Deck 11: Policies and Programs for Older Adults

Question 1

Pension plans that pay a specific amount every month if the retired person worked the required number of years are called:

A) defined benefit plans
B) defined contribution plans
C) social insurance programs
D) public assistance

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Among services for older adults, Medicaid covers:

A) personal care services, but only within long-term care institutions
B) only medical services
C) home-and-community-based services, but subject to state variations in eligibility and offerings
D) nursing home stays, but only up to 90 days

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Demographics in the U.S. are generally characterized by:

A) growing population of older adults and steadily declining child population
B) declining population of older adults
C) increasingly racially and ethnically pluralistic population of young people and growing population of predominantly white older adults
D) declining female population at all age groups

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Compared to the poverty standard for younger adults, the poverty standard for those over age 65 is:

A) higher; you can make more money as an older adult and still be considered 'poor'
B) the same
C) the same in high-cost states and lower in low-cost states
D) lower; you can make more money as a younger adult and still be considered poor

Question 5

Which of the following was NOT part of the Older Americans Act?

A) creation of an employment program for older adults
B) the creation of Medicare
C) grants to local communities for multipurpose senior centers
D) establishment of local Area Agencies on Aging

Question 6

Programs funded through the Older Americans Act are:

A) entitlements
B) funded by payroll taxes, similarly to Social Security
C) capped; when money runs out, eligible applicants are denied services
D) financed through a cost-sharing formula between the states and federal government

Question 7

The 'sandwich generation' refers to:

A) Baby Boomers
B) family caregivers simultaneously caring for young children and aging parents
C) working mothers balancing a family and a career
D) two-earner families

Question 8

Which of the following most accurately characterizes the fiscal strains facing the entitlement programs?

A) Solvency of both Medicare and Social Security can be ensured into the future with careful and timely reforms
B) Social Security is in a crisis; it will run out of money in the next couple of years
C) neither program has serious fiscal problems; the crisis has been invented for political purposes
D) Social Security should be privatized to ensure solvency

Question 9

Addressing social policy for older adults requires:

A) deciding whether support for older adults or children is more important
B) strengthening Area Agencies on Aging, since they are the only entities equipped to deal with the changing demographics
C) supporting the intergenerational compact and interdependence
D) eliminating the use of terms like 'older adult', since they really have no meaning in today's dynamic society

Question 10

Which of the following is an accurate and strengths-based message about social policy for aging populations?

A) "Aging Baby Boomers are going to bankrupt our society if we don't do something!"
B) "Older adults have contributed a lot to our society. Now that they are old and incapable of taking care of themselves, we owe them our support."
C) "Children are our future."
D) "Policies that support healthy and engaged aging are good for everyone in society, and policies that support people throughout the lifespan help older adults, too."

Question 11

Workforce participation by older Americans is:

A) rising in tandem with that of other age groups
B) falling, because older people already have enough in savings and don't need to work
C) rising, even as labor force participation by other ages has fallen somewhat
D) rising more slowly, because employers are reluctant to hire older workers

Question 12

Depression in older adults is best understood as:

A) a mental health concern
B) an inevitable part of aging, since older people suffer so many losses
C) the result of pervasive ageism
D) unfortunate but impossible to treat successfully

Question 13

Hospice care is:

A) medical care provided in a hospital setting
B) end-of-life care that focuses on alleviation of pain
C) medical care in home-based settings
D) care provided by health care providers other than medical doctors

Question 14

The shifting of risks related to retirement financing, from public responsibility to individuals, is seen by many social workers as:

A) a great idea, if only people would take retirement saving seriously
B) unfortunate but necessary, since the U.S. can't afford social insurance anymore
C) inadequate and inequitable
D) a big improvement, because now people are planning for their futures

Question 15

Comparisons of public spending on children and older adults must:

A) be avoided, because they are meaningless
B) include not only federal but also state and local spending, and calculate spending per capita
C) consider differences in the cohorts included in each group
D) both b and c

Question 16

American public opinion about OASDI largely holds that:

A) social insurance is an outdated and unaffordable policy idea
B) Americans of all ages support social insurance and prioritize reforms to strengthen its future
C) privatization is a better way to handle Social Security
D) older people support Social Security, but young people think it is a myth

Question 17

Name at least three political, economic, and social factors that came together to make passage of OASDI possible. What does this suggest for needed social reforms today?

Question 18

With what you know about demographics, wages, and Social Security, why are women the majority of SSI beneficiaries?

Question 19

There are economic and person-centered rationales for the expansion of Home and Community-Based Services within Medicaid. Explain each of these:

Question 20

Describe at least two policies that would have to develop for the U.S. to pursue a policy of "aging well".

Question 21

What changes in policy that impact younger Americans would have a positive impact on the well-being of older adults? Name at least three connections in these policy arenas.

Question 22

Suggest two policy strategies for addressing insolvency of OASDI without unduly harming vulnerable beneficiaries.

Question 23

Briefly explain the importance of the concept of "interdependence" for strengths-based policy development for older adults.

Question 24

You are a social work policy practitioner who has been asked to provide recommendations to the state departments of Children & Families, Transportation, Housing, and Employment regarding how to modify their policies and practices to support the concept of healthy aging. Make one recommendation for each department from a strengths-based perspective.