Health concerns of the ‘elderly’

This article was provoked by a simple email that I got from one of the readers of my column (name and identity withheld). “I bring you warm greetings and want to say that I appreciate your write up at all time in the public health diary column. However, I want to call your attention to […]

This article was provoked by a simple email that I got from one of the readers of my column (name and identity withheld). “I bring you warm greetings and want to say that I appreciate your write up at all time in the public health diary column. However, I want to call your attention to writing on the situations, challenges and needs of the elderly persons in Nigeria and hope you will consider this.”  By this email, my task is simple as this column is dedicated to raising awareness and advocacy on myriad health problems in Nigeria.
I will add some few lines about health concerns of the elderly with the hope that those who are expected to implement activities will pick it up from where my pen ends.
As was reported by World Health Organisation (WHO) “between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will double from about 11% to 22%.
The absolute number of people aged 60 years and over is expected to increase from 605 million to 2 billion over the same period. The number of people aged 80 years or older, for example, will have almost quadrupled to 395 million between 2000 and 2050. There is no historical precedent for a majority of middle-aged and older adults having living parents, as is already the case today. More children will know their grandparents and even their great-grandparents, especially their great-grandmothers. On average, women live six to eight years longer than men.”
Even in poor countries, many older people die of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, cancer and diabetes, rather than from infectious and parasitic diseases. In addition, older people often have several health problems at the same time, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Around 4-6% of older people in developed countries have experienced some form of maltreatment at home. Abusive acts in institutions include physically restraining patients, depriving them of dignity (by for instance leaving them in soiled clothes) and intentionally providing insufficient care (such as allowing them to develop pressure sores).
The maltreatment of older people can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences. “The number of older people who are no longer able to look after themselves in developing countries is forecast to quadruple by 2050.”
The risk of dementia rises sharply with age with an estimated 25-30% of people aged 85 or older having some degree of cognitive decline. Older people with dementia in low – and middle-income countries generally do not have access to the affordable long-term care their condition may warrant.
Often their families do not often have publicly funded support to help with care at home. When communities are displaced by natural disasters or armed conflict, older people may be unable to flee or travel long distances and may be left behind. Yet, in many situations they can also be a valuable resource for their communities as well as for the humanitarian aid process when they are involved as community leaders.
It is also important as we are programming for the elderly to be aware of “stereotypes” and address them well. Below are some examples as documented by W.H.O.
1.      While older workers are often presumed to be less productive than younger workers and studies show slight declines in information processing and attention with age, most individuals maintain mental competence and learning abilities well into older age.
2.      The fact that older people are particularly vulnerable in emergencies does not mean that older people in general are helpless.
3.      Occasional memory lapses are common at any age, however older people are able to manage their financial affairs and their day-to-day lives. They can give informed consent for treatment or medical interventions they may need. In fact, some of our memory stay the same or even continue to improve with age, for example our semantic memory, which is the ability to recall concepts and general facts that are not related to specific experiences.
4.      People often equate women’s worth with beauty, youth and the ability to have children. The role older women play in their families and communities, caring for their partners, parents, children and grandchildren is often overlooked.
5.      Treatable conditions and illnesses in older people are often overlooked or dismissed as being a “normal part of ageing”. Age does not necessarily cause pain, and only extreme old age is associated with limitation of bodily function. The right to the best possible health does not diminish as we age: It is mainly society that sets age limits for access to complex treatments or proper rehabilitation and secondary prevention of disease and disability.
6.      It is not age that limits the health and participation of older people. Rather, it is individual and societal misconceptions, discrimination and abuse that prevent active and dignified ageing.
Let’s spread the messages about health concerns in ‘elderly’ and strategize to initiate and/support activities that will improve their lives and give them physical and psychological comport.
All comments to Dr Aminu Magashi at [email protected]