Aging Population Research Essay

doctor, then what are they to do? They can not just sit at home and

It is expected that with the baby boomers significantly using the health care dollars, the provinces and territories will end up spending 60% of their GDP on health care services which accounts to $530 billion dollars of debt ( Robson, 2001). This discrepancy will put pressure on the federal government and encourage provincial policy makers to rely more on the federal government for funding instead of finding their own way to manage their health care systems better. Population aging affects the demand for and costs of health care services, given that seniors account for about 45% of provincial/ government health care dollars (Ng,Sanmartin,Tu, Manuel, 2014, pg 15). Seniors are not only the largest user group of health care, but their hospital visits and admissions are higher than any other age group. This is merely because seniors tend to have more chronic conditions which derive them to use the health care services. Due to the health care problems that many seniors face, it is important to address the future directions in which the sustainability of the universal health care resides.

I would define aging as a natural degradation of the body over time. It’s when the cells in the body start to whither away. I think aging could potentially be curable but at this time we do not have advanced enough technology to do so. The side effects to trying to cure someone of ageing could be unpredictable. A lot of people might be against ageing research because it goes against their religious beliefs. I believe if we did find a way to cure ageing that overpopulation would become a serious issue. I think ageing research is helpful in some circumstances. Not for necessary living forever, but for living long healthy lives like discussed in the article. I also support ageing research for cosmetic reasons. If scientists found a way to stop

Seniors, ages 65 and older, are the fastest growing population group in Canada. (“Canada’s aging population,” 2002) Two main causes of the aging of Canada’s population is an increase in life expectancy and the change in fertility rates between the years of 1940’s and 1960’s, this generation is now known as the baby boomers. (“Canada’s aging population,” 2002) In 2001, one out of every eight Canadians was over the age of 65, and it is estimated that by 2026, one in every five Canadians will reach the age of 65 or older. (“Canada’s aging population,” 2002) Moreover, it is estimated that more than 16 million Canadians live with at least one chronic disease. (Singh, Khan & Paul, 2009) In Canada chronic diseases accounted for 89% of deaths in 2005. (Singh, Khan & Paul, 2009) The demographic shift and rise in prevalence of chronic diseases will be a major test for the health care system of Canada which it might not be ready for. Canadians across the nation are forced to wait two or three times longer for necessary medical procedures than citizens of other countries who also have universal healthcare systems. (“Wait Times Alliance,” 2014) In a 2005 poll done by Pollara Strategic Insights, when Canadians were asked what the most serious problem facing the healthcare system was, the highest number of respondents (43%) identified long wait times. (“Waiting Too Long,”

We all will one day face the reality of growing older. There are many aspects of this change that will affect us in a large way. According to the Merck Manual of Health and Aging, 1.5% of Americans are 85 or older. This research states that the number of people 100 years or older could rise from 1 out of 5,578 in the year 2000, to 1 out of 472 in the year 2050. It brings out that women have a longer life expectancy than men, among people aged 65 and older in the year 2000, there were 70 men for every 100 women. For people aged 85 and older the figure was 41 men for every 100 women. The site goes on to say that approximately 11% of Americans aged 65 and older are below the poverty line. (The Merck Manual of Health and Aging:

Over the next 50 years ageing baby boomers will have great impact on the Canadian economy in the area of health care. Baby boomers who were born between 1946 and 1964 increased the demand for elementary schools, high schools, post- secondary education and family housing. By 2062 many baby boomers will turn 100, now that they are aging, the demand for health care, death services, retirement homes and medicine is increasing. From 2015 to 2062, there is a predicted cost of $7.2 trillion that will be spent in health care for senior citizens. For funeral services for the baby boomers in 2015, there is an estimated cost of $2.8 trillion, and old pension cost of $1.3 trillion. The senior

The elderly population is growing with 35 million people who are age 65 years or older and half are between the ages of 65 to 74 and the other half are over the age of 75. The population age 85 years or older are the fastest growing population (Dubow, 2017). In 1991 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that 8 out of 10 people over the age of 60 had one or more chronic diseases or impairments which included arthritis, hypertension, hearing impairment, heart disease, cataracts, deformity or orthopedic impairment, chronic sinusitis,

According to Statistics Canada, aging population has steadily increased since the mid-1960. The age of 65 and older comprised 15.7% of the country’s population. Promoting health in these aging population is very crucial to minimise the severity of health complications that might occur in the long run. Gerontological Nursing involves the care of aging people and emphasize the promotion of the highest possible quality of life and wellness throughout the lifespan (Eliopoulos, c2014 p73). Aging people need Gerontological Nurses who are knowledgeable and willing to promote health and optimum quality of life with the consideration of their core needs such as physiological balance, connection and gratification (Eliopoulos, c2014 p78).

Recently, Statistic Canada has point out “Seniors are projected to become more numerous than children in Canada by 2017 --- a milestone in the country’s history.” (Statistics Canada, 2016) To discuss more in depth, according to the data collected from Statistic Canada, there is a post-war baby boom in 1950s, afterwards, there has been a steady decline in fertility. The median age in Canada was 27.2 in 1956 and climbed to 39.5 in 2006 (Statistics Canada, 2016). With the decrease in fertility and mortality, the problem of aging population in Canada occurs. In present time, those great number of baby boomers are now leave to workforce and begin to retire. It results in the rise of Canada’s elderly dependency ration. (National Seniors Council(Canada), 2011) For elders, the performance in many physical and mental tasks tend to decline with age, which

The health sector in Canada has experienced a lot of challenges regarding to the seniors who are increasingly coming into being. This has posed a challenge to the Canadian health sector in general, although through proper health strategies the number has posed no challenge to the Canadian government so far. Provisionally, the health sector has taken a different approach in ensuring that the old aged are taken care of appropriately. The analysis of the different provinces strategies is therefore important in ensuring that the sustainability of the old aged population is achieved. According to the national statistics in Canada in 2011, the population of seniors who are aged 65 years and above was 153,705. Nova Cotia had the highest number of seniors totaling 16.5% of the population with Saskatchewan following with a percentage of 14.87%. However, by 2036, it is expected that the Newfoundland and Labrador will have the highest proportion of seniors.

Coming into this task, I had never put forth any interest in the aging population. I knew this group was vulnerable and in need of more advocacy to raise awareness but it was not as appealing as other populations. I did not have tremendous knowledge of what aging adults go through on a daily basis or any challenges they so often face. Therefore, when I arrived to the set location of the interview, I was a bit timid and afraid. This was my first time ever interviewing someone of this age with the intensions it was geared for. I was worried of how Denise was going to respond to my personal questions or if she even would. I was completely shocked to find that she was absolutely respectful and willing to answer anything I wanted to ask. After asking

The aging population is growing in Canada with an all-time high of over 4 million in 2010. The elderly population alone requires care for treating chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, which require expensive treatments. The number of hospitalizations for such diseases has gone up substantially and is expected to increase. Thus, an increasing aging population will require more and more money from the publicly funded health care budget in the decades to come.

In general, seniors are vulnerable to a range of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, chronic heart diseases, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease which adversely influence their quality of life. These diseases also increase demands on the healthcare system (5). It was reported in 2012 that approximately 85% of seniors aged 65 to 79 years and about 90% of seniors aged over 80 years have at least one chronic condition (6). In 2004, about 1.7% of the total Canadian labour force were seniors. The number of Canadian seniors aged 65 or over participating in the labour force was approximately 300,000 (287,000 of them are employed and 9,000 actively looking for work) (7). This impacts the health of seniors because the more the number of seniors participating in the workforce, the more physically active and healthier they are. Working also provides an additional means of income besides their pension funds which would help improve the quality of life.

As aging is a stage of development that cannot prevented, the question of “can one’s aging be more successful than another?” is posed my many. Researchers continually consider the differences between aging successfully, and aging unsuccessfully. As researchers work to complete their studies, many find a reoccurring basis of successful aging. A basis of successful aging can be set including: physical health disease free, chronic illness free, mental health disease free, among many others. The only problem with this basis is the difference from person to person in terms of what makes aging successful. As individuals age, their mental state is a large predictor of how the person will age. A positive mental state about aging, will have a more positive effect on a person’s aging process. Many factors may influence the positivity of aging, such as negative aging stereotypes and discrimination because of older age. These negative aging stereotypes include but are not limited to: older adults are not as smart, older adults are angry all the time, older adults are bad drivers, older adults are isolated and never socialize. In adult aging and development, having a positive outlook on aging will lead to better mental and physical aging.

One of the greatest challenges of the twenty first century will be the tremendous increase in the number of older adults throughout the world. Elderly people are the most rapidly increasing age group in Canada. In 2000 there was about 3.8 million Canadians were 65 years older. Statistics of Canada projects that by 2021, it will get doubled (Hick S., 2010, p.270). It is sure that this demographic trend will affect most part of our society, especially the health care needs and the delivery of health services. There will be a huge increase in the issues that affect the older Canadians. It is important that future health care professionals especially the social Service workers should be prepared to meet the needs of the increasing aging population across the globe. This paper examines the main problems faced by senior population in Canada, the different social work theories related to ageism and the different roles, values, knowledge and responsibilities needed for gerontological social work practice.