Working with Older People
True or False

1.




1. Older people can often be organized to work towards solutions to their own problems.



TRUE


Organizing older adults for self help and social policy change is one of th primary ways social workers help the elderly. Organizations such as the American Association of Retired Persons and the National Council on Aging are large and effective groups that provide vehicles for older people to help themselves.




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2.




2. Part of the reason for the expected growth in social work jobs is the increase of the numbers of older people in the United States.



TRUE


Very large numbers of people will join the ranks of the elderly in the 21st Century, partly because of birth rates after World War II but also because people are living longer. In 2000, it was estimated there would be almost thirty-five million people sixty-five and older. By 2020, there will be 52 million elderly people sixty-five and older.




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3.




3. One of the most rapidly growing groups of older people are those eighty-five and older.



TRUE


It is estimated that by 2025, 2.1 percent of the U.S. population will be eighty-five or older. That compares with only 1 percent in that age group in1980.




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4.




4. There are many more women over eighty-five years old than men.



TRUE


There are about twice as many women over age eight-five as men in that age group.




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5.




5. A less expensive and often adequate alternative to nursing homes for older people who need care is an adult residential care facility.



TRUE


Boarding homes or adult residential care facilities often provide adequate care for older adults who cannot care for themselves for lower costs and with less restriction on the older person's freedom.




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6.




6. There are no major roles for social workers in nursing homes, which primarily emphasize medical care.



FALSE


Many social workers serve older adults and others in nursing homes.




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7.




7. Older adults can take care of themselves, which is why there is no protective services program for older people, comparable to those provided for children.



FALSE


Adult protective services is an important program designed to help older people who are abused, neglected, and exploited, which is a growing social problem in the United States.




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