Most people on the planet long to have a long life, and many people make preparations on how to live their sunset years gracefully. Aging is an inevitable phase in life for people who get privileged to live longer. Despite being regarded as a blessing, several problems accompany aging. According to (World Health Organization, 2018), by 2050, the world’s population of people over sixty years will double from 12% to 24%. This analysis shows that the population of the elderly is rapidly increasing, and consequently, the problems that phase elderly people will continue to increase if not curbed.
Health complications are the leading problem facing the elderly in Canada and globally at large. As the body ages, body cells and vital organs undergo cellular and molecular damage, reducing the body’s ability to fight infections. This destruction also makes the body prone to some ailments due to changes in the proper functioning of some organs. For example, (Jaul & Barron, 2017) cites that proper visual and hearing ability decreases with age. According to their study, the production of cerumen increases with age, which contributes to hearing loss. Their study further explains that more than half of elderly people over 85 years suffer from hearing impairment. Urologic condition is another disorder that affects elderly people. This condition establishes itself due to the unsterilized bladders that are infested bacteria causing asymptomatic bacteriuria.
Chronic diseases have wreaked havoc in the Canadian health system and mostly the elderly population living in Canada. Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases are the main chronic illnesses that contribute to more than 60% of the mortality rate in Canada. According to Dr. Theresa Tam, the Canadian Chief public officer, these diseases affect the patient’s social life, lower their quality of life, and make the elderly prone to death (Canada, 2020). Chronic diseases reduced the body’s immunity and were among the reason that made the elderly population account for 90% of the reported deaths due to the covid19 virus.
Another problem facing the elderly is negligence from family, community, and caregivers. Neglect makes aging people prone to abuse and mental health like depression. Activists argue that negligence and abuse of the aging population should be treated as an abuse of human rights. In Canada, elderly abuse is prone and financial abuse takes the biggest share with 63%, followed by physical at 35%and verbal abuse at 12.5%, while negligence is the least at 10% (ohrc, 2020). This problem has made many of Canada’s aging population develop mental disorders instead of enjoying their old life.
From the information I gathered above, it is evident that the aging population faces myriad problems. As a healthcare aide, I have a crucial role in offering my clients, particularly the aging population. Working as a nursing assistant for the elderly population, I have a role to fill the void of despair felt by the aging population that faces these challenges. Additionally, in my healthcare aide, I should champion methods that would come to the rescue of the aging population. For example, I should pioneer counseling sessions for the aging population battling psychological issues like neglect and abuse. I should also make a movement that would advocate for a universal health care system that will cater to the treatment and control of diseases brought by old age. The articles I used to find during this research are reliable sources. They offer quality and accurate information that the Health Care Aides can rely on.
References
Canada, P. H. A. of. (2020). Aging and chronic diseases: A profile of Canadian seniors. Web.
Jaul, E., & Barron, J. (2017). Age-related diseases and clinical and public health implications for the 85 years old and overpopulation. Frontiers in Public Health, 5(335). Web.
ohrc. (2020). Elder abuse & neglect. Ontario Human Rights Commission. Web.
World Health Organization. (2018). Aging and health. Who.int; World Health Organization: WHO. Web.