1. What did you learn about the population in your research that caused a shift in the way you think?
2. Do you believe there are adequate services available for the population? Why or why not? Any suggestions for improvement to existing services or service delivery?
The Elderly Population in FloridaIntroduction.Statistics stipulate that the Florida population, specifically people above 65 years, was 4.5 million out of the 21.5 million copying this region. This is about 20.5 percent of the total population. In this case, Florida happens to be leading, followed by West Virginia and Vermont, followed by 19.9 and 19.4 percent, respectively (Zevallos et al., 2016). Compared to the whole country, which has over 52 million people being 65 and over, Florida offers a good share of contributions to the elderly group.Historical Background of Social Services of the Elderly in Miami, Florida.The Department of Elder Affairs, since 1992, has been able to work as the main state agency for providing social services for the elders and also bringing up a policy that will be laid in long-term care of the elderly. The population of the elderly in the year 2019, as noted earlier, was 4.5 million people in Florida, with the females being more than the males. With such a significant population, there is a need to provide social services to this population.Gnanasabai et al. (2020) article noted that the social services provided by the Department of Elder Affairs include adult care food programs, community care for the elderly, health and wellness, among others. The department also has a helpline to help family members know if their elderly family members can get benefits and services offered by the government. All this has brought about community development in the whole of Miami.The housing and the social department provides finances allocated to housing and social services to boost community development. Through the social services programs offered by different departments in Miami, the lives of the elderly can age healthily and comfortably (Gnanasabai et al., 2020). A program offered by the housing and social department is the Golden Silver Senior Program. This program ensures that the elderly have a safe space to interact with the other seniors and caregivers and provides them with meals in a protected environment. In this program, the elderly engage in Arts and crafts, educational workshops, field trips, movie day, and all other activities. All this ensures that the elderly in different parts of Miami are well taken care of.Social Problems Faced By The ElderlyIn addition, even though caregivers and the government have made efforts to ease the lives of the elderly, they are still faced with many challenges. Most older people are retired because they are past the standard retirement age. Most of them can no longer do the job they used to because they are aged, whereas others may want to continue because they still see themselves fit, but sadly, their opportunities aren’t available. This, for one, brings about financial insecurity (He & Larsen, 2014). The cost of living is increasing day by day, and this affects the elderly in Miami because they can no longer afford the comfort they had while working, but through senior homes, the elderly are well taken care of and are made comfortable without having to work to earn money.Physical aging is also another challenge because as the elderly are aged, they cannot function as they did. At the same time, young but social service departments have programs that engage the elderly in different activities like games and exercises, which strengthens them more. Some of these services provide nutritional meals for the elderly to keep them healthy (He & Larsen, 2014). Senior home caregivers are trained on the type of exercise the elderly can engage in, and the meal plans that they should follow with this the elders are healthy and fit.In addition, loneliness is another challenge, as most of the elderly suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia; hence, they tend to lose their friends who are aged like them. In elderly homes, the elderly are provided with senior home providers or home-based caregivers that become their friends and companions (Zevallos et al., 2016). The caregivers undergo training that helps them understand an elderly’s emotions and feelings and how they can help them feel better. Educational programs are also provided for them to keep them busy and equip them with knowledge.Zevallos et al. (2016) research added that most senior groups are affected by diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, cataracts, and muscular degeneration. Such health challenges affect the normal functioning of a human being and, even worse, in the elderly. Elderlies tend to become weak because of these diseases and may sometimes isolate themselves from other people because they feel like a burden. Caregivers are trained to know how to help the elderly cope with these diseases. They are also trained on activities they can engage in to strengthen their muscles, such as muscular degeneration. They are also trained on how to administer medication and how to deal with such patients as they can be stressed and hyper when faced with episodes of this disease.Boredom is also another challenge the elderly face and has huge consequences for the elderly. The elderly group, at most times, are challenged with depression and anxiety because they are bored, which results in loss of purpose and lack of self-worth in life. But this can be prevented or rather reduced. Social services equip their social workers with skills on the activities they can help the elders engage in, such as gardening clubs, book clubs, art and craft classes, and life story exercises. All this keeps them entertained and busy, reducing the risk of boredom, anxiety, and depression.ConclusionTaking care of the elderly in Miami is a key responsibility of its citizens and the government. Different social services departments in Miami have ensured that the elderlies are a group that is well taken care of because regardless of their age, they are still a key group in the development of Miami. Once we take care of the elderly, we take care of the community.ReferencesGnanasabai, G., Kumar, M., Boovaragasamy, C., Rahman, M., & Ramamurthy, P. (2020). Health seeking behaviour of geriatric population in rural area of Puducherry: a community based cross sectional study. International journal of community medicine and public health, 7(9), 3665.He, W., & Larsen, L. J. (2014). Older Americans with a disability, 2008-2012. Washington, DC: US Census Bureau.Zevallos, J. C., Wilcox, M. L., Jean, N., & Acuña, J. M. (2016). Profile of the older population living in Miami-Dade County, Florida: an observational study. Medicine, 95(20).
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