Aging Populations

Older Populations

- 65 plus will grow to 80 million by 2040 and will represent 20% of the population - Growth in the older population will slow by 2030 as last of "Boomers" turn 65 - 1990: 1% of US was 85 plus, but this has become the fastest growing segment of older adults growing from 3.1 million in 1990 to 5.7 million in 2008 and projected to reach 19 million or 4.3% of the US by 2050

Issues for the Aging Population

- Average age of Americans is increasing - Baby boomers starting to retire - Older people tend to be poorer health & require more medical care - Growth in cost of Medicare is unsustainable - Quality of life in later years depends on lifestyle in youth and middle age

Trends in Aging Population

- Females outnumber males in older age groups - After age 75, most women are widowed and live alone, most men are married and living with wives - Men more likely to die at a younger age; women more likely to have chronic, disabling conditions - Percentage of people over 65 living in poverty has declined from 15% in 1974 to 9% in 2010 - Poverty rates higher for older women than men - Poverty rates higher for older blacks and Hispanics

Urbanization

when migrants from rural areas flock to the cities.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 along with former Vice President Al Gore; the effects of global warming are already being felt.

Preventing Disease and Disability

- Immunization against pneumonia and influenza Medications - Often take drugs for many conditions - Metabolize drugs less actively - Risk of drug interactions Osteoporosis - Risk of broken bones leading to disability Falls - Many risk factors in older people

Health Objectives for Older Adults

- Increase longevity - Avoid chronic conditions For persons with chronic conditions: - Delay the progression of chronic conditions - Limit the disability from chronic conditions

Trends in Aging of the Population

- Median age & life expectancy: increased from 47 in 1900 to 78.5 in 2009 - Causes of death in elderly are similar to causes of death in overall population - "Young old" - 65 to 74 - 82% are in good, very good, or excellent health - "Aged" - 75 to 84 - 76% are in good, very good, or excellent health - "Oldest old" - 85 and older - 69% are in good, very good, or excellent health; 12% live in nursing homes. Fastest growing age group.

Medical Costs and the Elderly

- Medicare enrollment has more than doubled since 1966 and will continue to grow - Cost per enrollee is rising, even faster than health care costs in general - More of costs being shifted to the individual - Medicare does not pay for long-term care, Medicaid does, straining state budgets. - Changes in family structure mean families are less able to care for elderly relatives - Only hope is for baby boomers to be healthier and more independent than past generations

Compression of Morbidity

- More people live closer to biological limit of life span - Compression of morbidity? - Does longer life mean more years of healthy life or more years of chronic disease? - Some evidence that older people are healthier now than in the past

Reducing Medical Costs in an Aging Population

- Proposals to ration care, but unrealistic - Preferable to control of medical costs overall - Integration of public health and medical services to reduce demand for medical care - Prevent and postpone chronic illness - Reduce risk factors

Alzheimer's and Other Dementias

- Risk increases with increasing age - Tremendous burden on caregivers - Costs more than $200 billion per year in long-term care - Research beginning to give clues on risk factors - No cure, but some medications delay progression of symptoms - Even delaying onset by a few years could substantially reduce the financial and personal burden

Which of the following population trends is contributing to more public health problems in developing countries? Mark all true statements.

- Traditional lifestyles and social norms have been undermined by disease and desperate living conditions. - Populations are shifting from cities to rural areas. - Population growth continues without adequate sewage and clean water systems. - Malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and diarrheal disease are still present.

Which of the following continues to be influenced by population growth?

- availability of a labor force - developing new technology to improve food production - availability of food from agriculture - concerns about climate change - availability of land for cultivation - availability of fresh water - concerns about resource depletion - availability of food from the sea

Aging populations

Centenarians: 14,000 in US in 1980 55,000 in US in 2005 4 of 5 were women If older adults require more social and health care resources, what will this cost society?

Birth rates decreases

During demographic transition, what happens to birth rates when the child survival to age five increases?

Disease and Disability Prevention

Impairment of vision and hearing - Sensory loss leads to social isolation - Glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, cataracts from exposure to sunlight - Hearing loss from exposure to noise Oral health - Tooth loss, periodontal disease, etc. - May lead to social isolation Medicare does not cover dental care, eyeglasses, or hearing aids

Adaptation Science

In a preliminary meeting in July 2015, what new field of science was discussed to develop ways to limit the risks and encourage communities, industries, and governments to make progress with or without a treaty?

Food

Predictions about the Earth's carrying capacity have typically centered on which of the following?

Factors that Affect Health in Old Age

Smoking - Causes cardiovascular disease, cancer, lung disease, osteoporosis, disorders of the mouth - Prevalence of smoking declines in older people Diet and physical activity - Obesity causes cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis - Prevalence of obesity declines in older people Medical care - secondary prevention

Economics

Which of the following disciplines challenges the assertion that growth in population and the systems to support population growth cannot go on forever?

Methane

Which of the following, released by microbial activity in the intestines of cattle and in paddy fields where rice is grown, also contributes to the greenhouse effect?

aquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

a disease in which there is a severe loss of the body's cellular immunity, greatly lowering the resistance to infection and malignancy.

J Curve of Population Growth

a pattern of population growth that expands rapidly past the carrying capacity and then crashes.

S curve of population growth

a pattern of population growth that starts out with a rapidly expanding population that then expands more gradually until it reaches the carrying capacity.

demographic transition

a phenomenon by which birth rates tend to fall in response to falling death rates.

greenhouse effect

a phenomenon in which energy of sunlight is absorbed by carbon dioxide, methane, and some other gases in the air, contributing to global warming.

renewable resource

a resource that is replaced naturally and can be used again (oxygen, water).

Kyoto Protocol

an agreement reached in 1997 by representatives from 171 nations concerning mandatory reductions of emissions with individualized goals for each country.

United Nations

an intergovernmental organization to promote international cooperation.

International Conference on Population and Development (ICDP)

an international conference in 1994 in Cairo from which a consensus emerged on a new approach to population policy, one that focused on individual rights, especially women's right, including their right to make reproductive decisions.

greenhouse gases

gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide.

global warming

global temperature increases due to alteration in the relative concentrations of the four major constituents of air—nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide.

ozone

protects the Earth's surface from ultraviolet radiation.

carrying capacity

the number of organisms that can be supported in a given environment without degrading that environment.

human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

the virus that causes AIDS.