The Geriatric Specialty Populations By. Hess

Gerontology as a field of scientific study can be traced back to the late 1800s; a time when research primarily focused on the negative attributes of aging, such as health decline. It wasn 't until the introduction of social gerontology in 1983 that researchers began to more rigorously study the psychological and social aspects of aging. In recognizing that “successful aging depends not just on the prevention of disease and disability, but also on the attainment of peak physical and psychological functioning,” (Quadagno,

Aging is a normal part of life. In 2015, the elderly population has increased to 47.8 million and is expected to be 98 million in the year of 2060 (Administration on Aging (AoA), Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). This will lead to a greater demand of gerontological nurses. Gerontological nursing is important to meet the health needs of the elderly. The purpose of this post is to discuss the reasons why gerontological nursing is an under-served area of practice and why we need more gerontological nurses.

Society and medical care professionals are inundated with diseases that may have caused death 100 years ago or even 50 years ago. Advancements in science and technology is prolonging life expectancy for people. The National Institute of Aging focuses on health illness for the aging population and how research and studies can provide better quality of life for the extended years of life. The organization is sphere headed by two offices and division that are designed to address specific areas of the aging population. The offices work the divisions to help guide their focus for the he crucial research.

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).

Back in twentieth century, a tiny fragment of mere 5% population was comprised of people aged 65 and above. A little spike in this segment was observed during the period of 1950s-1960s; however, that spike was not significant and restricted to 8% of entire population (Chart 1.1). Many factors were responsible for the small proportion of senior population, the most prominent one though, low life expectancy, high fertility/birth rates and limitation of health services.

By this time the remaining Baby Boomers, totaling an estimated 70 million people, will be at least 65. This is anticipated to have a notable effect on the current health care system. This coupled with the increasing life expectancy and the decrease in number of young people means that the older adult population will make up a much greater percentage of the population then has ever been experienced. This means that unless something is done immediately then health care workforce will lack the ability and size to meet the needs of this growing older population in the future. Many older adults have numerous compound chronic conditions that require a wide range of skills for meeting their many physical and mental needs.

Gerontology is important to study due to the aging population of the United States and more specifically in the state of Maine. In the United States the life expectancy continues to rise where according to U.S. Census Bureau by 2020 "life expectancy in the U.S. will be 77.1 years for men and 81.9 years for women" (2014). This is changing how the work force as well as different health care professions that are working with the aging population. It is important to continue to study this population and the best ways to help them be healthy and happy as they age. When I hear geriatrics, I just think of older people. The residents at the nursing home I work at also come to mind.

Aging is a universal phenomenon and humans are no exception. Gerontology deals with the psychological, social and biological aspects of aging process. A recent study shows that people aged 85 years and older are expected to augment from 5.3 million people to 21 million as the world reach 2050. In today’s world Gerontology has an enormous role to play so that the senior citizens could be analyzed and their needs may be addressed with compassion and empathy.

“Baby-boomers” is a term that most healthcare professionals and students are quite familiar with. The term often relates to health care because many of the individuals in this group are beginning to seek care because of long term illnesses associated with aging. Therefore, it is vital for healthcare professionals to understand the significance of the term “baby-boomers”. In fact, by the year 2030, one in five people will be over the age of 65 and in 2050, that number will be close to 90 million older adults, which is two times the number compared to 2010 (CDC, 2013). The aging population in America is just one of the nine forces that influence health care and nursing management. This paper will summarize the influence of the aging

I thought you post was familiar, after having been through Harvey and Rita. There was that fear of the unknown when one returns after an evacuation. After Rita, it was a week or more before residents could return to our homes. I believe it was for our safety, with power lines down and roads blocked with trees, etc. Per our instructions for peer responses, I selected the elderly population and the challenges they may face post disaster.

Prevalence of elderly worldwide is rapidly accelerating from 461 million people aged over 65 years in 2004 to an estimated 2 billion people by 2050 (1).

The area of medicine I am interested in is the primary cares in the elderly populations reside in the medically underserved communities and the proper medical treatment of these groups is what I hope to contribute to solving. In the past years, our elderly population has grown fast and they represent the biggest part of our social group. However, despite their growth rates, the medical attention to them has marginalized. Even though there could be countless rational explanations, I believe that the main reason for such problem is the most of the elderly population are located in a remote area and not enough primary health caregivers serve in such locations. As the demographic trend toward aging population, in addition, current problems in the mistreatment of the elderly generation especially for the residents of the deserted area will

The worldwide population of the older adult as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) may grow to 1.5 billion by the year 2050. The astounding fact is that approximately eighty percent (80%) will be living in developing countries. A ‘senior citizen’ or ‘older adult’ is defined as a person aged 65 years and older. This is the fastest growing population around

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.