ELDERS

HOW OLD IS OLD?

How old would you be if you didnt know how old you was [sic]? Satchel Paige A persons age might depend on who measures it and how they define it
Demographers according to chronological years Clinicians stages of physiological development, and psychologists by developmental stages

US 65 years
Young olg (65-74) Middle old (75-84) Old old (85 and over) fastest growing segment of the elder population

Terminology

Aged: state of being old

Having reached a specific age 65 social and legislative policies 75 physiological evaluations

Aging changes that occur normally in plants and animals as they grow older Gerontology study of aging from the broadest perspective (psychosocial, economic and historical conditions) Geriatrics branch of medicine that deals with the structural changes, physiology, diseases and other medical aspects of old age.

Healthcare

The prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical and allied health professions.

The aging of population can be graphically illustrated with a symbolic pyramid.

- the base of this pyramid represents the youngest and largest segment of the population. -the sloping sides indicate higher mortality rates and limited life expectancy

Until the mid-1950s, the population pyramid for the United states was not so very different from the traditional age pyramid. Since the mid-1950s, however the shape of Americas population pyramid has changed. Both the # of elders and the proportion of the total population made up of elders grew significantly during the 20th century. At the beginning of 20th century, only 1 in 25 Americans was over the age of 65 years, In 2005, that # increase to almost 1 in about 8. Demographers projection suggest that populations will continue to age, not only in this country, but in most other countries as well.

In 2011, the baby boom generation will begin to turn to 65, and by 2030, it is projected that 71 million people (1 in 5) will be age 65 or older. The population aged 85 and older is currently the fastest-growing segment of the older population. It will double in size by 2025 and increase fivefold by older population. During the same time , it is expected that the percentage of people aged 18 and younger will remain about the same, around 26%. these change will alter the shape of the population pyramid and make it more like the shape of the population rectangle.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT POPULATION SIZE AND AGE

There 3 factors that affect the size and age of a population: FERTILITY RATES MORTALITY RATES & GAIN OR LOSS FROM MIGRATION OF INDIVIDUALS INTO or OUT OF THAT POPULATION

 Q.

Do population age with time? A. NO, in fact a population could get younger in time. Explanation: if fertility and mortality rates are both high, life expectancy would be low and the age of a population could grow younger.

Fertility rate- is an expression of number of births per 1000 women of child bearing age (1544) in the population during a specific time period. fertility rates in the U.S were at their highest at the beginning of the 20th century but were dipped during the depression years and rebounded after the 2nd world war. During those time, fertility rates was consistently high and was considered as the baby boom years about 76 million babies was born during those years. babies who where born between 1946-1964 were referred to as baby boomers.

As the baby boomers continue to age, a human tidal wave bulge will continue to move up the U.S age pyramid.
The American society has tried to adjust to the size and needs of the baby boom generation through the stages of their life cycle, the generation had a dramatic impact on expanding obstetrics and pediatrics creating split shifts for students in public schools and disrupting government policy toward the Vietnam war. The baby boom cohorts will also place a tremendous strain in services required for elderly population(social security and Medicare). A window of opportunity now exists for planners and policy makers to prepare for the aging of the baby boom generation.

 Mortality

rate- is a measure on the number of deaths in a given population and is usually expressed in deaths per 100,000 population the mortality rate has also an impact on aging population. The annual crude mortality rate in the U.S in 1900 was 1,720 per 100,000. recent data shows that the figure has dropped by half to 833. the decrease in annual mortality rate achieved over the 20th century was the results of the triumphs in medical science and public health practice.

Another demographic variable that interact with mortality rate is life expectancy. during the 20th century, there was an overall jump in life expectancy at birth from 47.3 years in 1900 to 77.9 years in 2004.

of life expectancy on the first half of the 20th century--- decrease in infant and early childhood deaths.

of life expectancy since 1970---postponement of death among the middle age and elder population.

The movement of the people from one country to another has also contributed to the aging population. Net Migration- is the population gain or loss from the movement of migrants in (immigration) and out(emigration)of a country historically the U.S gain population because of migration, more people immigrate than emigrate. The greatest immigration in the U.S occurred between the end of civil war and the beginning of the great depression. Most immigrants were between the ages of 18-35 years of child bearing age. As these immigrants have children the population remained young. However the decline in immigration following the depression led to the aging of the American populace as the early immigrants grow old and were not replaced by younger immigrants.

After the depression, the U.S continued to absorb young immigrants during the closing decades of the 20th century. As a consequence the dependency ratio of workers to older adults in the U.S is declining more slowly than any other developed countries.

Dependency Ratio a comparison between those individuals whom society considers economically unproductive and those individual whom is consider as economically productive. Productive and unproductive population is defined by age. Productive Population : 19 to 64 Unproductive Population : youth (0-19 years old) elderly(65+ years)

Communities can refer to dependency ratio data as a guide for making the best policy social policy decision and as a way to allocate resources Communities with high elderly dependency ratios might increase programs for elders. Total dependency ratio in the United States in 1990 was close to its lowest point(DR=70.5) in the 20th century and is projected stay at about that same level until about 2010.

 An increase in the elderly dependency ratio provides an interesting political scenario because the cost to support youth and the elderly are not the same.

Labor force ratios differ from dependency ratios in that they are based on the number of people who are actually working and those who are not.

Marital Status
of elder men are married of elder women are married Women are 3 times more likely to be widowed 3 primary reasons

Men have shorter average life expectancy Men tend to precede marry women younger than them Men who lose a spouse through death or divorce are more likely to remarry than women. For elder women (and men) with protective social networks, living alone does not necessarily mean being lonely

Number of divorced elderly continues to rise Represent a new type of need group those who lack the retirement benefits, insurance , and net worth assets associated with being married

Living Arrangements
Closely linked to income, health status and the availability

of caregivers Older persons who live alone are more likely to be in poverty.
Older women are much more likely to live alone

Number of those living alone are expected to increase

drastically over the next 20 years

Aging of baby boomers Improved economic status of the elderly Strong desire to live independently as possible

Only a small percentage of the elderly population in US are

in nursing homes

Down from previous years due in part to the increase in

assisted-living facilities which have provided an alternative to long-term care in nursing homes of nursing home residents are women

Racial and Ethnic Composition

As the elder population grows larger, it will also grow more diverse, reflecting the demographic changes in the U.S. population as a whole

Racial and Ethnic Composition

Growth of minority groups will be the result of

continued immigration and the higher fertility rates in nonwhites over the past 50 years. Older people becomes more diverse health professionals needs more knowledge about the cultural background of their elder clients

Better adherence to health recommendations and to enhanced health outcomes

Geographic Distribution
Populations of some states age because of the inward

immigration of elders Others age because their young people leave Other states age because of low fertility rate or some combination of factors From an ethnic and racial standpoint, the regional concentration of the elderly are similar to the concentrations of the total population of each group.

Economic Status
Overall economic position of elders has improved

significantly since the 1970s Sources of income

39% Social Security 14% asset income 19% pensions 25% earnings

2% miscellaneous earnings

Economically more vulnerable to circumstances beyond

their control
Loss of spouse Deteriorating health and self-sufficiency Changes in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid legislation inflation

Housing

Most older Americans live in adequate, affordable housing 75% single-family homes 20% multiunit structures (mostly apartment) 6% live in mobile homes Characteristics of the homes of elders versus the younger people are that elders have

Older homes Homes of lower value Homes in greater need of repair Homes less likely to have central heating and air conditioning Homes less likely to have a telephone

For most elders housing represents an asset no mortgage

or rental payments, or they can sell their home for a profit With low income housing becomes a heavy burden Approximately 30% of all elderly households pay more housing than they can afford

LAWS PROTECTING THE WELLFARE OF SENIOR CITIZENS

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9257 Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003 - An act granting additional benefits ans privileges to senior citizens. SECTION 2. Republic Act. No. 7432 is hereby amended Section 1. Declaration of Policies and Objectives. - the duty of the family to take care of its elderly members while the State may design programs of social security for them Sec. 2. Definition of Terms. - Senior citizen" or "elderly" shall mean any resident citizen of the Philippines at least sixty (60) years old Sec. 4. Privileges for the Senior Citizens. grant of twenty percent (20%) discount from all establishments a minimum of twenty percent (20%) discount on admission fees charged by theaters, cinema houses and concert halls, circuses, carnivals, and other similar places of culture, leisure and amusement for the exclusive use or enjoyment of senior citizens;

exemption from the payment of individual income taxes: Provided, That their annual taxable income does not exceed the poverty level exemption from training fees for socioeconomic program grant of twenty percent (20%) discount on medical and dental services, and diagnostic and laboratory fees grant of twenty percent (20%) discount in public railways, skyways and bus fare educational assistance to senior citizens ontinuance of the same benefits and privileges given by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS) and PAG-IBIG, retirement benefits of retirees from both the government and private sector government may grant special discounts in special programs for senior citizens on purchase of basic commodities

In the availment of the privileges mentioned above, the senior citizen or elderly person may submit as proof of his/her entitlement thereto any of the following:
(a) an ID issued by the city or municipal mayor or of the barangay captain of the place where the senior citizen or the elderly resides; (b) the passport of the elderly person or senior citizen concerned; and (c) other documents that establish that the senior citizen or elderly person is a citizen of the Republic and is at least sixty (60) years of age.

"Sec. 5. Government Assistance

(e) Housing- The national government shall include in its national shelter program the special housing needs of senior citizens, such as establishment of housing units for the elderly;

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7876 - Senior Citizens Center Act of the Philippines
An act establishing a senior citizenss center in all cities and municipalities of the philippines and appropriating funds provide adequate social services and an improved quality of life for all through adopting an integrated and comprehensive approach towards health development giving priority to elderly among others

F., M. J., Pinger, R. R., & Kotecki, J. E. (2008). An Introduction to Community Health 6th Edtion. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. pages 241-251 Kart, G. S. The Realties of Aging 5th Edition. pages 917 Farlex. (2011). The Free Dicitonary. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from http://medicaldictionary.thefreedictionary.com/health+care Robles, C. (1999-2006). REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7876. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from Chan Robles Virtual Law Library: http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno7876.htm Robles, C. (2011). REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9257. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from Chan Robles Virtual Law Library: http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9257.html