The Elderly Population
Results from the U.S. Bureau of the Census displays that there are 7.6 percent or 46 million elderly people in the year of 2000. The elderly is categorized as old which are persons between the ages of 60 to 79, as well as the oldest-old population consist of persons 80 and above. Facing the high percentage of elderly people in the United States, there will be several challenges that will have to be confronted. (Yang 15). First, the decline of fertility relates to the increasing number of older people in the United States. In the year in 1870, the fertility rate for White Americans declined to 4.5 and even farther to 3.5 in 1900. Additionally, in 1972 the total fertility rate dropped to the lowest on record to the level of 2.1. (Bouvier, Poston
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This is a challenge the United States is currently facing, the more dependents the working class has to support, the less resources are available for the working class as they age. (Yang 15). As the working population ages, government funded programs as Social Security may not be available because of the old and old-oldest population are using up the resources currently. Fourth, the parent support ratio will likely increase in the United States from 21.4 in the year 2000 to almost doubling to 41.7 percent in the year 2050. In a 50 year span the parent support ratio is expected to double a total of 20 percent. The burden of taking care of the old and oldest-old population can become a burden on their children and the country financially, and socially. (Bouvier, Poston 261). As life expectancy continues to increase and people are living longer, the more challenges the United States has to face. The aging population is effecting the country finically and socially by the burden on the elder’s children and by government funded programs. If the aging population continues to consume more than they contribute, the working class population will not have any resources when it is time for them to retire. The process now is to make the resources expands and to ensure that the government funded programs are available in the near
This is a challenge the United States is currently facing, the more dependents the working class has to support, the less resources are available for the working class as they age. (Yang 15). As the working population ages, government funded programs as Social Security may not be available because of the old and old-oldest population are using up the resources currently. Fourth, the parent support ratio will likely increase in the United States from 21.4 in the year 2000 to almost doubling to 41.7 percent in the year 2050. In a 50 year span the parent support ratio is expected to double a total of 20 percent. The burden of taking care of the old and oldest-old population can become a burden on their children and the country financially, and socially. (Bouvier, Poston 261). As life expectancy continues to increase and people are living longer, the more challenges the United States has to face. The aging population is effecting the country finically and socially by the burden on the elder’s children and by government funded programs. If the aging population continues to consume more than they contribute, the working class population will not have any resources when it is time for them to retire. The process now is to make the resources expands and to ensure that the government funded programs are available in the near