The impact of national issues on aging: Medicine and technology, politics, and immigration

Issues relevant to older adults can recede into the background during a time when there is an effort by the media to shine a light on exciting news such as advances in medicine and technology, national politics, and immigration. These three topics are just a small sample of issues that have inspired passionate and at times polarizing debates across the United States. However, many of the current problems that are given a national platform apply differentially to older adults, and their impact on the lives of older adults warrants attention.

For example, technological advances in medicine have made genetic testing readily available, and the practice has become quite popular as individuals seek information on their ancestry. The increased accessibility to genetic testing has led to increasing popularity among millennials. For others, genetic testing is prompted by health concerns. However, insurance companies can use the results of genetic tests as a basis for denying long-term insurance (Kaiser Health News, https://khn.org/news/how-genetic-tests-muddy-your-odds-of-getting-a-long-term-care-policy/). Federal law has placed some constraints on insurers, preventing the use of results to determine price and whether or not to issue health insurance; however, for now, there is no protection from discontinuing health insurance.

Another issue that has received national attention is the political debate around states’ permissiveness of marijuana use. Arguments made in favor of and against the legal status of marijuana centers around health, recreational, and economic incentives. Less evident in this national discourse is the increasing number of older adults using marijuana—medically and recreationally. Among older adults, medical use of marijuana is used for palliative care, treatment of nausea, and spasticity. According to reports from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, marijuana use among adults 65 and older increased from 1.4% in 2013 to 3% in 2015–2016. The use of marijuana and its effects on older adults requires more research by medical and social scientists regarding its benefits and risks.

In the United States, the debates about immigration are particularly disconcerting. It is difficult to avoid the disturbing images of children separated from their parents or detained. Immigration is not only relevant to U.S. residents, it is a global phenomenon. Regardless of where one stands on this issue, attention to immigration as it relates to aging is the focus here. According to population projections by the Pew Research Center, the U.S. population will increase from the 296 million estimated in 2005 to 438 million in 2050, primarily attributed to immigrants and their children. Alongside this growth in immigrant population is the graying of America (USA), European countries, Japan, South Korea, and China. Supporting older adults—economically and with health care—poses a real concern for these countries, where the growth among the elderly is predicted to be disproportionate to the increase among younger citizens. The differences between the elderly and the younger population are concerning because of problematic dependency ratios—i.e., fewer working young to offset the cost of Social Security and other social benefit programs. The projected population growth in the United States, unlike those of other countries at risk, is anticipated to address the “graying of America” by lowering the percentage of people who will be 65 years and older. Furthermore, it is expected that immigrants will contribute to this infusion of younger individuals into U.S. society and economy.

When taken together, these three examples merely highlight for us that all issues are aging issues. The intersection of older adult issues with those about medical advances and policies around drug use and immigration reaffirms the mission of this journal—which is to embrace a multidisciplinary perspective.