title: Ageing in the United States at the end of the century.
abstract: "The belief that America is a ¿young' nation is widely held by many individuals in the United States. Historically, individualism, self-reliance, and an orientation towards youth have been cherished values reflecting...our national heritage and tradition dating from the 18th through the mid-20th century. However, America is no longer a ¿young' nation. Rather, we are an ¿aging' population, as we show in our analysis of demographic transitions reviewed in this paper. The phenomenon of ¿cultural (or structural) lag' is discussed in two different contexts: first--the context of the aging family; and second--the context of ethnic/racial minority groups. Finally, some of the relevant public policy responses to aging are described. We look at government programs in four major categories, namely, (1) income; (2) health care; (3) social services; and (4) housing."
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000569:Americas; D003469:Culture; D003710:Demography; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D019049:Developed Countries; D004467:Economics; D005006:Ethnicity; D005191:Family Characteristics; D009656:North America; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011640:Public Policy; D014481:United States
keywords: Age Distribution--changes; Age Factors; Americas; Cultural Background; Demographic Aging; Demographic Factors; Dependency Burden; Developed Countries; Economic Factors; Ethnic Groups; Family And Household; Family Characteristics; Microeconomic Factors; North America; Northern America; Policy; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Social Policy; United States