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1) Introduction To Healthy Aging

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11 views

1) Introduction To Healthy Aging

Uploaded by

210062
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to

Healthy Aging
The Aging
 PreparedPopulation
by Dr. Khalaf Elayat

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3 PM
Geriatrics
2
 Aging is “a persistent decline in the age-
specific fitness components of an organism
due to internal physiological degeneration.
 The process of becoming older is a process
that is genetically determined and
environmentally modulated.
 A gerontology nurse is a nursing specialist
who works directly with older adults to
provide them with specialized care and a
high quality of life.
3 VIEWS OF OLDER ADULTS THROUGH HISTORY

 Historically, societies have viewed their elder members in a variety


of ways.
 The early Egyptians dreaded growing old ‫ خافوا‬and experimented
with a variety of options and schemes to maintain their youth.
 In the nations conquered by the Roman Empire, the sick and aged
were customarily the first to be killed.
 The first significant step in improving the lives of older
Americans was the passage of the Federal Old-Age Insurance
Law under the Social Security Act in 1935, which provided some
financial security for older persons.
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A more humanistic attitude toward all members of society
has benefited older adults, and improvements in health
4
care and general living conditions ensure that more people
have the opportunity to attain old age and live longer, more
.fruitful years in later adulthood than previous generations

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5 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OLDER ADULT POPULATION

 Older adults are generally defined as individuals aged 65 years


and older.
 Now it is recognized that much diversity exists among different
age groups in late life and older individuals can be further
categorized as follows:
1. young-old: 65 to 74 years.
2. old: 75 to 84 years.
3. oldest-old 85+.
- Centenarian: A person who is at least 100 years of age.
- The Super Centenarians are those who live at least 110 years of
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age. 3 PM
6 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OLDER
ADULT POPULATION
 Chronological age is the years a person has lived since birth.
 Functional age: describe physical, psychological, and social
function (how older adults feel and function).
 Perceived age: how people estimate a person’s age based
on appearance.
COMMUNICATION TIP:
1- Not all persons of the same age will be similar in terms of
language style, familiarity with current terms, use of
technology, education, and life experience.
2- Communication style and method must be based on assessed
language competency, style, and preference of the individual.

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Population Growth and Increasing Life Expectancy
7

 There was a significant growth in the number of older people for most of
the 20th century. Except for the 1990s, the older population grew at a
rate faster than that of the total population under age 65.
 Currently, persons older than 65 years represent more than 13% of the
population in the United States.
 This growth of the older adult population is due in part to increasing
life expectancy.
 The population over the age of 85 years is projected to double by the
year 2036 and triple by 2049. The life span currently is 122 years for
humans.

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8

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Marital Status and Living Arrangements:
9
Women are more likely to be widowed and living
.alone in late life than their male counterparts

 The higher survival rates of women, along with the practice of


women marrying men older than themselves, make it no surprise
that more than half of women older than 65 years are widowed,
and most of their male contemporaries are married.
 Married people have a lower mortality rate than do unmarried
people at all ages, with men having a larger advantage.
 Most older adults live in a household with a spouse or other
family member, although more than twice the number of women
than men live alone in later life. 11/17/2024 01:1
3 PM
10 Income and Employment
 The percentage of older people living below the poverty level has been
declining, with about 10% now falling into this category.
 Social Security: a benefit check paid to retired workers of a specific
minimum age (e.g., 65 years), disabled workers of any age, and spouses
and minor children of those workers. Benefits are not dependent on
financial need. It is intended to serve as a supplement to other sources
of income in retirement.
 Supplemental Security Income (SSI): a benefit check paid to persons
over age 65 and/or persons with disabilities based on financial need.
 Although Social Security was intended to be a
supplement to other sources of income for older
adults, it is the main source of income for more than
half of all these individuals. 11/17/2024 01:1
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11 HEALTH INSURANCE
 The primary source of health insurance for older adults
is Medicare. Medicaid provides supplemental insurance
for individuals with low incomes.
 (nursing services, x-rays, laboratory and diagnostic tests,
influenza and pneumonia vaccinations, blood transfusions,
renal dialysis, outpatient hospital procedures, limited
ambulance transportation, immunosuppressive drugs for
organ transplant recipients, chemotherapy, hormonal
treatments, and other outpatient medical treatments
administered in a doctor’s office).
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12 Health Status
 Chronic conditions are the major health
problems among older persons,
 with a majority being affected by at least one
chronic disease.
 Chronic conditions contribute to the leading
causes of death.
 The chronic disorders most prevalent in the
older population are ones that can have a
significant impact on independence and the
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quality of daily life.


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 Baby boomers, a group composed of persons born


between 1946 and 1964, have begun entering their senior
years and are changing the profile of the older population.
 They are highly diverse, are better educated, have fewer
children, have had higher incomes, and are greater users
of technology than previous generations.
 Gerontological nurses will be challenged to recognize
diversity among older adults as they assist these individuals
in health promotion and disease management activities.
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16

 The growing number of persons older than 65 years also impacts the
government which is the source of payment for many of the services
older adults need.
 The older population has higher rates of hospitalization, surgery, and
physician visits than other age groups.
 This care is more likely to be paid by federal dollars than by private
insurers or older adults themselves.

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