The problems that we face during old age are no secret and the efforts that we are making to ensure that the old people in our society are taken care of are quite good. However, there is still a lot of potential for improvement and to do that, it is very important that we are able to understand the situation, find out the challenges and then devise strategies that can help us in providing the best possible care and opportunities for old people .To do that, we must start from the basics and see what the overall situation is around the world with regards to old people. The differences in the statistics will also show us where the amount of care being provided is sufficient and where it isn’t. Also research will help us in identifying the problems that come with old age and therefore we can better plan the improvements that may be needed in different places. To help you understand this situation, we will be providing you with comprehensive useful information on the topic in this article so keep reading to find out more.
Facts about ageing
In order to truly understand the challenges that come with old age and what different people and societies around the world have to face, we must make sure that we have all the facts. Some interesting and quite revealing findings that were found by the WHO with regards to old people have been discussed here concisely.
- There is a rapid increase in the population of old people in the world and it is believed that the next half a century will cause the percentage to practically double, rising from 11% in 2000 to 22% in 2050. Also the people who are aged over 60 years will go from 605 million to more than 2 billion during this time period.
- In the same period of time, the world will also see an all time record number of people who will reach the ages of 80-90.
- Mid-income societies will be seeing this growth the fastest and this includes countries like China and Brazil.
- The diseases that are causing the death of most of the old people around the world are mostly non-communicable. This includes diseases like diabetes, heart diseases and cancer and it is very common for old people to have multiple diseases.
- The number of old people who are being abused or maltreated in some form is also quite high. The acts include several actions that are disrespectful and cause a denial of dignity to old people e.g. leaving them in soiled clothing.
- Forms of dementia are also growing quite rapidly and old people are increasingly becoming afflicted with problems like Alzheimer’s disease.
Challenges and opportunities
The problems caused by old age and the challenges it provides to us as a society require special attention and it is only by understanding these challenges that we can generate appropriate opportunities for the old people. The biggest challenge that we face currently is the provision of properly managed healthcare and in many countries, especially the underdeveloped ones, there is no system at all to ensure proper care. Developing these systems will require collaboration among the developed and non-developed societies and by this mutual helping agreement we can improve healthcare for old people significantly. Proper research and brainstorming needs to be done in order to provide effective solutions for all the problems related to old age.
Demographic changes
The changes in demographics related to old people are presenting figures that are quite astonishing and in some cases, it is also very alarming. One thing that is of particular concern is the fact that the number of people who are living on beyond the age of 60 is rising at a very fast rate. This means that there is a constantly growing need for old age health services and to provide that there is a major restructuring required at national level for countries all over the world. Also the diseases that are being brought forward due to this increase in ratio are evolving and there is an immediate need to address these issues. Several researches have also been performed to find the changes in demographics and their results are clearly worth exploring.
Providing solutions
The societies around the world need to come forward as a single unit and work together to find solutions to the changing demographics and ensure better and improved healthcare for old people. To do that, there is need to collaborate in terms of research and the provision of resources and under-developed countries could really benefit from the aid provided by developed countries. The UK government has a proper policy that is aimed at helping older people and you can view its details here.
