Content Attributes
The population is increasing worldwide. The WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that the world population will reach 10 billion by 2050. Also, the population is aging rapidly in several continents. Due to the rapid increase of aging, these older people will not only require a lot of health care at the hospitals but at their home too.
With the increasing chronic diseases, the accountability on brands and companies. That deal with home-based health care services will increase even more. Several companies have started providing senior care or healthcare at home. They are also expanding their reach by partnering up with other companies in different cities.
Most of the companies in this sector offer a wide range of services. That include elderly care, physiotherapy, chronic disease management, post-hospitalization care, general primary healthcare, and much more.
With proper health and social apprenticeships, healthcare professionals can know how to assist an older person. Several healthcare companies have started their firm with only a two-room setup. But now they have expanded their business with great management, better franchisees, and a team of experts.
Health Perspective of Senior Citizens
Health at an older age is very critical; several factors such as environment, disease, lifestyle, biology, and genetics determine the mental and physical condition of the aging individual. From a health perspective, the occurrence of disease among senior citizens varies widely across different age groups.
The impact of disease and aging on daily functioning is complicated. Functional decline is very common among senior citizens. The importance of functional capacity is generally the ability to perform essential activities of daily living (ADL), like using the bathroom, getting in and out of the bed, dressing, bathing, and eating.
There are several differences reported in functional decline among the senior citizens of Europe. Varying from 20 percent in Poland to 3 percent in Switzerland of the 65 to 75 year age group reporting one ADL limitation, and 35 percent in Portugal to 12 percent in the Netherlands of the 75 year age group.
At an older age, health is not randomly distributed and analyzing from a health perspective; no one is typically an older person.
Social Perspective of Ageing
It is commonly said that everyone wants to grow old, but no one wants to be actually old. Earlier, aging was considered as an inevitable biological process of mental and physical decline, and senior citizens are seen as a homogeneous group.
The criteria for successful aging are the absence of disability and disease and maintaining active engagement and mental and physical functioning with life. Research shows that there is an increasing number of senior citizens who function at a high level. In a review of 28 people, 36 percent of senior citizens were recognized as successful agers.
Challenges for Health Care
Actions that are needed to support healthy aging always depend on an individual’s social, mental, and physical status. The main aim should be to maintain and build capacity by reducing several risk factors, enforcing a healthy lifestyle, and early recognition of disease. Go for the social care training courses.
In the final stage of the loss of capacity, health care should mainly focus on compensating the functional decline by ensuring several healthcare facilities.
The main challenge for health care is the support for the healthy aging process to an elder individual’s needs. It requires that healthcare experts put senior citizens at the center of health care and shift their focus from managing chronic diseases to optimizing their lives while maximizing their functional ability.
Future Care for Senior Citizens
Firstly, we have to change our focus, not on the chronic disease, but definitely on the autonomy. Senior citizens always want to be able to perform things that are important to them as long as possible. Treating diseases might be essential, but only to avoid the limitations.
Secondly, care for senior citizens must be proactive rather than reactive by focusing on older people that are at high risk of losing intrinsic capacity. Frailty rapidly increases the risk of loss of quality of life, functional decline, and health deterioration.
Early recognition of frail in senior citizens can help slow down the process of deterioration and limit unplanned admissions.
Conclusion
Aging is a natural process, and the older population is heterogeneous, with several different aging patterns. Several factors can facilitate and promote the process of healthy aging by providing personalized care within a personal relationship. Still, you have to find some effective ways to deal with the needs of an aging individual.