Elderly Population. Homeless Research Institute. Research Matters. Web.