The Aging Population And Government Policy

Posted by The Popular News Today on Tuesday, April 10, 2012

By Byron Jonas


Human beings inevitably grow old. The chronological life cycle of a human being goes from childhood to adulthood and finally to old age. The aging population and government policy had been on a collision course for some time but this has changed in recent times. The government has come up with policies and legislation for programs and services that will meet the needs of an aged person.

There are policies as well as legislation that the authorities have come up with as concerns old and pensionable members of the society. Retirement benefits are one policy that the administration has come up with, and this will ensure that the aged are able to get some livelihood so that they are could rely on themselves and not on others. The funds that will be used to provide the aged with their upkeep will be a joint contribution by the authorities in collaboration with employers.

Immediately the worker stops working by way of retirement, voluntary or forced, they will be getting an allowance on a monthly basis that is about half of their previous monthly pay check. They will enjoy this allowance as they age hence enjoying some form of financial surety. The government made it a must for each and every employer and employee whether they are officially employed or in self-employment to contribute to their retirement scheme on a monthly basis.

However, some people view such a scheme as unworkable, and a waste of their hard earned money. These people would rather have the funds that they contribute be invested in a profit generating activity. What these critics fail to realize is that if a retirement fund did not exist it would mean that the authorities will need to give the aged population hand outs, meaning that money will have to be taken out of the economy for this purpose.

The government has also come up with a social based welfare program that specifically caters for all pensioners. There are, for instance, special clinics that cater for the sickly, aged retirees. There also exist schools to specifically train nurses who go on to become effective caregivers for the pensioners.

It has been observed that senior citizens are afflicted by diseases that are peculiar to their age group and here the government has to ensure proper health care is given to these aged people. Of importance is to have them cost share rather than purchase medication at standard prices. This in turn helps them survive for long due to the affordability of both palliative and curative medication.

These nurses are equipped with skills that will enable them cope with issues that may come up when dealing with old people. Subsidized treatment is also provided to the pensioners, and the government does this by giving tax breaks to chemists who provide medicines that help to treat common ailments among the old.

There should be standards that govern the conditions of facilities established to accommodate the aged in the society. Some of them are in dilapidated state and end up causing health problems for those in them. Some of them take days before washing these people and this is very unhygienic. It is also important to visit the aged constantly and keep them company.




About the Author:



{ 0 comments... read them below or add one }

Post a Comment