A heightened debate on contentious issues, such as one concerning the criteria of sharing resources to the disadvantaged, especially to the elderly, is based on claims that assist leaders in decision-making. The case with Williamson and Watts-Ray debate, as provided by Moody and Sasser (2020, p.353-356), is not in any way different as their argument critique the two frameworks of sharing resources to the needy—the so-called generational equity (GE) and generational interdependence (GI). From the GE point of view, the frame integrates affordability and fairness assertions, whereas GI is tailored to sharing resources based on social security policies. This paper explores Williamson and Watts-Ray’s avowals on GE and GI perspective of Sharing resources to the needy.
There are myriads of the declaration made regarding the GE frame. To begin with, the elderly societal members are seen as people who express varying interests and seldom consider voting as a single block. Again, such interests often do not diverge from those of children and working-age adults. Thus, the fact that the elderly benefit from programs such as Medicaid do not necessarily mean that they are snatching resources away from children and working-age adults (Moody & Sasser, 2020). Moreover, GE’s perspective is tailored to old-age policies, which are unsustainable because of the change in demographic structure. Supporters of the GE frame argue that since old-age policies cannot be sustained, it is unfair to expect that every generation should always support the one that it precedes. Generally, GE’s perspective is based on old-age policies, which are untenable besides being a highly influenced frame by unique historical events and economic fluctuations.
In contrast, GI is based on counter-reactive declarations. As per this perspective, different generations have much to offer one another irrespective of age differences (Moody & Sasser, 2020). Such declaration is centered on types of common interests, including the fairness of policies by benefiting both young and old alike, elderly stake in policies that benefit children and adults. Williamson and Watts-Ray have also asserted that the elderly should be viewed as heterogeneous individuals.
Conclusively, GI seems to be a better framework for sharing resources among the elderly than GE. GI tends to focus on the societal obligation to provide for the underprivileged. Contextually, more privileged members of the society are obliged to protect vulnerable and low-wage workers. Conventionally, the theme of individualism has been highly emphasized in America more than social obligation because it resonates well with the American culture, and exceptions come only under hard economic times.
Memorandum
To: The disadvantaged elderly
From:
CC:
Date:
Subject: Food recommendation for the elderly
The level of poverty rate among the elderly population has been a problem globally. According to the Congressional Research Service (2021), the poverty rate in the United States among the aged population (people aged 65 and above) has increased by a third in the last five years. In 2019, about 8.9% of aged people lived below the poverty level, representing 4.9 million poor Americans (Congressional Research Service, 2021). From this statistic, if this large number of poor elderly population is not supported, the elderly American will remain affected
Accordingly, Americans are not limited to age-related challenges. Most of the elderly population suffer from decreased sensitivity, poor dental health, lack of finance, physical difficulty, memory loss, depression, medication side effects such as nausea, reduced appetite, and more (Congressional Research Service, 2021). Amidst these challenges, older adults need to be given adequate support to promote equality, such as home care, proper nutrition, and medical care. As a matter of fact, adults aged 65 and above suffer acute infection at an alarming rate.
Therefore, it is necessary to support sickling members of society more than any other group. Those who are financially stable but can perform tasks of the elderly such as offer caregiver services deserve the least support. The Meals and Wheel support program is committed to providing equitable and fair services to all the disadvantaged members of society. However, we cordially invite those with financial challenges but stable to seek elderly jobs such as caregiving.
Yours sincerely,
Name
References
Congressional Research Service (2021). Poverty among the population aged 65 and older. Web.
Moody, H. R., & Sasser, J. R. (2020). Aging: Concepts and controversies. (9th ed.). Sage publications.