Medical Technology 2

1. HEALTH
PROFILE FOR
ELDERLY
A
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2. The health status among elders has improved over the years, both in
terms of living longer and remaining functional. The percentage of
chronically disabled older persons those with impede daily activities has
been slowly falling.
However, we do know that the most consistent risk factor or illness and
death across the total population is age, and that in general, the health
status of elders is not as good as their younger counterparts.

3. MORTALITY
In 2000, the top five causes of death for elders, in order of number
of deaths, were heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic respiratory
disease (CLRD) and pneumonia and influenza .
The top three causes of death were responsible for almost seven of every ten deaths
Over the pat 50 years, the overall age- adjusted mortality rate for elders has
continued to fall. The primary reason for this has been the declining death rates for
heart disease
and stroke.

4. MORBIDITY
The quality of life in later years may be diminished
if illness, chronic condition, or injuries limit the
ability of one to care for oneself without
assistance.
Older persons maintain their independence and
eliminate costly caregiving services by, among
other things, shopping on their own, cooking their
meals, bathing and dressing themselves, and
walking and climbing without assistance.

5. CHRONIC CONDITIONS
Are systemic health problems that persist longer than
three months, such hypertension, arthritis, heart
disease, and emphysema. While not all chronic
conditions are life threatening, they are a substantial
burden on the health and economic status of
individuals, their families, and the nation as a whole.

6. IMPAIRMENTS
Are deficits in the functioning of one's
sense organs or limitations in one's
mobility or range of motion. Like chronic
conditions, impairments are far more
prevalent in older elders.
The four primary impairments are
hearing, orthopedic impairments
cataracts, and other visual impairment.

7. HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND
HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND
HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND
LIFESTYLE CHOICES
LIFESTYLE CHOICES
LIFESTYLE CHOICES
There is no question that health behavior and social factors play significant roles in
helping elders maintain health in later life. Some elders believe that they are too
old to gain any ben�efit from changing their health behaviors. This, of course, is
not true; it is never too late to make a change for the better. In interviews, elders
generally report more favorable health behaviors than their younger counterparts.
They are less likely to (1) consume large amounts of alcohol, (2) smoke ciga�rettes,
and (3) be overweight or obese.
However, it should be noted that many of those who abused alcoholic beverages,
smoked cigarettes, and were overweight or obese died before 65 and thus were
unavailable for interview. Even though in general elders report better health
behaviors than their younger coun�terparts, there is still room for improvement.

8. Reports of elder abuse and neglect have increased
greatly in recent years. In a 10-year period between the
mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, reports of elder abuse
in the United States increased by more than 150%.32
Perhaps a substantial part of the increase in these
numbers was due to all 50 states having passed some
form of elder abuse prevention laws.Though the laws
and definitions of terms vary from state to state, all
states have set up reporting systems. Prior to the
reporting systems, many incidences of abuse were
never recorded.“
ELDER ABUSE AND NEGLECT

9. Generally, adult protective service (APS) agencies receive and investigate reports of suspected
elder abuse.”32 According to the first-ever National Elder Abuse Incidence Study, released in
1998, an estimated total of 551,000 elderly persons over the age 60 had experienced abuse
(physical, emotional/psychological), neglect, or self-neglect in a domestic setting during the
year of the study.
This study also revealed the following:
• Female elders are abused at a higher rate than men.
• Elders 80 years and older are abused or neglected at two to three times the rate of their
proportion of the elderly population
• In almost 90% of all elder abuse and neglect incidents where a perpetrator is identified, the
perpetrator is a family member, and two-thirds of the perpetrators are adult children or
spouses. • Victims of self-neglect are usually depressed, confused, or extremely frail