Statement 3 Flashcards
Statement 3
‘Reasons for the increasing number of older people in Northern Ireland’
Demographic Shifts in NI
NI is experiencing demographic shifts in terms of the aging society. Our population is projected to age at a faster rate that the rest of the UK. Projections indicate that in the 25 years from 2016-2041, the number of people aged 65+ in NI will increase by almost 2/3.
Northern Ireland Statistics
- Age NI (2021)
• There are over 39,000 people aged 85+ in NI
• 80,000 older people are living alone
• Atleast 15,000 carers over the age of 70
• By mid-2028, the projection of the population in NI aged 65+ is to be 20.1%, overtaking that of children under 15 (19.6%) for the first time
Reasons for the Aging Population
Population aging can be seen as one of the greatest successes of public health. Reasons for the increasing number of older people in Northern Ireland can be attributed to a various range of factors.
- Improvements in technology leading to improvements in diagnosis and treatments
- Improved preventive care programmes such as screening programmes
- Better education and greater awareness of heath
- Advances in medicine such as the discovery of new drugs and vaccinations
- Better living conditions such as those related to improvements in housing
- Improvements in lifestyle and better access to fitness and leisure facilities
- Better access to care
Reason 1 - Improvements in Technology leading to Improvements in Diagnosis and Treatments
Improvements in technology in the 20th century have led to more accurate methods of diagnosing and treating illnesses common in older people.
For example, advances in technology have led to the development of machines and computers that enable doctors to understand and diagnose illnesses more accurately, such as a colonoscopy used to find bowel cancer, a common problem for older people in NI.
Through accurate and quick diagnosis, an appointment can be made with an oncologist and treatment started sooner. This improves the likelihood of older people surviving cancer, this increasing the number of older people in NI.
Reason 2 - Improved Preventative Care Programmes such as Screening Programmes
Advances in screening programmes have co tributes to the increased number of older people in NI.
For example, the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme for men in NI aged 65+.
This screening programme aims to reduce the risk of an aneurysm bursting and causing internal bleeding or death, through a simple ultrasound scan. In doing so, it is possible to detect, monitor and treat more efficiently and within a a better timescale.
Reason 3 - Better Education and Better Awareness of Health
Older people have developed a greater understanding of how their lifestyle choices affect their health, through health promotion campaigns such as Stop Smoking NI.
Older people are now also more aware of the impact of poor dietary choices on their health, such as the effect of high saturated fat on cholesterol levels.
Reason 4 - Advances in Medicine such as the Discovery of New Drugs and Vaccinations
Advances in medical research have meant that diseases that would have once killed older people, such as smallpox, have been eradicated in NI. This therefore contributes to the increasing number of older people in NI.
Furthermore, clinical research and trials can also help to increase the number of older people in NI.
A current trial, looking at the use of amlodipine to treat high blood pressure (in the early stages), and vascular dementia which is a common disease which affects older people.
Reason 5 - Better Living Conditions such as those related to Improvements in Housing
Caters now last beyond the age of 65, meaning the living standards of older people has improved over the past decades due to increase income. This has resulted in more older people being able to afford warm insulated homes.
Problems with cold and damp homes have been shown to worsen conditions such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and increase the risk of heart disease and cardiac events with older geriatric individuals being at high risk.
As less older peoples are living in cold,damp conditions, improvement in housing have contributed to the increasing number of older people in NI.
Furthermore, work condition have also improved with strict health and safety laws in place such as the ‘Health and Safety at Work Act 1974’. This means less people are injured and more survive work accidents, thus increasing the number of older people in NI.
Reason 6 - Improvements in Lifestyle and Better Access to Fitness and Leisure Facilities
Older people in NI now have better access to leisure opportunities whether it be through local community walking groups or health and fitness programmes such as the Active Communities Programme funded by Sport NI. This programme uses specialist coaches to deliver a range of activities, including chair based aerobics.
Furthermore, Sixmile Leisure Centre runs an aquafit class for people aged 50+ and at the end of these sessions yea and coffee is offered.
Wider availability of these health and fitness facilities in local communities has led to improvements in the physical and mental health of older people, therefore increasing the number of older people in NI.
Reason 7 - Better Access to Care
There has been an increase in the use of heath services so problems on older people can be identified and dealt with in a timely matter. As seen in age related muscular degeneration.
The increased use of health services could further be linked to the widespread availability of health professionals and improved access to healthcare, for example a social worker assessing the needs of an older person and putting in place a package of care to prolong life.
Due to the better access to care, older people are more likely to live longer, thus increasing the number of older people in NI.
