Issues Concerning Ageing in Contemporary Society

Like in many countries of the world, the population of the USA is ageing. The number of people whose age is more than 65 will increase by 2050. This fact will influence greatly on the process of organization and supply of medical services. The main aspects that should be taken into consideration are concentration on chronic illnesses, increase the number of professional medical staff that will be able to take care of older people and the introduction of new financial programs that will provide good health care for ageing members of the population. The problem of chronic illnesses is rather significant today because it is one of the primary reasons of the deaths. Some of them are incurable. Medics should focus on trying to cope with chronic illnesses rather than treat them. Patients with disabilities because of these diseases should also have a special medical support. So, the main strategy is to improve the medical service that will give the chance to live a long and better life (Wiener, 2002).

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Provide an argument concerning an issue of death and dying of your choice.

The problem of good end-of-life and dying occupies the minds of many people because all of us have senior parents or grandparents who live with us. The fact of dying is inevitable. Some elderly people have a strong body and clear mind till the end of their life while others have a weak body or even disability and are in need of special care. So, the issue of major importance is to provide senior people with an adequate medical care and to allow them to live a supportable life.

Another significant question is to allow people who have terrible diseases that provoke sufferings to die with the aid of medical staff. Some people argue whether the doctor has the right to help to die or not. It is a disputable topic because our life is a major value that we have. It is a matter of moral and ethics that does not allow us to answer immediately this question. Firstly, every person should be aware of his real state and the prognosis of his illness. Secondly, the doctor may advise his patient to choose a special therapy that will reduce his sufferings. Thirdly, the patient should be able to consult another doctor and then decide what variant is suitable for him. A senior person deserves to have a worthy life and end of life. So, he may choose to die in the bosom of his family and not among people in doctors coats (The Economist, 2015).

Analyze a particular religious tradition for their conception of the afterlife.

The question about what happens after death differs in various religious traditions. For example, Buddhists state that death is not the end of humans life. It is only the step that you should make in order to achieve reincarnation. They believe that every person has his own karma. Karma consists of good and bad actions that impact the future. If your actions were good you would be able to have a better future life. Buddhists also affirm that the form of rebirth can change. So, if you were a human being, you would be able to become an animal or a god in the next life. It also depends on your deeds. Having a good karma means that you will be born in one of the highest realms, but the aim of Buddhists is to avoid this cycle of reincarnation and to get nirvana (Dusk, 2015). Nirvana is a state when you feel relief and bliss. You do not have sufferings. You are free from subjective sentiment and experience. Before entering a new body, there is an intermediate state that can last 49 days. During this period, the person is pulled by his own karma in order to find a suitable place for his next life (Gray, 2015).

References

Dusk, A. (2015). Beliefs of Buddhists on the Afterlife. People - Opposing Views. Retrieved 16 December 2015, from http://people.opposingviews.com/beliefs-buddhists-afterlife-5049.html

Gray, J. (2015). Buddhist Views of the Afterlife | Immortality Project. Sptimmortalityproject.com. Retrieved 16 December 2015, from http://www.sptimmortalityproject.com/background/buddhist-views-of-the-afterlife/

The Economist,. (2015). The right to die. Retrieved 16 December 2015, from http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21656182-doctors-should-be-allowed-help-suffering-and-terminally-ill-die-when-they-choose

Wiener, J. (2002). Population ageing in the United States of America: implications for public programmes. International Journal Of Epidemiology, 31(4), 776-781. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ije/31.4.776