Population Aging and Health Flashcards
What is considered old?
60-65 (sometime younger or older)
Old age is…
socially constructed idea
Aging population means…
rising average age within a population
What causes an aging population?
longer LE and lower BR
What do population pyramids tell us?
age composition
Age composition helps us..
- Understand the changing population structure and its impact on a nation
- Plan for government’s and individuals’ future expenditure
What is the difference between the age pyramid of Canadian Population between 1971 and 2010?
The pyramid for 1971 was wider at the base while for 2010 the widest pat is between 45-65 yrs.
3 Indicators of Population Aging
- % of population that is 65+
- Median age of a population
- Dependency ratio (DR)
What is the difference between developed and undeveloped countries?
Undeveloped countries such as Africa tend to have high birth rates and lower life expectancies. The opposite is true of developed countries.
Which countries are most developed?
Japan, Germany, Italy and France
Canada’s aging population can be attributed to…
longer LE and more people surviving at advanced old age (80-85 yrs)
Why is the % of population that is 65+ a problematic criteria?
- creates them as a homogeneous group
(differences should be attributed to structured social relations) - accumulated experience (more experience than in younger age groups)
young-old
65-74 yrs
middle-old
75-84 yrs
old-old
85-89 yrs
frail-old
90+
Median age of population
50th percentile of the entire population by age (higher in women than men)
- higher LE brings up the median
Dependency Ratio (DR)
- Assumes people of certain ages are dependent or independent
- Level of ‘dependency burden’
What is the DR formula?
DR = (dependents / independents)
Dependent means…
not working (relying on others for income)
Independent means…
financially independent and supporting themselves/others
Aged DR
= (65+) / (20 to 64)
Youth DR
= (0-19) / (20 to 64)
Total DR
= [(65+) + (0-19)] / (20 to 64)
DR trends in CAD overtime?
Fewer babies and more elderly are increasing the amount of dependents
What does DR of .80 mean?
800 dependent individuals for every 1000 independent individuals
Problematic assumptions with the DR concept
- both dependents and independents are treated as homogenous groups
- age cut-offs do not reflect current times
- economic contribution is based on paid labour (ignores unpaid work)
Alternative to DR with Labour Force (LF)
DR = (aged + youth) / (LF participants 15-64)
Family DR
(# older parents 65+) / (# children)
What is the problem with family DR?
- some elderly people don’t have kids
- not perfect measurement
Declining Fertility-> Population Aging
- Total fertility rate Canada = 1.5; Africa 5.3
- Higher fertility when Baby Boomers were born
→ large cohort - Ageing Baby Boomers (1946-1966) accelerate population ageing (large cohort getting old)
Mortality
Mortality rates decrease = 2nd reason for population ageing
→ increased life expectancy (LE)
LE @ birth
expected number of years of life for babies born in a particular population in a particular year
LE @ age 65
expected # of remaining years of life for people aged 65 in a particular year
LE @ age 85
(2001) males = 5.6 (=90.6), female = 7 (=92)
Trends in Life Expectancy in CAD
Overall it’s increasing
Health Adjusted Life Expectancy (HALE)
- healthy life years
- the # of remaining years that a person can live with good functional health
- women spend more time in poor health than men do
Compression of Morbidity
less time between being seriously ill or disabled and dying (indicator of quality of life)
- some people post-pone aging until they get really old
- African Americans suffer more due to social class
Critique of Mortality
acute illness is less emphasized
Causes of Death
- Circulatory most common (e.g., stroke)
- Followed by cancer, respiratory diseases
- Women tend to live longer than men, but they live longer lives with more illness
- The gender gap in LE narrows in advanced ages
Immigration
- Plays a small role in making a population younger
- Immigrants want to bring family members
- Will age themselves someday
Canada’s older population primarily due to…
- declining fertility
- declining mortality
- population age structure
Gender in Aging
- age 85+ (34.3% men, 65.64% women)
- Gender difference in experiencing ageing
- Life expectancy gap narrowing
- Gender gap in LE narrow among educated and economically advantaged
Ethnicity in Aging (Immigration patterns)
- Current older population has a higher portion of foreign-born compared to previous cohorts in 2001 (early wave of immigration)
- older cohorts were immigrants from European countries
- Among 65+, 6.5% visible minority; increasing every year (family-class immigration, esp. Asian origin)
- Aboriginal population is younger
- Median age = 29.1 years (2016)
Well-being in Old Age
- The rising needs of health care as we get older
- Level of care assistance varies by age and other factors (such as?)
Perception of Health in Old Age
Most older adults view themselves as psychologically healthy
- gone through a lot in their lives
- satisfied with mental health
- except with people w/ dementia
Chronic conditions do not always lead to functional disability or activity restrictions
perception of health
Importance of health promotion prior to old age
successful aging
Social determinants of health and disease prevention
relationship between structured social relations and lifestyle choices
- HP and DP
- education, income, neighbourhood
- HALE
Well-being in Old Age
- Most older adults are not socially isolated, but have close ties with their family.
- psychologically healthy
- meaningful relationship
- minorities (more vulnerable, risk of poor health and worse mental health)
At Risk Population
- Single elderly women with limited income who live alone (lost spouse makes them in a depressive state)
- Vulnerable to poor physical and mental health
- Higher likelihood of requiring care
- Intersectionality of…
- age, gender, marital status, living arrangement
- some people can move beyond the depressive state
- sexuality can also be a risk factor (e.g. retirement house for LGBTQ)
