For a long time now I have had a serious problem with how senior citizens are treated in this country. My anger has gotten worse the last 10 years as people close to me have gotten to the point of retirement and I see how they are treated. The facts are that woman seniors top the list of those living at poverty level. It appears that because a lot of them were stay at home mothers and homemakers, they get a bare minimum of SS. It's no wonder more mothers aren't staying home to raise their kids-the government doesn't consider it a "job", not does it aparently feel that it merits any more than the very minimum of SS benefits. Even if they worked outside the home all their life they still get screwed because they earned less than a male in the same job.
Most seniors cannot afford necessary medications because their medicare will not cover the whole amount and they can't get supplemental coverage because they receive just enough to not qualify them. My father has MS. He takes a drug that has been passed by the FDA, but is still what they call an experimental drug. It costs approximately $900.00 a month, and that's if he administers the shots to himself. If a doctor gives the shot it costs an extra $300.00. His medicare only covers about half. Thankfully, a group of private citizens have donated to a fund that helps defray the costs, but his part is still more than he can afford.
That's only a couple issues facing seniors. It just pisses me off to think these people have worked their whole life to get screwed when they get old. Seems to me that when we hit a certain age we shouldn't have to pay taxes anymore, worry about paying for medications any more and should not have to stress about where the rents gonna come from. How is it that we allow our older population live like this?

I think a large part of the issue is the breakdown of family and the reluctance of people to ask their family for help.

For example, my grandparents are elderly and not feeling so great, so they live with aunts/uncles. (I am sure my mom would want her mom with us, but my grandma lives in India, and we're in Los Angeles)

There is a larger need for social support/family support (even monetary) as one gets older.

It would be nice that these 'returement funds' that we seem to rely on from the government would be enough, but it is highly unfortunate that they are not.

We need to plan ahead more, and be able to rely on children, brothers, sisters, etc. It is a shame how elderly are treated in this country.

That's true, but sometimes even if they ask for help their children are too strapped themselves to do any good.
Our government can send out billions in loans and humanitarian aid to countries like Russia and Iraq and then let them off the hook for paying it back, they can give billions to welfare so that some baby factory can stay home with her kids that we have paid for, they can raid the SS fund and invest in risky ventures, but they can't find enough money in all this to give their seniors enough to live on. The interest alone on those loans would be enough to upgrade the existance of all seniors getting the minimum SS.
A lot of seniors worked jobs that offered no retirement, or they were layed off or retired before their pensions could take affect. Back when they were growing up and beginning to work they were told the SS they paid in would be enough to support them when they retired.
It would be nice if we could go back to a nuclear family setting and could take our parents in to keep as they got old, but most the people I know don't have big enough houses to do that nor the extra money to do much for them. Or, as in a couple cases I know of, the parent has a disability that requires them to be in a nursing facility for their safety as well as any one who lives around them (alzheimers), and a decent nursing facility costs a couple thousand a month. It just seems to me that the government figures since a seniors usefullness to them has ended they can get away with giving them less than enough to survive.

I think the government should stay the hell out of it. The government’s job is to protect us, not support us. It is up to us to support our families and our selves. I've started to save for retirement at a very young age, I will control how I live when I'm retired and I do not feel the government needs to intervene what so ever. I would like them to stop taking money out of my paycheck, I guarantee I'll see a higher return if I invest it my self.

I would draw your attention to what I just posted in the History Discussion titled "30' and Social Realism":


quote:
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Originally posted by Manu
Criminal-

You must be an idealist at heart. :-)

The textended family is WEAK in this country. It woudl be nice if it was stronger, but come on, where else are old people tossed into old folks homes until they die? Unless the elderly needs persistent care that cannot be given, or wishes to remain 'independent' I found that just deplorable...
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I suppose I can be. I do know that necessity does breed invention. I know many people from eastern europe, Russia, China, India, the middle east and so on and I find that they have a real problem understanding the hedonistic, throw away culture that exists in the US. In much of the world old people are not "discarded". I have a female friend who worked as a caregiver for old people. She is from eastern europe. She quit that job because it broke her heart to see how families treat their parents. Her last assignment was for this old guy. He was very generous with her and liked her a lot. Well they could not afford to keep her there any more but she still came anyway because she still concidered her a friend. The family became angry because she continued to see him. They accused her of steeling and threatened to report her to the police. It was a big shock to her. The family did not care about the old man, they just left him in his house and sent an alcoholic lady who lived next door to watch him. This lady did not clean his house or anything. When my friend last saw the guy he was dirty and in bad condition. It made her so angry. It made me mad too. I think this would probibly be better posted in the Whine Celler but I couldnt help but to think about it.

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