Ethical Issues With an Aging Population - 275 Words

Ethical Issues With an Aging Population (Essay Sample) Content: ETHICAL ISSUES WITH AN AGING POPULATIONAuthor:Institution:Date of Submission:There are numerous practical and ethical challenges concerning resource allocation, and these issues are expected to become more salient if the dire predictions for the next few years will materialize. Health scholars are in agreement that there is a lack of a consensus regarding several policy questions that should guide caregiving to the elderly. It is important to note that many health expenses in late life are not guaranteed under the public health funds. Thus, the care for the elderly has always elicited many challenges, including resource allocation, organization and sustainability of the continuum services, and the issues of cultural competence in service delivery (Center for Disease Control, 2003). Apart from financial deliberations on how the resources should be provided, there are numerous ethical questions that need to be addressed regarding the criteria for resource allocation. So me of the challenges here include answering numerous questions such as:To what length should costly treatments be mobilized for frail adults in the last moments of their lives? (Crippen, Barnato, 2011).What are the necessary boundaries of government-funded, community-based services?How the balance should be found between public and individual responsibility when it comes to caring for the elderly?Frail adults are at increased risk for negative results and are the most outstanding consumers of health resources in both community and acute settings. In the future, there will be an increased demand for all services and goods needed by individuals starting from their seventieth to the tenth decade of their lives (Mick, Ackerman, 2002). In order to meet this growing demand, the diversity of demands, trajectories of health and impressive heterogeneity of the aging adults must be appreciated.ReferencesCenter for Disease Control, (2003). Public health and aging: Trends in agingUnited State s and worldwide. Retrieved 03 November 2014 from  HYPERLINK "http:...