With the development of medical technologies and the adoption of a healthier lifestyle, the average life expectancy of a person is increasing, which means that the number of older people as a percentage of the general population is also increasing.
An aging society is a society in which more than 7% of the population are people aged 65 years and older.
An elderly society is a society in which more than 14% of the population is over 65 years of age, and
in a very old society, more than 20% of the population is elderly.
The world is rapidly ageing
It took about 110 years for the number of people over 65 in France to rise from 7% to 14% of the total population. The same process took about 80 years in Sweden, about 50 years in the UK and about 20 years in Brazil and Korea.
So what does this mean for those of us who are over 65?
With age, the body and mind weaken and diseases accumulate. Chronic diseases, muscle weakness, and mental deterioration are more common in older people.
Not surprisingly, seniors account for a significant portion of the total health care costs in whatever society they live in.
For example, in 2015, the proportion of people aged 65 and over in South Korea was 13.2%, but their medical expenses accounted for a staggering 36.5% of the country’s total health expenditure.
Therefore, you must put pressure on your government to ensure that the health system is adapted to the needs of the elderly.
Studies conducted in Europe and North America show that the elderly suffer on average from four to five diseases, much more often than young people who are usually perfectly healthy.
Older people are more likely to suffer from diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and cancer because their lungs, cardiovascular and digestive systems degrade along with the immune system.
Poor nutrition also contributes to the loss of good health by the elderly. So, you need to make sure you stick to a nutritious diet to maintain your health as you age.
Classification of old age
To date, most studies of seniors classify people over the age of 65 into a group.
As people live longer, scientists have found that the disease varies depending on how long people live after the age of 65. As a result , researchers now divide old age into three different periods:
from 65 to 74 years old… the youngest is the oldest
from 75 to 84 years old… average age
it’s more than 85 years… the oldest is the oldest
So what are the differences in terms of Health and well-being among the three age groups?
—
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease in which your bones become fragile and weak. They tend to break down if you fall or hit hard. The most common fractures caused by osteoporosis are fractures of the hips, back, and wrist.
Osteoporosis is more likely to develop with age. This is evidenced by the increase in the number of hospitalizations of elderly people for orthopedic operations.
Tests conducted by researchers in Australia detected age-related osteoporosis in 20% of patients aged 50, 46% aged 60, 59% of patients aged 70 and 69% of patients over 80. If you belong to the older age group, you are most likely to have osteoporosis.
As soon as you turn 65, you should have regular tests for osteoporosis. There are many treatments you can follow to prevent your osteoporosis from getting worse.
Autumn
Falls among the elderly are quite common. One of the main causes of Falls is fainting, which is a fainting condition due to a temporary decrease in the amount of blood flowing to your brain.
You may experience fainting if you have an irregular heart rhythm, decreased blood flow to the heart, abnormally low blood sugar, are taking blood pressure medication, or other concomitant diseases.
Falls can also be caused by visual impairment, motion sickness and taking sleeping pills, as well as paralysis caused by stroke or neuromuscular diseases (which affect the muscles and nerves that control them).
A sudden fall can have serious consequences, especially if you hit your head or your wrist has fallen.
Once you turn 65, you need to rebuild your living space in such a way that the probability of slipping and falling is less and there are easier consequences if they occur.
In addition, you should wear an emergency call button, especially if you live alone, connected to a monitoring service that can notify your key chain or emergency services.
Lung function
With age, lung function decreases along with a decrease in lung elasticity and the tendency of the chest to return to a relaxed position. This leads to tension in the respiratory muscles.
This explains why respiratory illnesses are more common in older patients. In fact, hospitalizations for respiratory diseases account for the majority of hospitalizations for internal diseases.
Of course, elderly patients should be provided with breathing equipment and lung training to increase lung volume and improve breathing.
To strengthen your lung muscles, you need to buy a breathing apparatus similar to those used by athletes and musicians, which holds your breath and develops all four lung muscles. Use it every day, and after a few weeks you will find that your breathing will become much better.
You also need to quit smoking.
—–
Hospitalization
There was an absolute difference in the number of hospitalizations among the three groups of seniors.
Together, these three groups accounted for the highest number of hospitalizations for internal diseases, but about two-thirds were elderly patients.
This is because as you age, your immune system degenerates and you become more susceptible to infectious diseases, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.
Thus, hospitals and hospitalization systems must be adapted to the needs of older people who use such services more often.
How to use an ambulance
Older patients use ambulances more often than younger patients.
Studies show that in most developed countries, more than a third of elderly patients and about half of patients over the age of 85 use an ambulance to get to the emergency department (ER).
In contrast, ambulances are only used for less than 30% of children attending EDs.
Thus, ambulances should be equipped according to the needs of elderly patients.
Long stay (LOS) in EDs
A recent 0ne study found that older patients stayed in the emergency department about 20% longer than younger patients with the same complaints.
Several other studies have shown that LOS in ED increases with age. This may be due to the fact that elderly patients in the emergency department are at high risk of developing concomitant diseases. They may also need additional diagnostic testing and urgent care, as well as lengthy consultations with various departments.
Another study reported that the increase in LOS among elderly patients was largely related to waiting times for hospitalization.
The government needs to develop effective policies to manage overcrowded emergency departments and hospitals in Los Angeles.
Time in the intensive care unit
Another study showed that there was no difference in the frequency of admission to the intensive care unit among the three groups of elderly people, but there was a difference in the length of their stay in the intensive care unit between the youngest and the oldest.
This may be due to the fact that younger patients respond better to treatment than older patients.
Women
With age, the proportion of female patients increases. This may be due to the fact that women live longer than men.
The frequency of visits to ED by female patients increases with age.
Some studies have shown that women in Europe account for 51% of patients aged 70 to 79 and 61.68% of patients over 80 in EDs. In the South Korean study, women accounted for 55.4% of all elderly patients, 51.5% of the youngest, 54.9% of middle-aged people and 69.1% of the oldest, respectively.
Therefore, both public health policy and hospital managers should consider increasing the number of women’s departments and special medical services for women.
—
Food for food
Eat nutritious foods to maintain your health as you age.
Get regular tests for osteoporosis and, if you have it, follow any treatment prescribed by your doctor to prevent it from getting worse
Adjust your living space so that slips and falls are less likely and have easier consequences if they occur.
Wear an emergency panic button connected to a monitoring service that will notify the owner of your key or emergency services if you fall or have an accident.