Cultural Diversity
Professor Tiffany Purifoy
06/30/2013
Aging and Disability
Three issues with faced by the aging population would include being discriminated against (also known as ageism), Retirement or no way to find work due to ageism, and social isolation. Ageism refers to how the elderly are discriminated against in many areas of their life. Ageism has a very big influence on the presence of diversity in a society because the elderly are the ones suffering from it. They are viewed as not healthy, not physically fit, or too slow to perform their jobs. Many people do not realize that many elderly people can work harder and faster than some young people that work today because of their experience and knowledge from working so many years. Many elderly know short cuts to get the job done fast and easy with efficiency. According to "U.s. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission" (n.d), “The ADEA prohibits employment discrimination against persons forty years of age or older.” The ADEA addresses issues for the aging population by setting laws and regulations for employers to follow. This act protects the elderly from not being employed. The "U.s. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission" (n.d) website states “It is therefore the purpose of this chapter to promote employment of older persons based on their ability rather than age; to prohibit arbitrary age discrimination in employment; to help employers and workers find ways of meeting problems arising from the impact of age on employment. There are many things being done to address the issues of ageism, retirement and social isolation. The ADEA was created to prevent issues of ageism and there are many care facilities to promote health care and social interactions for the elderly. According to "Department Of Health & Human Services" (2013), “Elderly represent 12.9% of the U.S population, about one in every eight Americans. By 2030, there will be about 72.1 million older
References: 1. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/adea.cfm 2. Department of Health & Human Services. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/ 3. U.S. Department of Justice. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm