Ageing Flashcards
What sort of medical factors may alter with age?
- Homeostatic reserve
- Disease presentation
- Normal ranges
- Drug handling
What sort of factors may affect treatment of the elderly?
- Treatable disease being ascribed to normal aging
- Ageism
- Changes not being seen as worthwhile
What is the general change in the population in terms of age?
Ageing population, decreasing proportions of young
What factors are resulting in increasing the older population?
Lower levels of fertility
Lower levels of mortality
Where is the pace of population faster - developed or developing countries?
Developing countries
What are the two main reasons rapid ageing of the population is expected to take place?
- Baby boomers will become older
- Mortality rates improve due to preserving health and fitness.
What are the healthcare implications of an ageing population?
- Need for more geriatricians/care of the elderly professionals
- Increased facilities for elderly healthcare needed
- More long-term, palliative conditions in primary care
- Specific health promotion campaigns aimed at the elderly
What are the social implications of an ageing population?
- Dependency on family/carers
- Increasing demand for home carers/nursing home placements
- Increasing emphasis on social activities for the elderly
- Family role changes
- Housing demands changing
What are the political implications of an ageing population?
- Must take into account ageing population
- Will have the power to influence political decision making in relation to their specific concerns
What are the economic implications of an ageing population?
- Finding employment may become harder for younger people
- Proportionally less people will be paying into tax and pension funds
- Poverty due to inadequate state pension
- Increasing cost of ‘free personal care for the elderly’ policy
What is the general trend with birth rate?
It is falling
What is the general trend with life expectancy?
Increasing (faster in males)
Difference of 3.6yrs between males and females
What is the leading cause of death for women in England?
Dementia and Alzheimer’s
What is the leading cause of death for men in England?
Heart disease
What is the life expectancy for males in england?
79.5
What is the life expectancy for females in england?
83.1
What is the healthy life expectancy for men?
63.4
What is the healthy life expectancy for women?
64.1
What does lower SES do to average life expectancy and average healthy life expectancy?
Decreases both
How many people will be carers at some point in their lives?
3 in 5
What sort of help may carers provide to those they support?
- Practical help such as preparing meals, shopping, laundry
- Keeping an eye on them
- Keeping them company
- Taking them out
- Help them with financial matters
- Help them deal with care services and benefits
- Help them with aspects of personal care
What type of family member do most carers care for?
Parents/parents-in-law
What are some impacts of caring?
- Unemployment
- Drops in household income, poverty
- Effects on health
- Missing out on financial support
- Impacts on relationships
- Feeling forgotten by society
What defines multimorbidity?
The co-existence of two or more long-term conditions in an individual
How does multimorbidity complicate treatment?
Adds complexity to treatment
-preferred treatment for one condition may worsen another
What would be the adverse impacts of stopping calcium channel blocker?
Worsening hypertension, increased exertional chest pain
What would be the adverse impacts of stopping beta blocker?
Worsening heart failure over long term,
increased exertional chest pain
What options exist for care?
- Living in own home with support from family/social services
- Daycare centre support/respite care
- Sheltered housing/Very
- Residential Home
- Nursing Home Care
- Specialist units
- Hospital admissions
What is the advantage of anticipatory care planning (ACP)?
Promotes discussion in which individuals, care providers etc can make decisions with respect to their future health/personal/practical aspects of care.
How should an ACP be done?
- Thinking ahead and making plans
- Written down
How can an ACP be shared?
- KIS (Key Information Summary)
- Other communication
Give some examples of legal anticipatory care planning?
Welfare power of attorney
Financial power of attorney
Guardianship
Give some examples of personal anticipatory care planning?
- Statement of wishes/Advanced directive
- Next of kin
- Consent to pass on info
- Preferences and priorities regarding treatment
- Who else to consult/inform
- Preferred place of death
- Religious and cultural beliefs
- Current level of support
Give some examples of medical anticipatory care planning?
Potential problems Home care package Wishes re DNA CPR Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines Communication which has occurred with other professionals Details of “just-in-case” medicines Electronic care summary Assessment of capacity/competence Current aids and appliances (helps assess current functional level)
