The Aging

Population
NCM 114
MA. CONCEPCION MAICO-BACUS,
EdD, MAN, RN
 Geriatrics
● Is the medical specialty that deals with the physiology of aging and with
the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting older adults.
● Geriatrics, by definition, focuses on abnormal conditions and the medical
treatment of these conditions.
 Gerontology
● The term gerontology comes from the Greek words “gero,” meaning
related to old age, and “ology,” meaning the study of.
● Thus, gerontology is the study of all aspects of the aging process,
including the clinical, psychologic, economic, and sociologic problems of
older adults and the consequences of these problems for older adults
and society.
● Gerontology affects nursing, health care, and all areas of our society—
including housing, education, business, and politics.
 Ageism
● Is the disliking of aging and older adults based on the belief that aging
makes people unattractive, unintelligent, and unproductive. It is an
emotional prejudice or discrimination against people based solely on
age.
● Ageism allows the young to separate themselves physically and
emotionally from the old and to view older adults as somehow having
less human value
 GERONTOLOGICAL
NURSING

Involves nurses advocating for the health of

older persons at all levels of prevention.

The scope of the practice includes all older

adults from the time of ”old age” until death.
 Views of Older Adults Through History
● United States – offered the sacrifice, strength, and spirit that made this
country great. They were the proud GIs in world wars, the brave
immigrants who ventured into an unknown land, the bold entrepreneurs
who took risks that created wealth and opportunities for employment,
and the unselfish parents who struggled to give their children a better
life.
● In the time of Confucius, there was a direct correlation between a
person’s age and the degree of respect to which he or she was entitled.
● Taoism viewed old age as the epitome of life.
● The ancient Chinese believed that attaining old age was a wonderful
accomplishment that deserved great honor.
● The early Egyptians dreaded growing old and experimented with a
variety of potions and schemes to maintain their youth.
● Plato promoted older adults as society’s best leaders.
● Aristotle denied older people any role in governmental matters.
● Ancient Romans had limited respect for their elders.
● In the nations that Rome conquered, the sick and aged were
customarily the first to be killed.
● Woven throughout the Bible is God’s concern for the well-being of the
family and desire for people to respect elders.
● The medieval times gave rise to strong feelings regarding the superiority
of youth; these feelings were expressed in uprisings of sons against
fathers. Older people were among the first to be affected by famine and
poverty and the last to benefit from better times.
● In the early 17th century, England developed Poor Laws that provided
care for the destitute and enabled older persons without family
resources to have some modest safety net.
● Dr. I. L. Nascher, known as the father of geriatrics, wrote the first
geriatric textbook in 1914.
 THE OLDER AGE GROUP

The Young Old The Old Old

Ages 65 – 74 Ages 85 and up

The Middle Old Note:

Ages 75 – 84 How and at what rate
a person ages depends
upon a host of factors.

Vast differences exist between biological and

chronological aging, and between the physical,
emotional, and social aspects of aging.
AGING IS A DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

A
Erik Erikson
Generativity vs Stagnation
Integrity vs Despair

B
Gene Cohen
Developmental Intelligence Quotient
The 4 Stages of Maturity

C The 5 Stages of Aging

Independence, Interdependence, Dependency,
Crisis Management, End of Life
Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial
Development
Gene Cohen’s Developmental Intelligence Quotient

What is it? Specifically…

The degree to which a person Reflects the maturing synergy of

has manifested his or her cognition, emotional
unique neurological, emotional, intelligence, judgment, social
intellectual, and psychological skills, life experience, and
capacities. consciousness.
Gene Cohen’s Developmental Intelligence Quotient

Phase 1 – Midlife Reevaluation Phase 2 - Liberation

Ages mid-30s to mid-60s. Midlife people often Ages late 50s into the 70s. In the busy brain, new
become less impulsive, more thoughtful about neurons are growing in the hippocampi.
their work, more open to life’s complexities, Towards innovation and the willingness to take
more aware of their intuitive feelings. risks. To many, retirement means time to do the
things they always wanted to do.

Phase 3 – Summing Up Phase 4 – Final Phase, Encore

Ages late 60s through 80s. Time of review, Ages late 70s until the end of life. Learning always
resolutions, and the desire to give back. A review possible, and the depth of experience gives an added
dimension of wisdom to the quality of one’s thinking. The
of one’s life with recognition of its meaning. oldest-old can cope well and have high levels of
satisfaction and psychological resilience.
 The 5 Stages of Aging

INDEPENDENCE INTERDEPENDENCE
Stage 1 Stage 2

DEPENDENT CRISIS MANAGEMENT END OF LIFE

Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5
 INDEPENDENCE INTERDEPENDENCE
The vast majority still live in their own Likely to find daily tasks more difficult.
homes. Can still look after their Decline of both physical and
needs (transportation, finances, mental ability. Will start forgetting
health care). May experience a things. A caregiver may be
minor decline in mental/physical necessary to assist with one or
ability, but does not impact their more daily activities. Older adult
life. may resist asking for help.

DEPENDENCY CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Age-related changes are becoming AND END OF LIFE
more noticeable. An older adult is
likely to be experiencing difficulty Typically monitored round the clock.
with a number of ADLs. Difficulty Access to formal health care
with physical and mental activity. facilities. Assisted living facility,
nursing home or hospice.
 GLOBAL AGING

AN INCREASE IN THE OLDER ADULT POPULATION

 Ageing and health (who.int)
● All countries face major challenges to ensure that their health and social
systems are ready to make the most of this demographic shift.
● In 2050, 80% of older people will be living in low- and middle-income
countries.
● The pace of population ageing is much faster than in the past.
● In 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older outnumbered
children younger than 5 years.
● Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world's population over
60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%.
● By 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over. At this
time the share of the population aged 60 years and over will increase
from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion.
● By 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will
double (2.1 billion).
● The number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple
between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million.
 FACTORS

Life Fertility of the Demographic

Expectancy Population Tidal Wave
Improved sanitation, Fertility rates of some countries Will explode between 2010
advances in medical care, has been steadily falling for the and 2030 when the baby
implementation of past 200 years. Acceptance of boomer generation reaches
preventive health services. birth control and changing values 65.
of different generations.
 FACTORS

Living Effects of
Education Arrangements Ethnicity
Tend to have more money, Linked not only to income, but African Americans – higher
higher standards of living, also to health status. rates of DM, HPN, and CKD.
and above-average health. Asians & Pacific Islanders – life
expectancy at birth is higher
 THE OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC

The Aging
Disabled Elderly Inmates
Advances in health care “Elderly” in the world of jails cells
have increased the lifespan begin at age 50 or even earlier.
of persons with disability.
The Impact of the Baby
Boomers
● Baby boomers will be entering their senior years
between 2008 and 2030.
 Boomer Characteristics
● Most have children, but this generation’s low birth rate means that they
will have fewer biologic children available to assist them in old age.
● They are better educated than preceding generations.
● Their household incomes tend to be higher than other groups, partly due
to two incomes (three out of four baby boomer women are in the labor
force).
● They favor a more casual dress code than previous generations of older
adults.
● They are enamored with “high-tech” products and are likely to own and
use a home computer.
● Their leisure time is scarcer than other adults, and they are more likely
to report feeling stressed at the end of the day.
● As inventors of the fitness movement, they exercise more frequently than
other adults
 Boomers as Retirees
● They will be informed consumers of health care and will desire a highly
active role in their care.
● Their ability to access information may enable them to have as much
knowledge as their health care providers on some health issues.
● They will not be satisfied with the conditions of today’s nursing homes
and will demand that their long-term care facilities be equipped with
computer stations, gymnasiums, juice bars, pools, and alternative
therapies.
● Plans for services and architectural designs must take these factors into
consideration.
 The WHO Response
● The United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared 2021–2030 the UN
Decade of Healthy Ageing and asked WHO to lead the implementation.
● The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing is a global collaboration bringing
together governments, civil society, international agencies,
professionals, academia, the media and the private sector for 10 years of
concerted, catalytic and collaborative action to foster longer and
healthier lives.
The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030) seeks to reduce health
inequities and improve the lives of older people, their families and
communities through collective action in four areas:

● changing how we think, feel and act towards age and ageism;
● developing communities in ways that foster the abilities of older
people;
● delivering person-centred integrated care and primary health services
responsive to older people;
● and providing older people who need it with access to quality long-
term care.
END OF TOPIC DISCUSSION