As the life expectancy in the United States rises, the number of elderly in the population has also expanded. These increases have led to the oldest-old (people aged 90 and older) to become the fastest growing age group in the country. The oldest-old face many unique challenges because of their age, one of which is disability. Disability in the elderly has major impact upon society 1 and will continue will be a growing burden in years to come.
Although there is evidence from many studies that disability rate is declining in the U.S.2, the rapid expansion of the oldest-old age group will continue to pose health care challenges for future generations. Disability prevalence rates are very high in the oldest-old3 and even reached 97% in centenarians4. These high rates of disability will have a tremendous financial impact in the future as people living with disability have much higher health care expenditures5.
Because of the growing concern associated with disability in the elderly, many researchers have examined factors that may be associated with the risk disability in the elderly. These factors have ranged widely, including functional limitations6-9, level of physical activity10, 11, depression12-15, cognitive status13, 16, 17, comorbidities18, 19, falls6, 20, self-rated health21, 22, social interaction23 and others24.
Understanding the incidence of disability in the oldest-old is a critical step in identifying methods of reducing disability in this at-risk age group. We examined incident disability in a large cohort of participants aged 90 and older, The 90+ Study. As part of their participation in The 90+ Study, participants are followed longitudinally, with detailed information about functional abilities obtained ye...
... middle of paper ...
...verestimate disability, especially in the elderly47.
This manuscript details the alarming increase in disability in the oldest old. With the rapid growth of this age group, issues associated with functional loss with have a tremendous financial impact throughout the world. The study has identified several risk factors associated with increased disability incidence, several of which may be modifiable. This is especially critical, as CHF is the most expensive medical illness in the United States and represents over 5% of the total health care budget48. With the prevalence and incidence of CHF rapidly rising in the United States49, it will be critical to prepare for the dramatic increase in disability as a result. Reduction of risk factors for CHF, such as hypertension and high cholesterol, would likely be beneficial in reducing incident disability in the oldest old.
According to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, there will be a need for assistance with activities of daily living (ADL's) increases dramatically with age. Only 2.6 percent of person’s age 65-74 need assistance with personal care compared with 31.6
There are many complications that can arise as one ages. As stated in the Aging Concepts and Controversies (2012) book, there are basically two worlds of aging; the ill-derly and the well-derly. While those that are well are able to take care of themselves or need very little help to perform their daily activities; those that are ill most likely we need to have some form of long-term care. As stated earlier, when looking at care options for older adults, there are two forms of care that many people try to decide between. The first option is home care. In this form of long-term care, the elder person is looked after by a spouse, family member such as a child or grandchild, or a close family friend. The other type of long-term care is nursing home or institutionalized care, where the elderly person is taking care of by professionals and lives in the facility where they are being taken care of. Many times it is not easy to decide which type of care will be best, it depends on many factors, such as the cost, level of care needed, and many other factors. Using this paper, I like to briefly look a...
African American senior citizens face a health care crisis too. They have worked all of their lives to secure retirement, but their retirement has been threatened because of the rising cost of long-term medical care. Insurance companies have failed to provide affordable long-term care, protection that most senior citizens need. This lack of long term care and affordability has been a serious problem for the health care system. In some cities, the shortage of hospital beds is so serious that it is common for patients to stay in emergency rooms before they can be admitted to an inpatient room (Drake 109). More than one thousand hospital beds are occupied by people who could be better care for in nursing homes or through home health care (Drake 110). Of the disabled elderly 1.3 million reside in nursing homes (Drake 10). These patients are unable to perform two or more of the basic activities of daily living without assistance.
Elderly, 1991. American Journal of Public Health, 84(8), 1265. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.
According to the U.S. census bureau older adults are an important and rapidly growing segment of the United States’ population. There are about 40 million older adults aged 65 and older residing in Unites States and it is projected to be more than double by 2050(Population Reference Bureau, 2015). This projection is due to advancement in health care facilities and better education (Population Reference Bureau, 2015). As people age they face various physical, psychological and social roles changes which affects their quality of life.
According to Heller and Factor (as cited in Wood & Jackson, 2003) the number of “older adults age 60 and older who are diagnosed with mental retardation or developmental disabilities is expected to reach 1,065,000 by 2030.” In fact, “in the last 30 years, the life expectancy of people with intellectual disability has increased more dramatically than that of the general population” (Bigby, 2010). Doka and Lavin (2003) report that advances in medical care and a shift to deinstitutionalization have contributed to this increase in life expectancy for developmentally disabled adults. Increasingly, federal policy has linked addressing the housing needs of older adults with those of low-income and non-elderly disabled individuals, according to Annie Thombs, former Community Development Administrator for the City of Gastonia (personal communication, March 30, 2011). The assumption that the housing and service needs of all three populations can be met under the same fiscal and policy umbrella has created challenges for social service agencies and health care providers dealing with developmentally disabled seniors who “tend to reside more in family or small-group settings rather than independently” (Sterns and Ansello, 2008, p. 186). In effect, federal housing policies have failed to address the unique problems associated with elderly individuals suffering from developmental disabilities, according to Doka and Lavin (2003). This paper will examine federal housing policy, specifically the Fair Housing Act, which was enacted to ensure availability of existing housing to all persons, including older adults with developmental disabilities, as reported by Thombs (personal communication, March 30, 2011). Further, an examination of public housing ...
According to ("Healthy people 2020,") “Older adults are among the fastest growing age groups, and the first “baby boomers” will turn 65 in 2011. More than 37 million people in this group (60 percent) will manage more than 1 chronic condition by 2030.” With such a staggering number of aging adults comes a large responsibility of managing their aging process. Older adults are high risk for a number of diseases and disabilities.
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
Hartigan, I. (2007). A comparative review of the Katz ADL and the Barthel Index in assessing the activities of daily living of older people. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 2(3), 204-212.
As the population of the United States ages and lifespan increases, the U.S. is being faced with challenges that could either hurt the country or benefit it if plans are executed correctly. By the year 2050, more than thirty-two million Americans will be over the age eighty and the share of the 80-plus generation will have doubled to 7.4 percent. Health care and aging population has become a great deal considering the impact it is having on the U.S. The United States is heading into another century with an outstanding percentage of people within the aging population. Today’s challenges involving health care and the aging populations are the employees of health professions being a major percentage of the aging population, the drive into debt, and prevention and postponement of disease and disability.
With increasing age, older adults become more vulnerable. This vulnerability is largely due to the normal aging process and the changes that occurs to one’s vision and mobility. R.H. is an older adult that was picked to conduct the interview. He is seventy-three years old and continues to work full time. His previous construction job has taken a toll on his body and has left him with arthritis in his knees and shoulders. With R.H.’s arthritis and other comorbidities, education is needed to promote healthy living and improve his quality of life. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the prior interviews with R.H., list my patient’s strengths and weaknesses, and identify R.H. and his family’s needs. In addition, I will formulate a
Disability Trends. Advancements in medical science, technology, education, public health, and public policy, have placed the United States and other developed countries at the forefront of a new demographic trend—aging with a disability acquired before age 65—which is uniting the aging and disability populations (Washko, Campbell & Tilly, 2012). By 2050, it is anticipat...
The aging of the baby boomer generation along with the increasing longevity of life expectancies are evolving the demographics of the United States’ society. Older adults account for a much larger percentage of the population than ever before and it is expected that by 2030, one in every five Americans will be eligible for Medicare (Elder Workforce Alliance [EWA], 2012). As Americans are living longer they are also at a greater risk of chronic illness. This shift commands attention and analysis of our current health care system to better meet the needs of this growing population.
Today, world’s population is aging at a very fast pace and United States is no exception to this demographic change. According to the U.S Census Bureau, senior citizens will be accounted for 21% of the American population in 2050 (Older Americans, 2012). Although living longer lives may not seem like a negative sign, living longer does not necessarily mean living healthier. Older adults of today are in need of long-term and health care services more than any generation before them (Older Americans, 2012). Because of the growing need for senior care, millions of families are facing critical decisions on how to provide care for their parents. In addition, declining birthrates may cause people to have less familial care and support as they age. To be able to provide the necessary care for senior citizens government funded long term care insurance program is needed.
This paper will discuss the topic of Race/Ethnicity and Disability among Older Americans. The definition of disability and trends will be described as well as the difference between a functional limitation and disability. The effects of disability, measured by the social and economic costs, greatly influence health and retirement in later life. As the composition of older adults in our population changes, trends in the disability status of the elderly are changing as well.