With the development of medical technology and the adoption of healthier lifestyles, the average life span of human beings is increasing, which means that the number of older people as a percentage of the total population is also increasing.

• Year aging society It is a society in which more than 7% of the population is 65 years of age or older.

• Year aging society is one in which more than 14% of people are over 65 years of age, and

• in a super aging society more than 20% or the population are elderly.

Our world is aging rapidly

It took approximately 110 years for the number of people over the age of 65 in France to increase from 7% to 14% of the total population. The same process took about 80 years in Sweden, about 50 years in the UK, and about 20 years in Brazil and Korea.

So what does this mean for those of us who are already over 65?

As aging progresses, the body and mind weaken and diseases accumulate. Chronic diseases, muscle weakness, and mental decline are more common in older people.

Unsurprisingly, the elderly account for a larger share of total medical spending in whatever society they live in.

In 2015, for example, the percentage of people aged 65 and over in South Korea was 13.2%, but their medical expenses accounted for a disproportionate 36.5% of that country’s total health spending.

So you need to put pressure on your government to ensure that healthcare systems are tailored to the needs of older people.

Studies in Europe and North America suggest that older people suffer from four to five illnesses on average, far more than young people who are generally fairly disease-free.

Older people suffer medical events, such as heart attacks, strokes, and cancers, more frequently because their lungs, cardiovascular, and digestive systems degenerate along with their immune systems.

Poor diets also contribute to this loss of good health among the elderly. Therefore, you need to make sure you eat nutritious foods to preserve your health as you age.

The classification of the ages

Until recently, most studies of older people have classified people 65 and older into a single group.

As people live longer, scientists found that diseases vary by how long people survive past age 65. As a result, researchers now divide old age into three distinct periods:

• 65 to 74 years… the youngest

• 75 to 84 years… middle age

• over 85 years… oldest

So what are the differences in terms of health and well-being between the three age groups?

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Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become brittle and weak. They tend to break if you have a fall or a hard hit. The most common osteoporotic fractures are those of the hip, back, and wrist.

Osteoporosis is more likely to develop as you get older. This can be seen in the increased rate of hospital admissions for orthopedic surgery among the elderly.

Tests by researchers in Australia found age-related osteoporosis in 20% of 50-year-olds, 46% of 60-year-olds, 59% of 70-year-olds and 69% of older patients 80 years old. If you are in the older age group, you most likely have osteoporosis.

Therefore, once you are over the age of 65, you should be tested regularly for osteoporosis. There are many treatments you can take to keep your osteoporosis from getting worse.

falling

Falls among the elderly are quite common. One of the main causes of falls is syncope, that is, passing out or fainting due to a temporary decrease in the amount of blood reaching the brain.

You may experience syncope if you have an irregular heartbeat, reduced blood flow to the heart, abnormally low blood sugar levels, are using blood pressure medications, or other underlying conditions.

Falls can also be caused by vision problems, drunkenness, and sleeping pills, as well as paralysis caused by a stroke or neuromuscular disease (affecting the muscles and the nerves that control them).

Sudden falls can have serious consequences, especially if you hit your head or fall on your wrist.

Once you’re over 65, you should adjust your living spaces so that slips and falls are less likely and have less serious consequences should they occur.

In addition, you must carry an emergency call button, especially if you live alone, linked to a surveillance service that can alert your key fob or emergency services.

Pulmonary function

With age, lung function declines as the elasticity of the lungs decreases and the tendency of the chest to return to its relaxed position. This causes the respiratory muscles to stiffen.

This explains why respiratory diseases are more likely in elderly patients. In fact, hospital admissions for respiratory problems constitute the largest proportion of admissions for internal diseases.

It is obvious that elderly patients should be provided with respiratory equipment and pulmonary exercise training to increase lung capacity and improve breathing.

To strengthen your lung muscles, you should get a breathing device, like the kind used by athletes and musicians, that resists breathing and develops all four lung muscles. Use it every day and after a few weeks you will find that your breathing will improve a lot.

You should also quit smoking.

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hospital admissions

There are absolute differences in hospital admissions between the three groups of elderly people.

Together, the three groups account for the largest number of hospitalizations for internal diseases, but about two-thirds of these are elderly patients.

This is because as you age, your immune system degenerates and you become more susceptible to infectious diseases, cancers, and autoimmune diseases.

Therefore, hospitals and hospital admission systems must adapt to the needs of the elderly, who are the most frequent users of these services.

ambulance use

Elderly patients use emergency ambulances more often than younger patients.

Studies indicate that in most developed countries, more than a third of elderly patients, and approximately half of patients over the age of 85, use ambulances to reach an emergency department (ED).

By contrast, emergency ambulances are only used for less than 30% of children who go to emergency services.

Therefore, ambulances must be equipped to suit the needs of elderly patients.

Length of stay (LOS) in emergency services

A recent study found that elderly patients stay in the emergency department approximately 20% longer than younger patients with the same condition.

Several other studies show that LOS in the ED increases with age. This may be because elderly patients in the emergency department are at high risk of associated diseases. They may also require further diagnostic testing and emergency treatment, as well as time-consuming consultation with multiple departments.

Other studies report that the increase in LOS among elderly patients is mainly due to waiting times for hospital admission.

Governments need to develop an effective policy to manage overcrowding and LOS.

Time in ICU

Another study reveals that there are no differences in the ICU admission rate between the three groups of elderly people, but there are differences in the time spent in the ICU between the youngest and the oldest.

This could be because younger patients respond better to treatment than older patients.

Women

With increasing age, the proportion of female patients increases. This is probably due to the fact that women live longer than men.

The rate of emergency department visits for female patients increases with age.

Several studies have shown that women in Europe represent 51% of patients aged 70 to 79 years and 61.68% of those older than 80 years in the ED. In a study in South Korea, women accounted for 55.4% of all elderly patients, that is, 51.5% of the youngest, 54.9% of the middle-aged and 69 1% of the oldest.

Therefore, both government health policies and hospital administrators should consider expanding the number of women’s awards and specialized medical services for women.

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Food to go

• Eat nutritious foods to preserve your health as you age.

• Get regular tests for osteoporosis and, if you have it, follow the treatments your doctor prescribes to prevent it from getting worse.

• Adjust your living spaces so that slips and falls are less likely and have less serious consequences should they occur.

• Use an emergency “panic” button linked to a monitoring service that will alert your key fobs or emergency services should you fall or have an accident.

• Exercise your lungs every day with a Powerlung or other similar device to preserve lung function.

• Form a pressure group with your older neighbors to encourage their political representatives, DT, MP, Senators, etc. to ensure that your government acts:

  • adapt their health systems to the needs of older people who use these services much more than other age groups.

  • equip ambulances to fit the needs of elderly patients.

  • develop an effective policy to manage overcrowding and length of stay in emergency departments.

  • consider, together with hospital directors, expanding the number of women’s wards and specialized medical services for older women.

Remember… nothing will happen unless you shout loud and vote during the election