Ageing Well or Not so Well Flashcards
What are the demographic changes in populations in developed and developing countries?
Developed countries - The population is ageing, with an increasing number of people over 60 and a decreasing number of people below 59
Developing countries - There is a similar story in developing countries, where the number of people over the age of 60 has risen from 8% of population in 2000 to 20% in 2050. Thus the rate of population ageing in developing countries is higher than in developed countries and could mean that there is much less support for the increasing number of elderly
What are the general trends in life expectancy in the UK?
Been rising steadily over the recent decades
Some very recent data suggests that rises in life expectancy are starting to slow down
How do the population curves of different areas of Scotland compare?
Highlands - generally older population, with a peak in population around the 40-60 age range
Edinburgh - generally younger population, with a spike in population around the 20-30 age range
What are the common causes of mortality and differences seen between socioeconomic groups?
Female leading causes of mortality:
1) Dementia & Alzheimers
2) Heart Disease
3) Stroke
4) COPD
5) Lung cancer
Male leading causes of mortality:
1) Heart disease
2) Dementia & Alzheimers
3) Lung cancer
4) COPD
Deprived areas - Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy significantly lower than in least deprived areas
What are the social, health care, economic and political challenges posed by ageing populations?
Social care challenges - Costs are rising dramatically with the ageing population
Health care challenges - Large number of delays for hospital patients due to increasing burden on NHS due to ageing population
Social - A huge number of people in the UK provide care in some form to a family member
What is meant by multi-morbidity?
The co-existence of two or more long-term conditions in an individual
What are one of the complications of suffering with multi morbidities?
Polypharmacy - Being on several medications at once
What are the complexities of caring for patients with multi-morbidities?
The prefered treatment for one condition may make another condition worse
What services are available for the elderly population in terms of care?
Living in own home with support from family
Living in own home with support from social services
Sheltered Housing
Residential Home
Nursing Home Care
What impacts can caring for an elderly relative have on family members?
30% of carers saw a drop of 20K a year in their household income a result of caring
1/3 of carers cut back on essentials like food and heating
Carers worseing financial situations affects their health
Carers worry about the impact of caring on their relationships with friends and family
What are anticipatory care plans?
ACP’s promote discussion in which individuals, their care providers and people close to them, make decisions with respect to their future health or personal and practical aspects of care
What are the demographics of caring?
6.5 million people in the UK are carers
3 in 5 people will be carers at some point in their lives
Most carers provide help with preparing meals, doing laundry or shopping
40% of carers care for their parents or parents-in-law
Over 25% of carers care for their spouse or partner
