Aging and Health

The health status of a family in later life is a product of lifelong forces, genetics, behaviors, lifestyles, and access to a particular kind of health care system. There have been issues concerning a coherently financed, integrated, and accessible system of health care as the goal but the fundamental problem of paying for it remains unresolved. As human service and public service leaders, you need to come to terms with the question of whether health care is a right of citizenship (much as education and clean drinking water are) or a privilege (tied primarily to employment or economic resources) for families in later life. You as a human service and public service leader will face changes as you help families in later life with the new health care reform legislation, including new provisions for long-term care.