Aging group and healthcare costs - Research Paper Example

? Aging and Health Care Costs It is undeniable that healthcare costs increases with the increase in the number of aging population within a given society. This is a true conclusion bearing in mind the fact that at old age, individuals become weak and their immune system depreciates thereby exposing them to the risks of catching diseases. This fact has spurred unrest within various societies as portions of the population toil to support the aged while others snub the difficulties succumbed by the aged. The rise in the cost of health care in societies dominated by aged population has also raised concerns of equality among members of a given society. Maintaining the contemporary facts, this paper will carry intensive research on the relationships between ageing health care costs and three sociological theories. The three sociological theories to be covered shall involve factionalism, conflict and interactionism. The paper will also spell the similarities and differences between the three sociological theories in reference to the ageing health care costs. The paper will also investigate effects of the three theories on the views of individuals in the health care. Furthermore, this paper will dig deep into effects of the theories on attempted social changes in the health care institutions. In addition, this paper will examine the effects of the theories on the societal views concerning the ageing health care costs. Lastly, the paper will mark the end of the research with an elaborative conclusion. Introduction It is without doubt that health care costs for aged groups surpass that of other age groups. This fact owes to fall in the immune system among the ageing population. As a result, aged population encounters intermittent disease infections, which calls for periodical health checkups (Gray, 2005). This trend leads to automatic rise in demand for health care thereby leading to skyrocketing of costs of medical services. Rise in the costs of health care has steamed debates and emotions among the members of the societies. Longitudinal to the debates and emotions, sociological theories of functionalism, conflict and interactionism have seemed to dominate explanation of various feelings among the societies concerning the rise in the costs of health care among the ageing population. Sociological theory of functionalism holds that sustainability of social life is by collective agreements over each individual’s functions among the members of a common society and the effective use of social institutions to better the living standards (Isajiw, 2003). Society requires health care facilities to improve the living standards of individuals. The theory of functionalism explains how the members of the societies come together to ensure enhanced health care services to all members of the society. The theory of functionalism also explains why certain members of the society decided to venture into the health care sector. Functionalism in the health care sector centers on the health care practitioners who are in charge of offering medical services to the patients and consumer in general. To some extent, the theory of functionalism also encompass the insurance companies which play vital role in insuring health of individuals as well as paying for medical bill of patients. The theory of functionalism applies to the relationship between the middle age group, the young age groups and the aged groups in the society. In a normal society, the young age groups have their functions and duties that are vital part of day-to-day existence of societies (Isajiw, 2003). The middle age groups play the most important roles in the reproduction of society, provision of labor and exploitation of resources for the benefit of the society (EGA, 2004). The aged groups of the society in most cases tend to be unproductive members cared by the young and the middle age groups (Baker, 2011). The aged group can therefore not survive in the society in the absence of the young and the middle age groups. It is also imperative to mention that service providers in the sectors of health care mainly involve large number of individuals within the middle age group of between 20- 60 years. Increase in the number of patients in among the aged group bracket will provide an exemplary application of the theory of functionalism in the health care institutions. On attaining old age, individuals require extensive care and help of the more energetic members of the society in order to carry on with life (Gray, 2005). The rise in the number of patients occasioned through ageing increases the demand for health care. According to Gray (2005), rise in demand for health care by old members in the society results into an automatic rise in the cost of health care services. The finance collected by the health care providers who in most cases comprises of the middle-aged members of society provides income, which in turn is used in sustaining the old members of the society. Health care bills collected from the old, also helps in improving health care centers and the quality of services on offer. Rise in the consumption of health care services provides finances for expansion of the health care facilities and purchase of efficient health care equipments. The conflict theory of sociology argues that different groups in the societies have different capabilities and resources and that the more powerful and capable members of the society will use their vantage to mistreat the less capable members (Andersen & Taylor, 2006). As a matter of transparency, large numbers of aged group have died in hospitals at the vicinity of health practitioners. This is explicitly due to the conflict that exists between the aged and the middle-aged members of the society (Ruggeri, 2002). Since most of the health practitioners comprises of the middle-aged population, there occurs feeling that the old are important and instead much attention will be concentrated on the other patients of the lower age groups. Most societies, health care practitioners inclusive, believe on the notion that old age lines hand in hand with death. As a result, many old patients are likely to suffer in hard pains while lying in hospitals without receiving the required medical attendance (Ruggeri, 2002). The high costs of health care for aged groups in the society are usually borne by the middle-aged groups with assumed productive power. At some points and time, this fact seems as burden to the middle-aged working class in the society (EGA, 20. Periodical health problems as attributed to the old age leads to massive spending by the middle-aged working class on health care of the aged groups. In cases where the income of the middle-aged family member is low, there likely to arise societal conflicts because, the earned income may not be enough to cater for progressive health care of the aged. The theory of sociological conflict also applies to developed countries that offer almost free health care services. Due to the higher proportionality of budgetary allocation to cover for the health care of the aged group while undeserving the other age groups and worse off other important sectors of the economy. If a society finds itself in such kind of situation, it is without doubt that unquenchable conflicts will insurrect among the competing parties. Conflicts here may emerge between the other members of the low age groups and the aged groups. Being that the low age groups particularly middle-aged groups are the very active participants in the production sector of the economy, government will tax them more to pay for health care. This occurrence may impose unbearable burden to the middle age working class thereby resulting into negative feelings towards the old age groups. It is worth noting that the negative feelings of the middle age working class towards the senior members of the society sometimes drives health practitioners to snub or offer poor services to the old. At times health care providers may desire to give medically unjustified prescription and advice to the old members of the society. Poor health care for the aged at times may assume the effects of race and gender of particular aged patients. Gender selection of patients is a common phenomenon within various societies as aged women face the effects of poor health care services. At times in America, the black and the Negroes in the poor class and middle class income families received the poorest health advice and instructions, from the middle-aged health professionals. Conflict also occurs in the lines of unbalanced budgetary allocations for aged health care and other sectors of the economy (Ruggeri, 2002). Countries that encounter high-rise in the number of aged population are prone to face such challenges when it comes to allocation of resources. With few middle working class, the gross domestic income tend to reduce and unable to provide all round balanced resource allocation. With much, concern in the health care sector, Ruggeri (2002) reports that government may opt to allocate big portion of its budget to the aged health care scheme while neglecting other vital sectors of the economy. This may encounter resistance from the middle-aged working class and to some extremes, mistreatment and prejudice against the old may occur. Interactionism theory claims that a society’s way of life is solely determined by the way members interact and relate to each other (Reynolds & Herman-Kinney, 2003). Either feelings of care and rudeness among the health care practitioners to the aged patients may reflect from the way the parties interact. Sometimes the aged people due to the exhaustion may display elements of introvert when they fail to engage in basic communication with the health care practitioners. This kind of relationship may also result to negligence of doctors towards the aged members of the society. Old patients may also feel a sense of isolation and this may make them to remain in a closed state for fear of insinuation and prejudice. Interactionism theory also applies to the rising cost of health of care for the aged. Interaction between health practitioners and the society provides the understanding of growing trend in health care demand among the old. This understanding makes the health care providers to raise the rates of health care charges for the old. Interaction displays the true unproductive status of the aged group due to their weakling nature. Health practitioners sometimes neglect the old patients or give them unjustified advice because of the perceived insignificance of the aged in the society (Andersen & Taylor, 2003). Interactionism also exposes health care practitioners to the information about increased budgetary allocation for the aged health care while under allocating for other sectors in the economy. This perception imparts negative feelings on the middle-aged health practitioners who comprise the largest proportion of tax base. Some governments have established old age pension schemes for the aged groups in the societies (Ruggeri, 2002). Interactionism in the society voluminously passes the information regarding the pensions to the health care centers. Bulk of the information received concerning the old pension scheme incorporates the amount of money offered and the bracket of individuals highlighted under the pension scheme. In return, such information makes the health care providers both in the public and private operations increase the charges for service delivered to the aged. The theory of interactionism explains why some medical practitioners tend to give inappropriate health advice to the aged groups. This owes to fact that aged group consists of old people who may lack basic health information with regard to the technological advancement in the health care sector (Andersen & Taylor, 2006). At times, medical practitioners impose huge figures with regard to medical bills of the aged especially in cases where insurance is involved in making payment. Through interaction, medical doctors identify the financial strength of the aged patients, which they may use to draw unethical conclusions on the kind of services offered to specific individuals. In that regard, aged patients who have unstable financial backgrounds may obtain poor if no medical attendance from the medical officers (Andersen & Taylor, 2006). Aged patients with stable financial background on the other hand, may be exploited by the health practitioners through the ways of proposing for periodical health checkup even at times of healthy conditions. Sociological theories in the field of health care pose a number of similarities and differences. For example, functionalism and conflict theories are similar in that both are concern with the unproductive nature of the aged group to an extent that they cannot cater for health care. In addition, functionalism and conflict theories concentrates much on the burden borne by the middle aged working class in settling medical costs of the aged group. Moreover, functionalism and conflict theories are similar in that both examine behaviors of health care practitioner in relation to poor rise in the costs of health care for the aged. Functionalism and interactionism theories also have some common similarities with regard to the field of health care. The first similarity is that both determine the functions of various members of the society. Both functionalism and interactionism theories addresses the reasons for mistreatment of the aged group in the health care sector. In addition, both functionalism and interactionism base more focus on the financial capabilities of the aged population with regard to quality of health they receive from the health care practitioners. Theories of interactionism and conflict also share some range of similarities. The first similarity is that both theories explore the evidence of inequality in terms of resource allocation by the government. Both theories expresses dissatisfaction of the societies with way governments tend to distribute their budgets to address the issues of aged health care. Interactionism and conflict theories also explain why health practitioners develop negative feelings towards the aged groups in the society. Furthermore, the two theories provide explicit reasoning as to why health care practitioners increased the health care costs for the aged groups. There are also margins of differences between the three sociological theories with regard to their application in the health care sector. Functionalism and conflict theories are different in that as functionalism theory explains the contribution of various members and social facilities in cherishing better social life, conflict theory works to explain the reason for the presence disarray in the societies. Functionalism and interactionism theories also exhibit a number of differences in the social institution of health care. Among the differences is that the theory of functionalism expresses the roles and duties of various age groups in controlling the costs of health care for aged while interactionism deals with the nature and effects of various interaction principles on the costs of health care for the aged groups. Lastly, the difference between the conflict and the interactionism theories is that as conflict theory claims that health care costs of the aged group rise because of dissatisfaction with resource allocations, interactionism attribute the rise in the health care costs of the aged to the participants in the health sector interrelate with the aged. Theory of functionalism in the context of the aged health care, has led corrupted the minds of the middle-aged groups to extent they show disrespect to the seniors. The social values that require the middle-aged to care for the aged members of the society faced corruption as the middle-aged societal members interpret caring for the aged members as unbearable burden. Conflict theory has also contributed to derailed improvement the health care sector. This reflects to the continued outcry by the middle-aged groups concerning substantial budgetary allocation for health sector to provide better health care for the aged groups. The theory of interactionism on the other hand has contributed to the development of distrust among the members of the society. This is because upon getting information about governments’ old age pension schemes, health care practitioners increases the cost of health care for the aged with perception that they have much to spend. Furthermore, interactionism has driven the old into introvert state for the fear of exploitation by health care practitioners upon realizing the financial stability of particular aged persons. In conclusion, aged group in the societies have really faced tragic health care challenges. The society in general has been in the right mood of enhancing better health standards for the aged members of the societies. Health care practitioners have skipped their responsibility of careful handling of the patients to frustration of the aged patients. Health care practitioners have proved adamancy over the fact that immune system of an individual depreciates with increases in age. This has made the medical personnel to take the advantage of aged health consumers as they view the patients as resourceful channels of obtaining large amounts of money for themselves. The application of sociological theories of functionalism, conflict and interactionism to greater extent has ruined the social values as well as positive social changes. References Andersen, M. & Taylor, H. (2006).Sociology: Understanding a diverse society. Ontario. Thomson Learning, Inc. Baker, H. (2011). Checklist of questions for Elderly Parents. Retrieved October 5, 2011 from http://www.ehow.com/list_6849450_checklist-questions-elderly-parents.html EGA. (2004). Healthcare Economics: Affordability and Sustainability of Healthcare in Europe. Retrieved October 5, 2011 from http://www.egagenerics.com/gen-economics.htm Gray, A. (2005). Population Ageing and Health Care Expenditure. Retrieved October 5, 2011 from http://www.ageing.ox.ac.uk/system/files/AH%202%20Gray.pdf Isajiw, W. (2003).Causation and Functionalism in Sociology. London: Routledge Press. Reynolds, L. & Herman-Kinney, N. (2003).Handbook of symbolic interactionism. Walnut Creek, CA. Altamira Press. Ruggeri, J. (2002). Population Ageing, Healthcare spending and Sustainability: Do we really have a crisis? Retrieved October 5, 2011 from http://www.caledoninst.org/PDF/553820274.pdf Read More