Older Americans and Health Care

Moreover, Longino (1988) reports that the population of the "oldest old" (people 85 years and above) has increased 165 percent in the last 22 years. Specifically, Longino notes that in 1980, people over 85 numbered 2.3 million; in 2000, they are expected to number 5.4 million, and in 2040, 13 million.

This "graying" of the American population is believed to have two causes. The first cause is the high birthrates of the late 1800s and the mid-1900s in combination with the high immigration rates of the twentieth century. The second cause is the medical advances that have lengthened life expectancy. In other words, as a result of medical advances, fewer people die young, and new medicines and procedures now save many people who once would have succumbed to various illnesses.

The elderly, as might be expected, are major users of health services. According to Papalia and Olds (1992):

(1) People 65 years of age and above average 9.1 physician visits per year.

(2) Although the elderly comprise about 12 and 1/2

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logy nurses' knowledge levels of the physical and behavioral aspects of aging will not be observed to significantly differ as a function of differences in one or more of the following oncology nurse demographics: ages, gender, basic nursing education, highest degree held, employment status, length of time employed in nursing, content area of clinical practice, type of employing institution, experience in oncology and geriatrics, current job category and specific education received about geriatrics. Null Hypothesis 3: Oncology nurses' degree of negativity in their attitudes toward the aged will not be observed to significantly differ as a function of differences in one or more of the following nurse demographics: ages, gender, basic nursing education, highest degree held, employment status, length of time employed in nursing, content area of clinical practice, type of employing institution, experience in oncology and geriatrics, current job category and specific education received about geriatrics. Conceptual Assumptions The conceptual assumptions made relative to this study can be delineated as follows: (1) It is assumed that attitudes can and often do affect behavior. The proposed research is, to a great extent, justifie
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Approximate Word count = 9819
Approximate Pages = 39 (250 words per page)

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