The overall goal of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) site is to provide thorough and extensive explanations for all of their kinds of services. Their services range from Health to auto which proves that AARP strives to provide the best opportunities for their members. Their site gives clear and adequate overviews of their different services to make it easier for prospective and current to research. AARP’s mission is inspired by the goals of their founder, Ethel Percy Andus. Their mission statement is to enhance the quality of life of their members—of all ages. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, social welfare organization that has nearly 38 million members that help people “turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families” (AARP, 2017). The core of their statement is championing positive social change and delivering value through advocacy, information, and service. They also have a vision statement that states that “a society in which all people live with dignity and purpose, and fulfill their goals and dreams” (AARP, 2017). The primary users of the site would be of those who are looking into retirement—specifically adults who are about 50 and over. The site is mainly directed to this group of people because the main goal of the site is to aid those going into retirement to keep up with themselves in the people around him. To critique the website, I do not believe that they make it easy for an older adult to navigate. If an older adult were to first click the link to the website, I would only think that they would instantly feel overwhelmed. The site has too much going on starting from the headlines to the advertisements. On that very first page, there is a plethora of videos, articles and much more that if I, a young adult felt annoyed with so much in my face, I know that an older adult would be too. On the top of the website, there are three different quick links: Join, renew and benefits. With the join, they make the process easy and feasible to work with as they have bold letters and they even have a number on the side for any extra service. The AARP site also makes it clear to prospective members that their data is secure. Something specific that I have learned from this site is in the mission statement. The mission statement embodies most of what the course has taught so far. The caretaking of the elderly is imperative throughout many different platforms. One of them being the caretaking of themselves. AARP shows that being old does not mean that one has to submit to the societal norms of the society that we live in that suggests that the elderly are lazy, dependent and simply too old to function. Due to the misunderstanding of the elderly via social media, people are more inclined to accept those false statements because of the initial impact that society brings to daily lives. An elderly life is devalued and every stereotype towards the elderly reflects a stigma that being old equates to a loss of life. It is organizations like AARP that prove the media wrong by presenting more ways than one to amplify your life when looking into retirement. Just because retirement from labor is on the horizon does not mean a retirement from living your life is necessary. There is often this misconception that the elderly is to move out to nursing homes until their passing. However, I believe that such a conception is an ignorant one. There are many older persons that show that age is just a number. By and by, there is a great juxtaposition between the view of the elderly in the media and quite frankly, the view of elderlies themselves. Being old does not mean your life have been put to a halt. To present an example, in one of the posters in the course that we had to view, there was a quote that said, “If you dream about something enough, it can come true. It happened to me”. The elderly who said this inspiring quote did not let the norms that society created stop her from doing the so called impossible for someone her age. AARP sincerely promotes this type of thinking. Society seems to shame anything that is a natural body occurrence—weight gain, breastfeeding in public, body hair, and of course, aging. Maybe the elderly has wellbeing decays, their appearance is not the same as it was when they were younger, and their wellness is not very impressive, however that doesn’t mean they are a weight on society–a misconception by many elders that pushes them to believe that they’re not cared for. On the off chance that they would prefer not to retire at the moment, then they should continue working. Continue doing what makes them glad such as traveling, volunteering, cultivating, and cooking with their spouses. They must deal with their wellbeing decently well and appreciate life. They have been in the world longer than the current generation so they should not hesitate in offering their recommendation to the world. They have lessons to share, wisdom to pass down, and unending encounters to shield us more youthful people from committing errors. There are people in the world that are willing to aid the elderly in either realizing their strengths or regaining it. Elders should welcome assistance from everyone who is willing to help when they require it. “The solid individual is the person who requests help when he needs it.” Our older adults have done all the work they can for our generation, it is the ideal opportunity for this generation to give back what they have been given when it is due. Time with family is also imperative and can help with any sense of loneliness and depression. The surrounding of the people that generally love you is always a good form of medicine. The elderly must remember that they resemble fine wine–that improve with age. The elderly still has a right to live to the fullest and the number of candles that they get on their birthday cake does not change that.
The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging’s (N4A) site is essentially there to aid their members to find out information about their services. They present a passion for adding value to elderly life through advocacy, action, and providing answers on aging. There are many ways than one that visitors of the site can contribute to the elderly in their communities. Along the top of the site, there are tabs titled advocacy, aging services, initiatives and resources that are packed with information for those who have interest in breaking past their usual barriers and helping the elderly in more ways than the norm by going the extra mile to do so. N4A’s mission centers around the building of the “capacity of their members so that they can aid older adults and people with disabilities live with dignity and choices in their homes and communities for as long as possible” (N4A, 2017). To expand, their statement compasses an act of community services for the elderly. While there are elderly that do not necessarily need assistance in these late ages, there are still those who may suffer from illness and simply loneliness in these times in their lives. The importance of caring for the elderly derives from reasons of history, experience, sacrifice and morality. Elders have given those of the present generation all mentioned before. Without the elders, there would not have been history and heritage—the history and heritage that tends to define the generation’s current existence. Experience comes along with wisdom that is passed down to this generation by the elders as they have seen enough to provide quality advice on how to take on the world. The sacrifice that our elders had to endure are reflected in the current lives this generation lives which is a comfortable one with technology and convenience. Essentially, the elderly set those morals that the present day go by. While we may not follow all of those set of rules to morality and principle, we see how much it has impacted their lives. These are just a few of the endless reasons for this organization which is summarized in their mission statement. “The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) is a 501(c)(3) membership association representing America’s national network of 622 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and providing a voice in the nation’s capital for the 256 Title VI Native American aging programs” (N4A, 2017). N4A takes pride in building a strong community of those who have a want to help the elderly. From education events to volunteerism, they strive to keep their members active in their volunteer work. There are immense was to learn more about how to be the best caregiver one can be with all of the different pieces of information that the site offers for everyone on the site. The site was initially designed for volunteers to explore the plethora of resources provided on the site. The layout of the site is very clean and clear. While there is a lot of information served throughout the site, there is no overcrowding of information. There are not any advertisements and pop ups everywhere to distract anyone from getting the information that they need. Navigation is easy as the website uses bold fonts to make it easier to see and they also have tabs that make it feasible to get the most accurate information you need. If an older adult were to utilize the site, I would not suspect any difficulty as the text size is manipulated enough for the elderly to read with the text being bold and white and the background of the website being white as well to make it easy on the eyes of an elder to read dark text. What this site has taught me is patience as a caregiver. My grandmother is currently fighting a battle with cancer and as one of her caregivers, I see that it is easy to get frustrated. In the caregiver’s tab, there is great advice on how to be the best caregiver you can be to your significant elder. The N4A site emphasized that caregiving takes place in many forms than one; the impact that aging has on an elderly that needs caregiving ranges from physical to mental. A caregiver can become frustrated and lose patience with the pressures of keeping their significant elder comfortable and happy. Through the site, however, I have learned have to deal with the difficulties of caregiving as the site delivered resources on how to discuss the facts of the matter on aging, knowing when one would need caregiving, and many more. Society, these days, is worried about getting old rather than helping the elderly stay old. In other words, the neglecting and lack of care of the elderly is often looked past as the youth is worried about themselves and themselves only. To be frank, the best bet that those who want to help the elderly have is to take up some of the caretaking of our elderly as the people we are supposed to trust to care for our elderly are usually the ones who are the main reason for elderly abuse. This is why the N4A is one of the most important associations as their educating resources give them insight on how important their caregiving role is to the elderly. Caregivers of today are as essential as nurses (the nurses that carry out their employment with honesty without mishandling the elderly). They are a vital piece of the health services team that contribute in supporting senior residents by giving and satisfying consideration required by the elderly focused on the physical, passionate, otherworldly, mental and social welfare. There are various matured individuals that need help whether at home, nursing foundations or clinics.
The American Society on Aging was founded in 1954 and has stuck to their principles. ASA offers professional education, publications, and even training resources that are nationally recognized (ASA, 2017). ASA claims to be “the essential resource to cultivate leadership, advance knowledge, and strengthen the skills of those who work with, and on behalf of, older adults” (ASA, 2017). The main takeaway of the site is to educate professionals on providing the highest-level of training to strengthen their skills to take care of the elderly at the best quality.
Health professionals, government, business and philanthropy to learn how to provide the best services and products for older adults. The primary users of the site are not necessarily the elderly but those who are interested in aiding the elderly such as the health care professionals and government leaders. It is sites like these that advocate the site provides different ways to educate people on helping the elderly with web seminars, conferences, and publications. Overall, the site has a great deal of information for those who have a desire to aid the elderly. The site is indeed clear cut. There is a special feature on the site where you can resize the font. There are also different ways that one can stay connected with the ASA on the upper right: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Email. What I learned from this site is the importance of educating oneself on how to provide top of the line services to the elderly. Contributions should not solely be the health care professionals but the government and big businesses. The treatment of elderly is to be in a wide scale as they spent their lives taking care of our generation. That being said, it is our time to take care of them.
The National Institute on Aging is the leader in Aging Research. Their missions are to “support and conduct genetic, biological, clinical, behavioral, social, and economic research on aging; Foster the development of research and clinician scientists in aging; Provide research resources; Disseminate information about aging and advances in research to the public, health care professionals, and the scientific community, among a variety of audiences” (NIA, 2017). NIA is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of NIH, it is one of the main leaders in the federal government in conducting research on aging and the health of our elders. It is institutes like these that allow longevity in out elderly as research is a vital part in finding new, innovative ways to treat older people. “The Institute seeks to understand the nature of aging and the aging process, and diseases and conditions associated with growing older, in order to extend the healthy, active years of life. In 1974, Congress granted authority to form NIA to provide leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people. Subsequent amendments to this legislation designated NIA as the primary Federal agency on Alzheimer’s disease research” (NIA, 2017). The primary users of this site would be those searching for more information on the research that is taking place. The site has a tab that is labeled “Research and Funding” which provides the different types of research going on. Someone who has an interest in joining in on the research may be able to find an incredible opportunity as there are resources, centers and featured programs available. The site is easy to navigate through. There is a lot of material to go through but it is not as clustered as most research sites are. The material is feasible to read and they provide announcements for the different research and funding that they have on their site to keep their readers up to date.
The National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) was established as a program within Elders Share the Arts (ESTA) in 2001 by Susan Perlstein, MSW, through a partnership with the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). NCCA incorporated as an independent non-profit and was established in Washington, D.C. in 2007 under the leadership of Gay Hanna, MFA, Ph.D. Affiliated with George Washington University, NCCA worked closely with the Center on the Aging, Health, and Humanities under the auspices of Gene Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., a leading researcher and physician on the forefront of the creative aging movement. NCCA is a designated as a national service organization on arts and aging by the NEA (NCCA, 2017). The site serves as a platform where individuals ca flourish and invest in creative expression. The National Center for Creative Aging keeps up with the continuous support and fortification of their shared work and mission through “key capacity-building, education, and advocacy partnerships and initiatives in the field of creative aging” (NCCA, 2017). Regardless of whether an individual, association, or partner one can line up with the NCCA system to use their work, insight, and voice of its members to change the stigma of aging. Older adults encounter ageism in various forms on a regular basis. Their experiences of age stigma can range from compassionate ones in which they get undesirable help to more inauspicious ones in which they confront dismissal of help. Examples of such actions are taken place in nursing homes. Nursing home abuse is a serious concern and elders who have been mistreated have a 300 percent more prominent possibility of death in the three years subsequent to the abuse than the individuals who aren’t abused. Up to 1 in 6 nursing home citizens might be the victim of abuse or neglect every year. Older adults may cope with ageism and consider whether feeling subjectively younger might be one way for them to misidentify from their stigmatized age group. This is why groups like the NCCA are important to our elders as they remind them that being old does not mean life must be dull till the end. The primary use of this site is for older adults to share their stories, learn how to work with others their age and to create a fulfilling life outside of the stigma. The use of this site is also for the community who wants to help the elderly recognize their abilities outside the stigmas. Youth is of such incentive in U.S. culture that endeavors to remain youthful fuel a multibillion dollar industry. The predominant view is “Whether I can purchase enough pills, cream, and hair, I can abstain from getting to be noticeably old”. Unquestionably, people’s endeavors to maintain a strategic distance from the close to certain, wild results of maturity (on the off chance that one is sufficiently fortunate to survive) uncover the disgrace and pessimistic demeanors related with cutting edge age. Like sexism or prejudice, “ageism” alludes to the negative demeanors, generalizations, and practices coordinated toward more established older adults construct exclusively with respect to their apparent age. Confirmation of ageism can be seen in any number of spaces, including the work environment and human services offices). For example, age separation in the work environment, for example, enforced retirement ages, prompted the incorporation of age as an ensured classification with the Age Employment Discrimination Act of 1967. More unobtrusive ageist conduct can be found in the anticipations that specialists hold with respect to the abilities of more seasoned people, states of mind that thusly shape treatment proposals and choices (NCCA, 2017). Despite the negative view of the elderly that put society has created, the NCCA gives the elderly an opportunity to turn a blind eye against these ignorant stigmas. This organization also gives those who want to invest time in the elderly an opportunity to aide them in living their best lives. Society is neglecting to esteem and tackle more established relationship building abilities’, knowledge and experience, which is well shown in the way that people who neglect the elderly have acted. However, out of the many people that neglect the elderly, there are still a grand amount of good eggs that treat the elderly with respect enough to recognize that their commitment to their significant elderlies and even all elders around is not shared.